The Cathedral and John Connon School is an institution that combines elements of academic excellence with a larger social sensitivity that is founded on the principles of honesty, integrity, and compassion. It is a place and a space where the teachers know the names as well as the stories of their students; where colleagues work in collaboration and camaraderie to bring out the best in the children entrusted to their care; and where each classroom fosters creativity, bonding, independence of thought, intellectual curiosity and academic rigour. I see it as an institution where a 162-year legacy coheres seamlessly with the innovations of the 21st century and where tradition meets modernity without disruption or fracture. It is where we teach our students how to understand and empower themselves with that which lies outside them – technology, information, communication, interaction, etc. – as well as with what lies within them – strength, resilience, integrity, and character.