At the end of the first week of term, MCC parents and staff were ready to enjoy a Friday night of tea and crumpets when a video popped up on their Facebook feeds that proceeded to be shared, liked and reposted over the course of the weekend!
Mr Doug Holtam had used his one smartphone to record a message to the MCC community, walking through the halls of his new school and giving insight into what he had seen in the first week and his hopes and goals for the year at MCC. Despite the lack of production quality, the immediacy and authenticity of the video post struck a chord with viewers in the Mundaring region. Mr Holtam has continued his weekly video series, with viewers tuning in from across the SCEA schools to listen to SCEA’s newest Principal.
What made you choose to create the first video?
“I saw this fantastic school all around me, and I realised that many parents are working hard and may not get the opportunity to see our learning spaces and hear from me directly. I had been trying to meet as many families as possible in the first week of term, but with the student group reaching almost 900 students across the two campuses, I knew that I needed to do something to connect with families I had not met yet,” said Mr Holtam this week.
Why do you think it went ‘viral’ and had so many views in such a short space of time?
“I’m not really sure, except the fact that I feel like Mundaring families are looking for an ‘authentic’ experience, a sense of realism, and a sense of connection with teachers and staff who nurture their children each day.”
“The purpose of MCC is very clear to me – to partner with God and parents to raise up a generation of young people who can confidently take their place in the community and live good, meaningful lives. I believe that every child has God-given gifts and talents and that the role of the Christian school is to work with parents and God to explore each student’s potential to develop their capacity and character.”
In the following weeks, you worked with your Marketing Officer, Mrs Tanja Nell, to identify the school values and attributes the College is built around.
Does this mean that you’ll be building on the concept of just doing a ‘selfie’ video for the College community?
“Tanja did a wonderful job on that video, and it is important for us to realise that a College community is more than just a Principal speaking – it is a community listening to one another. Some of the observations from our youngest students can be quite profound, and I appreciate the openness of today’s students to be forthright and clear with their opinions.”
“Having said that, I am planning something quite adventurous for an upcoming video,” said Mr Holtam.
“I won’t spoil the secret, but I will tell you that I will be enlisting Mr Levi Rosolin [Mountain Biking & Bush Rangers Teacher, MCC], Mr Tim Oates [MCC’s Head of Secondary and acclaimed extreme sports enthusiast], and I will need to have Mr Rhys Vallance [Risk & Compliance Manager – SCEA] present for the filming!”
Sounds like fun! Is there any chance of risks being taken in this filming?
“Well, our goals for this year are to instil confidence, build community and increase the capacity of our team. I’ll be putting this across in the video without breaking a leg – I hope!”
Stay tuned….
Click on the image below to view one of Mr Holtam’s videos.
