The CBC Journey: from today's boys to tomorrow's gentlemen

CBC Fremantle holds some very specific aspirations for its graduates. Succinctly captured by the tagline 'Today's boys…tomorrow's gentlemen', the CBC journey is carefully planned to foster a sense of belonging and identity in each young man who attends the College without ever losing sight of the end result. From the initial decision to enrol at CBC Fremantle, made in the home and in the hearts of our parents and their sons, through to graduation, every interaction between the College and the young man and his family contributes towards crafting the graduating gentleman.

The journey is a shared endeavour, with the relationship between parents and the College playing a critical role in the effectiveness of delivering a consistent message about what it means to develop as a good young man and to challenge the secular and often self-destructive values they encounter as part of mainstream society. This entails the school being necessarily counter-cultural; emphasis is on prioritising the needs of others, particularly the disadvantaged and marginalised, and is frequently in opposition to the more hedonistic priorities of our world.

The steps of the journey

The journey of today's boys…tomorrow's gentlemen is captured in those three small dots, but there is no special magic in the transformation, no invisible strings or fine print. CBC Fremantle's community is accepting and welcoming, fostering positive relationships and committed to the common good, and there are tangible landmarks along the journey to reflect the purpose and direction of the boys' growth and transition.

  • Choosing CBC – the start of the journey and a commitment from the new student and parents to support the College's values.
  • College Opening Mass – Encourages our families to support and honour the College's faith community as a Catholic school in the Edmund Rice tradition.
  • Share the Journey – Educates our young men to engage in deep connection with the most important man in their life – Dad.
  • The Rite Journey – nurtures boys on their transition from boyhood to becoming a man.
  • Recommitment – offering an opportunity for the developing young men to commit to seeking personal excellence and plan for their future.
  • The Servant Leader – showing the value of selflessness and putting others first.
  • Graduation – the result of dedication and commitment, and distinguished by the significant characteristics outlined below.

The attributes of tomorrow's gentleman

Our strength and effectiveness as a College depends on the home and school combining to deliver a consistent message to each boy about what it means to develop as a good young man. Our graduates are distinguished by four key characteristics.

Tomorrow's gentleman forms attitudes and actions based on Gospel values.

The College believes that Gospel values are immutable, may be embraced equally by people of all faiths and should underpin the relationships between all members of our community. Critical to the achievement of this vision is a shared understanding and acceptance of the specific values which we uphold. These values are then required to be explicitly expressed, consistently applied and unapologetically promoted.

Tomorrow's gentleman strives to be his best and understands the inherent value of doing so.

The quest for personal excellence is an admirable aspiration which is widely employed as an ideal in many schools. At CBC Fremantle, we introduce a further refining concept which has far reaching implications and offers greater challenge around this ideal. We adopt the mantra that once a boy offers his best in any field of endeavour, it is always good enough. This cultural belief necessitates that every activity conducted at the College must be differentiated to such an extent that every student enjoys success if they provide their best effort. Tomorrow's gentleman is accountable, resilient and prepared to face and overcome challenges. At CBC Fremantle we ask all parents to love their sons unconditionally and to support the school in keeping them accountable for their actions. We acknowledge that this can be a delicate balance but it is critical to the establishment of the essential coping techniques which are characteristic of the well-formed young adult. It is only through discovering that they must accept responsibility for their shortcomings and that being accountable builds resilience, that the young men at this College will be prepared to successfully cope with the more complex challenges of adulthood.

Tomorrow's gentleman is selfless by nature and able to form positive, mutually-beneficial relationships.

Many of the strong influences in the life of an adolescent (media, music, peers) attempt to position the young person as the 'centre of the world'. In an attempt to promote consumerism and the accompanying materialistic focus, the message is promulgated that the path to happiness lies in prioritising 'self'. The Christian message which forms the foundation of our school's philosophy could not be more diametrically opposed. It presents the truth that the only lasting happiness one will find, and the only enduring sense of purpose one can attain, is derived from what is done for others, and not for oneself.

Tomorrow's gentleman recognises and values the 'other' in his life.

At CBC Fremantle we believe that God often comes to each of us disguised as the stranger in our lives. This 'other' can be the stranger in the sense that they are not personally known to us or they can be the person who offers us the greatest challenge to our beliefs. The stranger is likely to be the individual who challenges our values and forces us to reconsider our actions. Although this 'stranger' can often have an unsettling effect upon us, they also represent significant opportunities for growth. An inclusive community is not characterised by a totally like-minded cohort.