Some words just sound positive. They are vibrant and full of life. They lift the spirit and fill the heart. Elevate is one such word. It's the sort of word that engenders what it signifies. Elevate.

Elevate is such a fitting title for this publication because it captures so much of what we seek to achieve at TIGS. We seek to elevate our students. That is to say, we seek to raise them up to be the very best versions of themselves they can be; we seek to raise their vision to behold the God who made them and gives purpose and meaning to life; and we seek to raise their sights to see the beauty, wonder and potential of the world around them. Let me elaborate on these three features of our work at TIGS.

First, we seek to elevate our students to be the very best they can be. Each of our students is uniquely made by God and deeply treasured by Him. The very best we can do for our students is to help them understand how God has expertly fashioned them. When they grasp this they are well positioned to make much of His handiwork. What that looks like will be different for each student.

Our task is to give them ample room and the necessary resources to spread their unique wings and fly. The quality of our graduates and the breadth of their achievements suggest we are doing this well. Elevate.

Second, we encourage our students to elevate their eyes beyond the mundane to see the greatness and grandeur of God. We do this because we truly believe that to know God is to know life in all of its fullness. And we want nothing more for our students than that they experience the fullness that life has to offer.

So much in life conspires against us lifting our eyes to behold the one who makes life possible. We don't want our students to be blind to the true light that enlightens all people. Elevate.

Third, Elevate even captures what is true about our geography. We are perched on a point of elevation, overlooking the rugged beauty of the Illawarra escarpment. We don't ever want our students to take for granted the blessings of place or miss seeing the wonder and potential of the world around them.

Symbolically, our geographical elevation could lead us to think we are "above" others. That is not how we see it at all. On the contrary, a symbolic reading of our geographical position which better accords with our philosophy would be one that says our elevation affords us a clearer perspective on the world such that we are more equipped to act with wisdom, compassion and justice in the world. And the truth is our students are making significant contributions to the betterment of our world. Elevate.

A friend of mine used to have a one-word slogan above the doorway of his lounge room. It said, "better". That word encouraged him to reach for greater heights - to never rest with second best. Elevate has the same potential to inspire. I hope it will inspire you as you read about the wonderful things happening in and through our students at TIGS. Elevate.