Beaconhills College

Campus v campus: Under 21 girls’ winner Romany S from Pakenham congratulates third place-getter from Berwick Jade N.

Wintry weather failed to dampen the enthusiasm of Beaconhills’ runners in the SEISA (South Eastern Independent Schools) Cross-Country competition on Thursday 21 August.

Competing at Phillip Island’s Newhaven College, the Years 6-12 team from the Pakenham Campus managed to place second overall with Berwick Campus placing fourth.

There were some strong team results across the age groups, with Berwick’s Under 14 boys’ and Under 21 girls’ teams winning their division while Pakenham’s Under 13 girls’, Under 15 boys’, Under 16 girls’ and Under 17 boys’ teams all placed first.

In the major individual placings, Berwick’s Brooke E was first in Under 12 girls, Jaxon E third in Under 12 boys while Jade was third in Under 21 girls.

Pakenham’s Teneille M and Matisse L were first and second in their Under 14 race, while Romany S won the Under 21 girls’ race. Second placings went to Ryan M (Under 12 boys), Sophie C (Under 13 girls), Zeb B (Under 15 boys), Sidney K (Under 16 girls) and Nick S (Under 21 boys). Renae J placed third in Under 16 girls.

Jack (left) and Bailey will ski for Australia in New Zealand

Waterskiing superstars Jack (Year 9) and Bailey (Year 7) Christie will once again compete for Australia in the 2016 Aussie Kiwi Challenge in New Zealand.

It is the fourth year that both skiers have made the Australian team and it puts them in the top eight skiers in the country selected for their age division.

The boys have also been selected in the Australian Junior World Squad for 2016 and are working hard towards the goal of competing in the Junior World Championships in Chile. It is an amazing achievement to make this team of Under 17 skiers as Jack is 14 years old and Bailey 12. Congratulations!

Teacher Judy Barton with Best Speaker award winner Zoe E

Middle and Senior School House Debating finals set a high standard at Berwick Campus recently with speakers tackling some controversial topics.

The Leaver House team won the Middle School competition with Jamie W, Sonia L and Paige V presenting some compelling arguments on the topic ‘It is better to be an individual than conform’.

Headmaster Tony Sheumack and Berwick Campus Principal Jenny Williams were adjudicators for the Grand Final.

Head of Individual Programs, Judy Barton, said speaking times were three minutes and the debate was of a “very high standard”. She said Leaver House won by the narrowest of margins.

Zoe E (Year 7) was thrilled to earn Best Speaker Award for the debate.

Speakers at the recent Senior School Housing Debating Grand Final tackled the topic ‘Australia should abandon the war on drugs and simply legalise all of them’. Tregoning House took the affirmative side and won the debate, with Paige R earning the Best Speaker award.

Headmaster and Debating adjudicator Tony Sheumack presents a trophy

The winning Middle School Leaver House team: (l-r) Jamie W, Sonia L and Paige V.

(L-r) Isabelle C, Jordyn C, Jaida W and Anitshka W proudly display their winning secondary quilt

Middle School students have shown their sewing skills by winning awards at the recent Victorian Quilters Inc Quilt Expo held at Melbourne’s Jeff’s Shed.

Students began weekly patchwork sewing sessions at the start of this year, during lunchtimes, with Berwick Campus’ Individual Programs’ teacher Helen Comport.

Ms Comport is the founder of ‘Quilts of Valour Australia Inc’, an organisation which presents quilts to Australian Defence Force service members in recognition of their sacrifice for the country.

Ms Comport said the students were delighted to win the quilting prize, which included pure wool wadding for future quilts.

“The first items made by students were patchwork iPad bags. Then the students made nine patch blocks to make into a quilt with sashing,” she said.

“The students are now learning a more challenging block design which we would like to join into a quilt to award to a veteran on Remembrance Day this year.”

Primary Quilt winners Grace R and Lucy B

More of Primary Quilt team (l-r) Lily B, Chloe M, Flynn W and Stewart H

Jaida W with her block which will be presented on Remembrance Day to a veteran

Senior Boys’ Football team, Berwick

Beaconhills College teams have won six of the 12 recent SEISA (South Eastern Independent Schools Association) intermediate and senior sporting finals.

Berwick Campus teams performed strongly, with five teams making it to finals and four collecting pennants; intermediate and senior football as well as senior netball A and intermediate girls’ soccer. Intermediate boys’ soccer narrowly lost 3-2 to St Paul’s in a penalty shoot-out.

Pakenham Campus had four finals teams with two winners; senior girls’ hockey and senior boys’ soccer.

The College’s best runners also competed in the ACS (Association of Co-educational Schools) Cross-Country Carnival on Friday 21 August at Bundoora Park.

The College placed fourth overall, with Year’s 8 Teneille M and Romany S (Year 12) winning their events, while Year 8’s Matisse L placed third.

Berwick’s Senior Girls’ Netball

Intermediate Boys’ Football

Movers and shakers: (l-r) Jacob T, Aaron C and Andrew L

Congratulations to our Year 9 students whose tin-shaking efforts in Melbourne raised $4275.90 for the Salvation Army.

Each year Beaconhills takes part in the Salvos’ Schools Fundraising Challenge and has raised tens of thousands of dollars for the charity.

Head of Year 9 Graham Broderick said this year’s effort was fantastic given the students only had one to two hours to collect.

“The average amount raised per student was about $35 with Abbey R topping the list, raising $120,” Mr Broderick said.

The fundraising is part of the College’s Year 9 City Experience program, which aims to take students out of their local areas and experience Melbourne’s opportunities, challenges and problems.

The Berwick Campus Performing Arts Department is celebrating a huge haul of medals at the Dance Star and Glee National Championship held at the Gold Coast on the weekend.

Nearly every one of the 25 students who attended earned gold, silver or bronze medal across a range of sections, with the Large Lyrical group winning their section for the third year in a row.

The TFT Sports and Event Management competition was held across three days, with Beaconhills College entering nine Dance and three Glee categories.

The highlights:

Dance audition section

• Bella A placed first in secondary audition Junior Lyrical (Years 7-9), taking the national title with a beautiful performance
• Holly N placed second in Secondary Audition Senior Lyrical (Years 10-12) against tough competition
• Amy H placed third in Secondary Audition Hip Hop Senior

Dance Star and Glee solo and group sections

• Large Lyrical won their section for the third year in a row
• Sophie B won Secondary Solo down Tempo Junior, scoring the highest of all secondary dance sections with 95 out of 100
• Small Lyrical came second on a score of 90 with an outstanding performance
• Large Jazz placed third, performing beautifully to ‘Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend’
• Dario G brought the house down with his incredible charisma on stage, placing second in Secondary Solo Up Tempo Junior
• Glee Up Tempo and down Tempo came second in each section
• Mitchell H came second in his Glee Audition

Brittany W competed in Secondary Solo Down Tempo Senior. This section was incredibly tough and Brittany did not place but did exceptionally well. Holly N also competed in the Secondary Audition Broadway Jazz Senior but didn’t place, similarly Amy H competed in the very difficult Secondary Audition Impro but also didn’t place.

Dance teacher Stephanie Borrie said students have trained since February in mornings, lunch times and after school.

“They are all hard working and dedicated students with a huge amount of talent,” she said. “All of the students were amazing on and off stage, demonstrating fantastic sportsmanship and support for one another.”