Beaconhills College

Beaconhills College’s Berwick Campus Dux Lucas Nielsen has had a big week.

As well as a 97.4 ATAR for his VCE, he’s had a trip to Sydney, a birthday and gained his driver’s licence.

Lucas is excited that he has more than enough marks now to get into the University of Melbourne to study Arts, with plans to pursue his love of politics, international studies and history.

He admits he was surprised at achieving such excellent results: “We had a lot of super-smart people in our cohort this year, but I think I was really organised and had a good study timetable.”

Lucas also praised his teachers and the resources available to Beaconhills students, such as the regular seminars, study guides and after school tutorials.

“I had really good teachers for all of my subjects,” he said. “Number one, they were good at teaching, and number two they liked their subject.”

Lucas was born in Malaysia and has lived in Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore before moving to Australia, so he said international studies appealed to his interests – with a view to eventually living and working in Asia.

Berwick College Dux Lucas (centre) with his family

The good VCE news rolls on for Beaconhills College with the subject scores for two Berwick Campus Dance students amongst the top six in Victoria.

Holly Neale was second in the state with a 49 for Dance while Michala D’Elia earned a 45. The two dance scholars received an A+ for their dance solos, with both students already invited to audition for Top Class as part of the VCE Season of Excellence awards.

Proud teacher Stephanie Borrie said Beaconhills College had established a strong reputation in Dance.

“We have had many students achieving study scores in this subject above 40,” Ms Borrie said.

And in other news, Berwick Campus’ 2017 captain Madison Schenk made the second highest score in the state with a 49 in Extended Investigation.

Holly Neale

Michala D’Elia

Perfect scores: (l-r) Nicholas Prowse, Gemma Sorrell, Tess Wilkens and Victor Benko

Four Beaconhills College students earned a perfect 50 out of 50 in one of their VCE subjects this year.

Tess Wilkens scored 50 for English, Gemma Sorrell 50 in Outdoor and Environmental Studies and Nicholas Prowse 50 for Systems Engineering. Year 11 student Victor Benko achieved 50 in Systems Engineering.

Headmaster Tony Sheumack said it was an outstanding achievement across the diverse range of VCE subjects offered at Beaconhills College.

Gemma joined the College in Year 7 and was school captain at the Pakenham Campus this year. She has been an enthusiastic member of the school community, participating in World Challenge, debating and a wide range of sports. In July she won the prestigious Pierre de Coubertin sporting award for all-round sporting excellence.

She praised her teacher Emma Cooper for helping her achieve her Outdoor and Environmental Studies score.

“She was so helpful – especially at lunchtimes and all the after-school sessions leading up to the exams,” said Gemma, who plans to pursue a career in Occupational Therapy.

Victor Benko is hoping his fixed wing aircraft, which he built in Systems Engineering, will make it to the Melbourne Museum exhibition in 2017. It has been shortlisted for Top Designs in the annual VCE Season of Excellence awards.

Beaconhills College’s sweeping choice of 39 VCE subjects is reflected in its strong 2016 results, with 10 students earning ATARs of greater than 95 across 24 different subjects.

Rachel Chen, Pakenham Campus, was College and Pakenham Campus Dux with an ATAR of 99.4 and Lucas Nielsen the Dux of Berwick Campus with 97.4.

Perfect study scores of 50 went to Tess Wilkens for English, Nicholas Prowse and Victor Benko for Systems Engineering, and Gemma Sorrell for Outdoor and Environmental Studies.

Each of the top performing students achieved outstanding results through different subject combinations. These included English, Maths, Japanese, French, Systems Engineering, Outdoor and Environmental Studies, Health and Human Development and Food and Technology.

This year 242 Beaconhills students successfully completed their VCE. Headmaster Tony Sheumack said he was “absolutely delighted” with the results and paid tribute to the students, their families and teaching staff for their hard work and dedication.

“These students have not only been highly successful in their academic subjects but in their contributions to the College’s service programs both locally and internationally,” he said.

“All we have ever wanted is a school where students can reach their true potential. This is what we are seeing reflected in the Class of 2016.”

Mr Sheumack said the College’s careers counsellors now faced a busy time supporting students to reassess their tertiary choices for 2017.

“I am anticipating that quite a number of our students will be reconsidering their university course choices, as their ATARs have now given them some exciting new options,” he said.

He said it was important to remember that Beaconhills was an open-entry independent College: “These VCE results show that we stand for diversity in every sense of the word.”

College Dux has a love of languages

With an ATAR of 99.4 for her VCE, College Dux Rachel (Wen Lei) Chen hopes her dream of travelling the world as a translator will become a reality.

The self-professed ‘foodie’ plans to study a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Melbourne and pursue her interest in languages.

Rachel, whose first language is Mandarin, earned subject scores of 47 for English as an Additional Language, 44 for Japanese as a Second Language, and 36 for Chinese (Second Language Advanced) in Year 11.

This year she won a Latrobe University prize at the Japanese Language Speech Contest Victoria.

Rachel joined Beaconhills College three years ago as an international student and said she has loved it.

“Beaconhills is not just a place where you go to learn – it’s like a big community,” she said.

Rachel Chen

Our Top 10:

Rachel (Wen Lei) Chen 99.4 (College Dux)
Tess Wilkens 98.7
Nicholas Prowse 98.65
Laura Gleeson 98.2
Lucas Nielsen 97.4
Enrique Dehaerne 96.4
Charlotte Tiplady 96.2
Paris Houeix 95.95
Jake Santini 95.45
Gemma Sorrell 95.45

Former Beaconhills student Rebecca Ellis was a proud mum at today’s Little Beacons ceremony to welcome children to the Junior School, Pakenham Campus.

Rebecca (nee Swifte) graduated from Beaconhills in 1997, the same year Headmaster Tony Sheumack joined the College. Today it was her turn to watch her son Flynn farewell Little Beacons to move to the Junior School. Her older daughter Ashby will join Year 4 next year, while daughter Milla is in childcare at Little Beacons.

An innovative park design by a Year 7 Beaconhills College student is heading its way to a housing developer’s desk after it earned top prize in a local geography competition.

Elliot Perez, Year 7, has just won the MapIT! Challenge, run by the Cardinia Shire Council and the Geography Teachers Association of Victoria.

Elliot’s design of a park in Officer’s Savannah Estate delighted the judges, who have now forwarded his concepts to the estate’s developers.

While Elliot’s project took the individual prize, four other Beaconhills students earned accolades at the awards ceremony. Hayley Drake, Ethan Blake and Rhianna Clemow were awarded ‘X-Factor’ awards and received certificates and $50 Village movie voucher. Aaron Sharp was crowned the Individual Winner – Vicwalks, for his walking map.

The MapIT! Challenge, now in its second year, takes students out into the local community, getting them to evaluate an area and then redevelop it. Student also have to create a walking map and identify good and bad points along the way with accompanying photographs.

Beaconhills Geography teacher Jodie Bayley went with the students to the awards night and said she was incredibly proud of all of their work.

“And it was amazing to hear the judges speak so highly of Elliot’s ideas and say that they were forwarding his work on to the developers,” Ms Bayley said.

Ethan and Hayley

Elliot’s park plans

Elliot and Aaron

Year 7 students from Beaconhills College’s Berwick Campus have been busy sewing pouch liners to donate to Wildlife Victoria to care for orphaned joeys.

Students from three classes have made nearly 300 liners, learning skills such as using overlockers as well as teamwork and leadership. Teacher Mary Gast said the project reflected the College’s commitment to community service and learning about the environment.

“By using old fabric to produce the liners, they are working in an environmentally friendly way,” she said. And of course the pouches keep joeys safe and warm.