Year 8

De La Salle takes out a prize at Talk Fest

Each year the Lasallian schools in Melbourne participate in the Annual Lasallian Public Speaking Challenge. This year, James Brown 9M, was awarded the Year 9 Prize, which was held at St James College in East Bentleigh. James, whose prepared speech, “Graffiti Art or Vandalism,” was one of five speeches presented by De La Salle students before a packed audience in the newly opened Chapel Building at St James. Other schools represented were St Bede’s and St James. All of the schools walked away with prizes. Ms Kerry Martin, 9 English, said the De La student’s speeches covered a range of interesting topics including racism, religion, homework, technology and even show business. “All of the boys were a credit to the College and their topics reflected the breadth of interests nurtured by De La Salle.” “James Browns’ winning speech on graffiti was original and witty questioning the possibility of Michelangelo as a graffiti artist,” Ms Martin said. “While Antonio Cafaso thrilled the audience with a rendition of There’s No Business Like Show Business to conclude his speech on the benefits of theatre performance.” Lincoln Edward 7V represented Year 7 with his speech on racism, Daniel Martin 8H, represented Year 8 with his speech on technology, James Brown 9M, represented Year 9 with his speech on Graffiti, Paul Culliver 11R, represented Year 11 with a speech on religion and last but not least, Antonio Cafaso 11H, represented Year 12 with the speech on the theatre. Congratulations to all the boys who participated on the night and thanks to the organizers and the judges.

Year 8 Debating

At the end of Term 2, Year 8 students were given the opportunity to debate against the girls at Star of the Sea. Even though Star had to reschedule the date, the night was great. Before the event we had to see Mrs Thomson, who helped us prepare our speeches — sometimes we had to prepare two or three times a week! Five teams debated varied topics which took a great deal of preparation. The night was huge fun. Standing: Mrs Christine.Thompson, Daniel Martin, Ryan Ellis, Ben Stott, Vincent Arthur, De La won four out of Nick Kent, Blake Davis, Mrs Carmel Dwyer five debates but, unforSeated: Patrick Helsing, Alex McEwan, Jake Kakouros, Brenton McDonald, Marcus Topp, tunately, my team lost by Ben Siragusano three points. But there was another opportunity for two teams to debate other schools at McKinnon High. Over three nights at McKinnon, two De La teams debated other schools on an array of topics. Before the night, we all had to get up early to meet Mrs Thomson before school in the library to prepare our speeches. My team won two out of three debates, and our other team won all of their debates. These nights were a lot of fun, and we learnt a lot about public speaking from them. When we thought the debating experience was over, we were informed there was to be another (ACC) debate at St Bede’s, wherein both De La teams would compete. This day was again a lot of fun. De La Salle won two out of three debates, and came third in division one. None of this could have happened without the help of Mrs Thompson and Mrs Dwyer and the teams thank them for their time and patience. Ben Siragusano

Year8

Oh no not again,’ I said to myself as I felt the rain and wind against the tent wall in the night. I was still awake after wondering what new exciting activity we were going to tomorrow. It was the Year 8 Jerome Camp at Lorne. Our first days of activities had been terrific. My favourite activity was the mountain biking, as you have to dodge different obstacles while cutting through grass fields and cycling over on boardwalks; this was very challenging. Abseiling was also good as we were on ‘Big Rock’ with harnesses attached to us. The first couple of meters were hard as the wind kicked in and made balance very difficult. At dinners we were always hungry, as the days’ activities took a toll on us. We had pasta one night, which was excellent. The hot chocolate was even better as it warmed us in the evening chill. After brushing our teeth and telling each other our stories of the day we went to sleep, looking forward to the following day’s activities. Year 8 camp was definitely a highlight for me.

Pat Harrison Day 3 was the best. We all packed our daypacks for a fun and adventurous day. We drove down the Great Ocean Road and then the two groups went their separate ways. First up for my group was mountain bike riding. We all were pretty excited as we prepared to get underway. We rode through a narrow path and then onto a bumpy dirt road. When suddenly a snake appeared in the middle of the track, we all braked and almost had a huge 12 bike pileup. We had lunch and then it was time to go surfing. The waves were pretty small at first but gradually they got bigger. Everyone had stood up on their boards and having a great time. After that we had a barbeque dinner by the beach. At first I really wasn’t looking forward to Camp but in the end I was glad that I went. Overall my Year 8 camp experience was excellent.

Sean Ellis

8 Dunstan

Back Row: Joshua Schultz, Nathan Beaumont, Shannon White, Ross Pastras, Declan Kostos, Daniel Clinch, Adam Harrison, Michael Higginbotham, Joshua SanMartin Second Row: Jordan Brown, Garrett McDonough, Robert Weir, Declan Freeman, David Simon, Charles Mottram, Hayden Renshaw Seated: Christopher Smith, Benjamin Jeffery, Luke Hogan, Thomas Humphrey, Vaughan Wise, Joseph Myers, Aaron Medoro, James McMahon Absent: Nicholas Ng Teacher: Mr David Happ Back Row: Oscar Szalc, Adrian Crisafi, Jack Jopling, Lachlan Shearer, Myles Donegan, Mitchell Nelson, Haydn Cowan, David Convery, Michael Badrock Second Row: Christopher Kuan, Paul Grigoriou, James Scoutas, Sean Collis, Michael Doherty, Jeremy O’Halloran, Blake Davis, Thomas Gaylor Seated: Daniel Guemene, Jean-Rene Vauzelle, Nicholas Borgia, Joshua Battersby, Christopher Frangoulis, David De Fazio, James Lolicato, Rolando Cozza Absent: Sam Gates Teacher: Mr Jon Edgar

8 Jerome

Back Row: Ross Fattore, Anthony O’Toole, Lachlan Cook, Vincent Arthur, Sean Ellis, Liam Grech, Linton Farrell, Dominic Sheehy Second Row: Joshua Fisher, Adam Russo, Jake Kakouros, Daniel Lagastes, Declan Clifford, David Re, Patrick Harrison, Jamie Farnell Seated: Hugh Nicholson, John Camilleri, Albert Prendergast-Kruger, Alex McEwan, William Allen, Luke Henriques-Gomes, Ben Siragusano, Samuel Smith Absent: Jose Borje Teacher: Mrs Carmel Dwyer Back Row: Ryan Ellis, Kostantinos Paspaliaris, James Leone, Daniel Stavrevski, James Amerena, Michael Crosbie, Liam Ellis, James Walker, Emmanuel Arapis Second Row: Matthew Tucker, Leo Morgan, Henry Nguyen, Daniel Martin, Sean Geaney, Alexander Holden, Dylan Scolyer, Thomas Hemming Seated: Rhys Jones, Nicholas Spencer, David Brace, Tom Molloy, Fabian D’Addazio, Nicholas Husek, Patrick Helsing, Peter Gill Teacher: Mr Shane Mackintosh

Year 8 Dance The boys of Year 8 and the girls from Presentation College partook in a fun-filled, humorous and enjoyable co-ed dance. It was a “Bush Dance”. We were taught many “old fashioned” and funny dances from the lovely instructor who led us through the day. The dances involved all of us, and moment to moment we moved from partner to new partner. The day seemed to fly. We met lots and lots of girls, swapped numbers, and had a lot of laughs. At the end we enjoyed an afternoon tea, socializing and making more new friends. The bush dance was a lot of fun (once you got over the embarassment).

Year 8 kicked off with a Lightning Premiership between all Year 8 Homerooms. The Grand final was awesome, and the last game went down to the wire, Jerome beating Dunstan by only one point. In Semester I there was a basketball competition, with games being held at period 8 in the last part of the semester. Jerome won again this time beating Solomon by 15 points. The other sporting competition in year 8 was the indoor soccer competition. Currently there are 8 teams left and in a few weeks time the Grand final will be played. There have been a variety of different activities that have been on offer in Year 8. I hope the Year 9 activities are just as good.

Josh Fisher The Rock Eisteddfod

There we were, standing on stage in Rod Lava Arena, wearing old school shoes covered in red glitter, fluffy angel wings and a halo on our heads. I was nervous in front of a full arena; my heart was pumping, but at the same time I was dancing and doing all the moves as if it were second nature. After all, we had been learning it since the start of the year, and it was now the end of August. We did lunch, recess, early-morning and after-school rehearsals. I had a great time being part of the best dancing production in Rock Ed Victoria which came third overall, We also won the Choreography, Soundtrack and Spirit of Rock Ed Awards. All in all it was a great experience. Thank you Mrs Finn for a great production, thank you Nicole for your awesome dance skills, and thanks to Mr Happ for a great set. This was my favourite time at De La, because it was possibly De La Salle’s last Rock Ed. It was a great experience.

8 Roland

Back Row: Daniel Nakos, Jonathan Nikakis, Simon Windley, Eugene Twomey, Romeo Bou-Ghosn, Alexander Minicz, Matthew Bellion Third Row: Lachlan Pezet, Benjamin Stott, Michael Keenan, Shadee Molinaro, Scott Barnsley, Brenton McDonald Second Row: Aristidis Kounoupis, Marcus Topp, Nicholas Kent, Harry Hatzis, Benjamin Sarena, Thomas Payne Seated: Anthony Sansalone, Daniel Boulos, Damian Li, Harry Irvine, Ben Forrest, Phu-Dat Pham Teacher: Mr Ian Oliver Back Row: Stuart Griffin, Michael Bohan, Callum Nugent, Michael Quigley, Achilles Ploutos, Nicholas Place, Michael Keegan, Dimitri Spanos, Daniel Bendinelli Second Row: Stefan Hambleton, Christopher Todisco, Ryan Osekowski, Bryce Desira, Nicholas Schultz, Darcy McCaffrey, Iryoung Fan, Jordan Braim Seated: Hamish Hudson, Vincent Musco, Paul Pritchard-Cseh, Thomas Doherty, Sebastian Lolicato, Sebastian Oliver, Cameron Fyfe, Alessandro Formica Teacher: Ms Joanne Graham

8 Vincent

Back Row: Alan Clark, Antony Forato, Mitchell Sarpi, David Windley, Jason Terrell, Patrick Harrington, Jack Beech, Simon Cassar, Nicholas Gleeson Second Row: Benjamin Ahern, Cailin Wrigley, Mitchell Sellman, James Mreulje, James Re, Timothy Howard, Jacob Maher, Xavier Quigley Seated: Craig Sutton, Nicholas Bolger, Lachlan Cook, Benjamin Peck, Danny Eid, Jack Brammer, Samuel Noble, Jacob Nicolin Teacher: Mr Bryan Smith Back Row: Todd Dover, Sean Dillane, Simon Woodcock, Jack Broadhead, Aidan King, Samuel Brooks Third Row: Lee White, Luke Frazzetto, Nathan Coffey, Daniel Iacovangelo, Matthew Tropeano, Thomas Brunskill, Vincent Ripepi Second Row: Thomas Rappos, Joshua Ramsay, Timothy Foster, Joseph DeGirolamo, Fraser Henry Seated: William Kennish, Bryce Jansz, Liam Cummins, Michael Kharsas, Luke Riley, Alexander Hay, Dominic Barker Teacher: Br Gerald Barrett

Year 8 Coordinator’s Report

It has been a very busy, and at times, a challenging year for students and teachers in the Year 8 community. The year began with the challenge to ‘Be Your Best’, and was a constant goal for the students to strive towards for the entire year. Whether it was academic or co-curricular, the boys were encouraged to get involved in as many aspects of school life as possible. The students have embarked on many personal development activities during the year. The Reach Day Program and four- day camp at Lorne, encouraged the students to move outside of their comfort zone, to respect themselves, and their peers. A visit to the Sacred Heart Mission and the surrounding streets of St Kilda provided the boys with an insight into how local welfare groups provide much support and care for those who are in need of help. This visit provided a great incentive for the students to collect cans and food for their Social Justice Mass, held at the end of Term 3, where all food donated went to the Sacred Heart Mission. Over the course of the year there was sporting and academic rivalry displayed between Year 8 Homerooms. Activities included debating, lunchtime basketball, and indoor soccer competitions, all of which raised money for Mission Action Day. The Aussie Rules Lightning Premiership Day always goes down as one of the most exciting sporting days. The final, played between Mrs Dwyer’s Jerome team, and Mr. Edgar’s Benilde side, ended with a one point victory to Jerome, in a nail-biting finish.

Year 8 Leaders

Row 3: Mr Shane Macintosh, Benjamin Stott, Lachlan Shearer, Sean Ellis, Sean Dillane, Jonathan Nikakis, Antony Forato, Blake Davis, Cailin Wrigley, Brenton McDonald Row 2: Luke Henriques-Gomes, Alexander Hay, Jack Brammer, David De Fazio, Sebastian Oliver, James McMahon, Patrick Helsing, Daniel Boulos, Paul Grigoriou, Joshua Fisher, James Leone, Luke Hogan

Seated: Fraser Henry, Michael Kharsas, Jake Kakouros, Ryan Osekowski, Robert Weir, Dimitri Spanos, Declan Freeman, Sean Geaney, Benjamin Ahern

Another highlight for the boys was the Bush Dance held in conjunction with the girls of Presentation College, Windsor.

After the initial nerves had passed, boys and girls enthusiastically displayed fancy foot work and, by all accounts, enjoyed the day immensely.

The year will also be remembered for the tragic loss of Daniel

Lagastes. A hard working student, Daniel is well respected by his peers and teachers. His spirit and energy will always be remembered.

As the boys look forward to their summer break and the opportunities that Year 9 will bring, I would like to thank all Year 8 Homeroom teachers and their ‘Buddies’ for the dedication and effort they have made. Their hard work and support is greatly appreciated by all. I wish you all safe and happy holidays. Mr Shane Macintosh