Year in Review

Music Festival, a highlight of the school year, is a testament to the investment the school makes in our holistic education. It is an experience one can only truly comprehend if they have witnessed it firsthand; it is a night of pure celebration and amazing musical abilities. I don’t know of any other school that invests so inclusively in its students, with every single girl performing in a student-led choir in front of thousands of people.

As Mornane House Conductor for 2021, I knew I had my work cut out for me battling COVID-19 restrictions. COVID rehearsals consisted of masks, social distancing, and sometimes bringing the keyboard outdoors. This made the first weeks of rehearsals in Term 4 2020 extraordinarily hard, especially since I couldn’t tell if any mouths were moving! Although it took a while for all of us to get into the swing of it, we eventually found our rhythm. With the help of our amazing accompanist Catherine Sun (Year 8), Mornane was able to learn High Hopes by Panic! at the Disco very quickly. A big part of the Music Festival is the celebration of camaraderie and House spirit. What is now known as the Spirit Trophy, awarded to Mulhall House in 2021, was originally named after Margaret Evans (’76). For the full story of the trophy’s history, you may like to read ‘How a winning essay and a trumpeting angel became our Music Festival Spirit Cup’ on the News page of the Normo Network. Enjoy this excerpt from Margaret’s sister, Tritia Evans (’72), reflecting on the 2021 event.

I was lucky enough to go to the Loreto Normanhurst Music Festival at the ICC, the first I’d been to since leaving Normanhurst in 1972. What an amazing night on June 18, and for so many reasons. Apart from the night being so entertaining and professional, I was deeply impressed by how the event was student-led and by how much thought and passion they put into their performances and presentations. While there, I recognised the trumpeting angel trophy from almost 50 years ago and told my friends the story of how it was originally called the Margaret Evans Music Trophy. Inevitably things change and, although the trophy no longer carries Margaret’s name, the theme of the story is timeless.

Tritia Evans (‘72)

My main goal was to enable my fellow Mornanians to have fun and enjoy their time onstage. On the night, the smiles on their faces were evidence that every girl enjoyed themselves. I have never been so proud of the way Mornane came together, with a special thanks to Mrs Prees, our Head of House. Overall, the night was my favourite memory of my time at Loreto (so far) and winning Best Conductor and Best Choir was just an added bonus.

MADELEINE CAMPBELL

YEAR 11 MORNANE HOUSE CONDUCTOR 2021

Music Festival

Loreto Day

Loreto Day is a day to celebrate our strong Loreto and Mary Ward heritage. It is also a great opportunity for the entire school community to gather together and raise money for a cause linked to the work of the IBVM and Mary Ward International Australia.

For Loreto Day 2021, Year 11 voted for the eradication of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) to be our cause. FGM is an invasive procedure performed on young girls for non-medical reasons. It is a violation of women’s fundamental human rights and can be fatal or have long-term consequences. We decided as a year group that this was a cause we wanted to fight against in order to protect our fellow women.

“My highlight of the day was the concert, because we hadn’t had one for 2 years and it was such a good way to end the day.” - Abi, Year 11.

With help from guest speaker Dr Ngatho Mugo (NSW Health) and the School’s support, we were able to effectively raise awareness about this cause. Through our fundraising efforts, we collected around $39,000 which was then donated in effort to stop FGM.

One highlight of the day was the concert, where we watched many Loreto girls perform. The stalls were also a lot of fun to run, with the Barry hot chips and disco stalls generating the biggest profit. Overall, Loreto day was a success. We are sure every girl enjoyed themselves but most importantly we were able to create a positive impact toward the eradication of Female Genital Mutilation.

LORETO DAY AWARENESS RAISING TEAM

YEAR 11

In 2021, our Ecology Captain, Leila Mangos, and Social Justice Captain, Molly Haymen, worked to coordinate a school-wide initiative to bring ecology and social justice to the forefront of our minds. Green Team spent a lunchtime brainstorming different ideas of what such an event could look like, and this would come later to fruition in the Justice Fete.

In the weeks leading up to the event the amount of planning and preparation was astronomical. Ms Clancy’s office was overflowing with clothing donations meticulously organised by groups of girls in order to make the clothes swap as successful as possible. The making of ecologically friendly items to be sold was truly a matter of collaboration. We hand made baking jars in the food tech rooms, recycled fabric to make scrunchies and had a selection of incredible homemade candles from a member of the school’s Facilities team. Not to mention Ms Clancy’s and Mrs Cranfield’s incredible work from behind the scenes!

After all that hard work, the Justice Fete could not have been more positively received by the whole school community. Everyone including teachers, maintenance staff and students supported us on the day. The event unified Green Team and JPIC’s individual values and put them to use toward a common cause, and this sense of purpose encompassed the whole school. It was a truly electric feeling.

ELLA HORNEMAN & AUDREY KHA

YEAR 11

Justice Fete

LN Community Olympics

The Loreto Normanhurst Community Olympics provided a great way to get everyone involved and spark a bit of healthy competition between the Houses and Tutor Groups. Online learning could at times be draining, so the Community Olympics created something for everyone to look forward to.

There were 24 challenges that each Tutor Group could complete, and Kendall 4 made it our mission from the start to be named the winners! Each Tutor Time, we would always check up on what each girl had completed and share ideas about the best way to complete each challenge. Our favourite challenge was called ‘Whack Job,’ because it was the most challenging one which no other Tutor Group submitted. Kendall 4 was determined and even our amazing Tutor, Mrs Dowers, gave it a go!

Finally, before we knew it the Community Olympics had finished, and it was time for the Closing Ceremony. When they announced that Kendall 4 had won, we were all ecstatic, as this announcement only heightened the fantastic experience we had already had! The best part of participating in the Community Olympics was the fact that it was going on at the same time as the real Tokyo Olympic Games. This meant that we could see our favourite athletes competing at the same time as us completing all of the challenges – sometimes we would even complete some challenges while watching the Tokyo Olympic Games!

Ultimately, we had a super positive experience and being a part of the winning Tutor Group is something that we will brag about for years to come!

ZARA WARLAND & FELICITY ORMAN

YEAR 11

INSPIRED BY THE ADVICE OF LORETO TOORAK FROM THEIR OWN EXPERIENCES OF MELBOURNE LOCKDOWNS, OUR PASTORAL TEAM LED STUDENTS AND STAFF IN A POP-UP WELLBEING DAY, COMPLETE WITH RECOMMENDED THEMED ACTIVITIES.

After adapting to the routine of online learning for five weeks, we were all becoming a little tired, disengaged and restless. Then along came the announcement of IN-SPIRO Day. We were all thankful for the opportunity to spend one whole day away from our screens and schoolwork to relax, complete a range of outdoor and creative activities of our choice, and recharge. No two IN-SPIRO days would look the same; I did some chores for my parents, washed my dog, gardened, kicked the AFL ball around with my sister, baked cookies, played UNO, watched The Sound of Music, and taught my dog new tricks.

As I spent time in the garden, planting seedlings and tending to the dry shrubbery, my heart and mind were at peace. I was reminded of God’s joyful spirit and filled with gratitude for nature’s gifts.

IN-SPIRO Day was a reminder for us all to become appreciative, present and grounded, and to allow ourselves to become hopeful and energised for the future. We will take all the learnings from this last half year, ready to face the challenges of the next.

MAYA DIAS

YEAR 8