Ringwood Secondary College - Yearbook 2022

RINGWOOD 2022

PRINCIPAL’S Report

TO BEGIN, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK EVERYONE FOR WELCOMING ME INTO THE RINGWOOD SECONDARY COLLEGE COMMUNITY.

Time has passed quickly but 2022 has been very productive year. The transition back to on-site teaching has been welcomed and embraced by staff and students and included a focus on reengaging students in the teaching and learning program.

Extracurricular programs have also been a highlight of the school year. Students, and staff, have relished the opportunity to be involved in competitions, camps, excursions, sports, and the amazing performing arts program, including two productions and the musical gala.

I extend my thanks and appreciation to all staff, students and parents who contributed to the overwhelming success of these programs.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the 2022 student cohort for their commitment to the college. You should be truly proud of all you have attempted, refined, reflected on and achieved this year. I know I am proud of you all!

To the year 12 class of 2022, I wish you all the success in the world. Your persistence, comradery and genuine care for one another has been a highlight. Good luck to you all!

Thank you to the amazing staff at the College. Your ongoing commitment to providing the best possible learning environment for all our students has reaped positive outcomes. The work you do makes a difference and is highly valued.

Thank you to our College Council parent representatives and to the parents in our community. Your support and valuing of education makes a significant difference to outcomes for all students. Raising a child does take a community and it is a pleasure to work in partnership with you.

Rosina Fotia PRINCIPAL

THE SPIRIT OF Ringwood

ASSISTANT Principals

Interruptions to school life without covid-19 lockdowns have been so welcome in 2022.

With the return to face-to-face delivery of the teaching and learning program and the multitude of activities and events that enrich the daily lives of our community, the trauma associated with illness and isolation is lessening. Staff, students, parents and guardians have risen to the challenge of an optimistic future and all have helped create a comforting new normalcy in this post covid-19 period. We will continue to learn lessons from our collective experience about how we move forward as new opportunities and ways of learning and working emerge. The biggest learning for schools is the awareness of mental health supports for students and staff.

Now more than ever, accessing support in the form of people and resources at school is being streamlined so that anyone who needs assistance can receive it. Our Wellbeing Team at school run a range of proactive activities to engage students, reduce isolation and increase collaboration. Their highly skilled and specialised expertise is available and is being utilised to meet the needs of our school community. We are so grateful for their presence. The table below exemplifies the terrific programs that our Wellbeing staff, and a range of staff offer, to engage our students every day.

As I sit to write this and cast my mind back across the year, it seems like more than just 12 months: it feels like a decade! The school has a new principal, new leadership group and with the tumult of change that the dreaded virus has thrust across society, we have been heartily weary of change. So, given the trials of remote learning, who would have thought that returning to face-to-face schooling that we knew well (and missed) would have been so tricky! Throughout this year I have been repeatedly reminded of schools’ crucial role in creating co-operative and resilient communities.

Our ability to front up ready to work at the same time five days a week, our ability to co-operate and communicate with a wide variety of people and to switch from one moment to another to be in the right place for the next lesson: these are often unseen but crucial lessons that school communities naturally create each day for everyone. Our collective “match fitness” in fronting up each day was sometimes hard but Ringwood Secondary College community leaned in, and there was always someone to help us press into these challenges with renewed vigour and optimism. For that fact, I am very thankful for all those who have helped with a smile, a laugh and a shoulder of support.

The welcome return of camps, excursions, lunchtime activities, canteen food (potato cakes!) have all been part of the rich tapestry of school life. At lunchtime, Junior school has buzzed with table-tennis, dance club, writers, uno players and down-ball, whilst the gymnasium struggled to house all those involved in the basketball and volleyball competitions. This energetic spirit does not happen accidentally, and I thank the Junior School team (Gemma, Dale, Peter and Jacquie) led by Kathryn Mahoney and supported by student leaders for their vision in helping students reconnect with each other and collaborate through play. For the teachers, this year’s focus has

been on ensuring that students are more connected to each other and more intellectually active in class. When students are challenged to engage and push beyond their expectations, their learning confidence grows. As teachers who always want to help, not always stepping into to help and allowing students a bit of struggle time is harder than it seems, so we have focused on using different types of questions, re-structuring activities and collaborative learning.

Curriculum leaders and Learning

Specialists throughout the school have refashioned assessment approaches and curriculum materials to really embed these approaches. This work is rarely seen by the wider school community but the staffs’ collective energy and commitment to this work is visible every week in lunchtime and afterschool meetings. We have also been more actively engaged in understanding our Indigenous heritage and how to ensure that Indigenous perspectives are intrinsically blended into our curriculum. The staff learning sessions led by First Nation elders Aunties Irene and Daphne helped staff broaden their knowledge of recent Australian history, the challenges in creating a truly reconciled community and our collective role in ensuring that 21st century Australian students emerge from their education with a better understanding of our rich Indigenous heritage.

Together this community proudly stands and works on Wurundjeri ground. As the senior school Yanna Mudjirr reminds us, our path into our future relies on the many stepping-stones that have provided refuge and yet spurred us onward out of the security of the predictable and into the realms of the unknown. Those stepping stones include people and situations that have provided us with challenges, contradictions, battles, encouragement and celebration because the things we are most proud of, are borne from hard graft and persistence. Like the stones, we become weathered and changed with the battles and often we emerge wiser and more compassionate.

Here at Ringwood Secondary in 2022, we continue to connect our past with a new future that we craft and create together, and I could not be prouder to be part of this compassionate and connected community.

Eleni Stathatos ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

Agatha Fedrizzi ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

ALUMNI & Heritage

This year became a new start, following two years of pandemic disruption. We needed to start on the planning for the 70th anniversary of this college in 2023. The committee took on this challenge, along with the ongoing committee work, such as completing the transfer of archive information and documents to digital format for our archives and RSC website, where you can find our long history.

HERITAGE PERPETUAL SCHOLARSHIP

Meeting selected students each year who apply for a Heritage and Alumni scholarship provides a rare insight into young people’s goals, insights and the current realities of life at school.

Since the donation of funds from past students, we have been able to offer one or two scholarships per year. Applications are called for in term 3 and interviews held in early term 4. The scholarship pays $500 towards expenses such as materials, excursions, etc. In the past Mrs Julie Hughes and Mrs Jenny Ward have had the pleasure of chatting with these applicants and found all students to be pleasant, often nervous but reflective. In 2022 the successful student was Imogen Prince of year 10.

Criteria do include a pleasing report and a statement as to difficulties experienced in life that may have impacted on the learning or lifestyle of the student. In all case students have spoken honestly and sincerely about their circumstances as well as their ambitions and gratitude. Year 10 and Year 11 students are asked to consider applying once again in 2023.

If you are a past or current member of this school and wish to contribute to our Scholarship Fund, your contributions will be greatly appreciated as this helps students at RSC who have started a new life in this community, many coming from overseas countries. Contact the college for details on how you may contribute to this worthy cause so that more students can complete their VCE education at this college.

GET YOUR NAME ON A PLAQUE

Six decades of students are being remembered by having their names attached to a bollard of their years at RHS/RSC. Be one of them by purchasing a plaque with your name, or family name, so that your classmates can remember you. Plaques may be purchased at any time, by contacting the college and requesting a Plaque Application Form.

FUTURE PLANNING

Looking towards 2023, the 70th year of this college is working on a way to make this anniversary a notable occasion, by showcasing this college’s long history. This college was built on bushland with a small oval for local sport in 1954 to what we now see on 16 acres, surrounding a college with 21st Century buildings and teaching facilities for 1,600 students.

Our Anniversary Day will be on 16th March 2024 and everyone is welcome to visit this college between midday and 4.00PM to see how this school has changed over 70 years.

BE PART OF THIS COMMITTEE

If you were a student at either RHS or RSC and want to assist this college, enquire about joining and helping us continue our history into the future. We have eight meetings each year, two per school term, where you can assist this college with its valuable work. We are always open to receive more members.

PHOTOGRAPHS

The two photographs below show the original school and the latest school designs.

Left Photo: Ringwood High School LTC600 - designed for 600 Students.

Right Photo: Modern Design, Senior School built in 2022.

BOUNCE

It was great being back in the classroom for our Bounce lessons this year! Students in all year levels had opportunities to work collaboratively with their peers, re-connect and develop healthy relationships in a fun, hands on way.

Year 7 explored Character Strengths, Emotional Literacy, Friendology and Health.

Year 8’s had a focus on growth mindset, learning to juggle as an example. They also learnt about emotional literacy, help seeking and empathy.

Year 9’s explored gratitude, empathy and emotional literacy, as well as neuroplasticity.

Year 10’s looked at PERMAH and developing individual strategies for developing good mental health practices, as well as relationships and gratitude through a film making project. Year 10s were also invited to participate in the Operation Christmas Child program, helping out children in developing countries.

Year 11’s focussed on careers, study skills, stress management and life hacks.

Year 12s have the great opportunity to work closely with their mentor teacher to develop study and stress management skills, as well as preparations for whatever the future may hold!

Across the college, we were lucky enough to have workshops from Tomorrow Man, Elevate, Sonia Karras, EACH, Scott Darlow, Pat Cronin Foundation, RACV, Elephant Ed and the Butterfly Foundation to name a few!

Thank you to all of the Bounce Teachers that work so closely with our students to develop strong mental health strategies.

CHAPLAINCY

Chaplaincy has continued to make a difference in many areas of our college community this year. After such a challenging few years, it has been truly wonderful to see renewed enthusiasm and resilience when it has come to reconnecting.

The Annual RSC Car Show has once again been a great success, with a sausage sizzle, silent auction, and plenty of impressive cars for students, their families, and teachers to enjoy.

Additionally, our weekly Brekky Club run by the Chaplains, Adam and Jen, has provided free pancakes and hot chocolates before the start of the school day, and is a relaxed and cheerful place for students of all ages to interact and spend their morning. The chaplains have also been continuing their invaluable work supporting students individually and providing access to mentorship and personal development programs.

There has been continued student involvement in our student-led Christian lunchtime program, called “Connect”, which gathers weekly and provides a safe and welcoming space for students to share and encourage each other in their faiths.

As Chaplaincy Captain, it has been my privilege to run a new program, “Make A Ripple”, a week-long challenge we held in August focusing on spreading acts of kindness in our school and beyond. Each day targeted a different area and included putting sticky notes of encouragement on student lockers, giving out chocolates to thank maintenance staff, collecting donations for the local Empower Food Relief Donation Drive in Ringwood and more.

RAISE PROGRAM

Finding your place in this world is something as humans we all strive to find, but unfortunately, the world is a big place and finding where you want to go and who you want to be, can be a difficult task. Some might say it is simply like finding that needle in a haystack.

Now I would like you to replace the haystack as this earth that we live and breathe in and that needle as you. When you look through the haystack you could find that needle straight away or you could find yourself looking for hours.

WILD PROGRAM

Our time on the WILD program was an experience we’ll never forget. Shannon and Amanda had a major impact on the group they revealed a new perspective and showed us resilience, along with other new positive values. We went on all different types of awesome adventures including white water rafting, river sledding, rafting, kayaking, caving, rock-climbing, abseiling and a five-day camp. At the camp we all learned more about each other and grew into a family, we are all so grateful for these life changing memories and for the EACH foundation for making it possible.

The same goes for life, just because one person has found that needle does not mean your needle is not in that haystack, and it might take just take a bit longer. But imagine if you had a way to extract that needle. A magnet. Imagine that magnet is your mentor, suddenly looking for that needle becomes not that difficult, it simply comes to you.

My goals and my passions have become so much clearer since I started seeing Paul, my Raise mentor, and I hope the same experience has happened to you. I would like to thank all the mentors for being the magnet that we needed to help us find that needle.

Joel Dean YEAR 10

THE SPIRIT OF Ringwood

Kaila Bergmann CHAPLAINCY PREFECT

CULTURAL Diversity

Throwback to March, in commemoration of Harmony Day and in recognition of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) students within RSC community, CALD leadership team has held various programs to uphold values of respect and bonding among students with different cultural background.

These included decorations around the school, a mini concert featuring different cultures and values in different traditional dances, alongside an art competition around the theme of culture, home and belonging.

Whilst the dances embody the spirit of joy and exhilaration and symbolise pride and beauty of every culture, the artworks we received are no doubt creative and filled with passion.

Therefore, it is indeed challenging for the team to choose the winners. Eventually, 3 students in different year levels have been chosen to be the winners.

We would like to express our sincere and greatest thanks to the sponsors of our events which are TGI Fridays, The Groove Train and OZ Ten Pin Bowling for giving us the opportunity to award our winners for their hard work and effort with valuable food, beverages and entertainment vouchers.

Moreover, we have also celebrated Refugee Week in recognition of refugee students and teachers at our college, to pay respect and support for those seeking their own place to belong.

By doing so, we have gathered a group of our students who have experienced tremendous hardships while finding a new home here in Australia and schooling in RSC, to enlighten the college with their experiences, emotions, hopes, and dreams woven into a poem. Ultimately, it is our goal as CALD team to spread the loves and encourage cultural awareness and exposure, to support and encourage equality, and to disperse casual racism and discrimination, on the outcome that students in RSC can understand and value each other’s backgrounds and foster an accepting and respectful cultural and traditional value.

RINGWOOD

Dim Khawm Kim and Vunglawhnuam Naluak CULTURAL DIVERSITY PREFECTS WENDALYN YU, CALD YR11 LEADER

DUNGEONS & Dragons

DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS CLUB

D&D Club has been running for over a year now, after school on a Tuesday. With 20-30 students each week, we have mostly had 3 games going filled with very excited students. Chris from ‘D&D in Schools’ attends each week to support the Dungeon Master’s (DM’s) run each game and to provide all students the dice, mini figures and coaching they need to play the game.

“D&D Club is an amazing way to hang out with people and just have a lot of fun, and it’s very freeing to have such a good way to be creative and make up stories.” Miranda, Year 8

“I am Dungeon Master and I have had a lot of fun playing the games and teaching people how to play. I have also made a lot of friends from different year levels and from my own year level that wouldn’t have become friends with other wise.” Reilly, Year 8

All students are invited and encouraged to attend, however we mainly have students from 7 to 10, as the Year 11 and 12 students are a bit too busy (although we welcome them occasionally when they have a free afternoon).

D&D Club has been significant for multi-year level interactions and these relationships continue throughout the week. Students who had been

disinterested in school during remote learning last year, found their enthusiasm thanks to D&D Club; creating characters, writing backstories, joining groups with students they didn’t previously know. This year the club has been solely on-site and their social interactions and involvement in the worlds they create is heart-warming!

Mrs Jacqui Godfrey and Mrs Gemma Bishop

THE SPIRIT OF Ringwood

EXTENSION & Enrichment

VICTORIAN HIGH ABILITY PROGRAM

In 2022, students have had many opportunities to extend themselves, and participate in a variety of enrichment activities. We have now completed our second year of student involvement in the Victorian High Ability Program (VHAP) in both Maths and English, where students in Year 7 & 8 are selected by the Education Department School of Excellence to participate in online lessons delivered by Virtual School Victoria over the course of a term. They collaborate with other like-minded students and are encouraged to expand their way of thinking. This year, 82 students have successfully completed the High Ability Program.

MELBOURNE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION SUMMER PROGRAM

The Melbourne Graduate School of Education’s Summer Program at the University of Melbourne was held across

four days of the summer holidays from the 10th-13th January 2022. This innovative program was an exciting chance for students entering Year 9 and 10 to get a head start in 2022 and to broaden their outlook and interests. Ringwood SC had four students who completed this program during their summer break. Congratulations to the following students who completed the four-day program in January - Bruce Roberts (Year 9), Jai Littlepage, Ankita Patel, and Mandana Mohammadi (Year 10). They thoroughly enjoyed the classes, especially the forensic classes, and received certificates for their completion of the program.

ACE HIGH ACHIEVERS PROGRAM

The new Year 7 ACE class of 2022 excelled themselves earlier in the year when they were asked to research and then present an oral presentation to the rest of the class about one of the Greek Gods as part of their studies in History. The students were so enthusiastic and prepared detailed speeches, and

costumes, and kept their classmates highly entertained.

This year, we also said farewell to our second group of Year 12 ACE students (2017-2022), who have been amazing ambassadors for the ACE Program, and who excelled during their participation in the Da Vinci Decathlon and Tournament of Minds programs in their junior years. During their senior years, they have been willing to challenge ideas and further develop into independent young adults. I wish them every success in their future endeavours.

Annette Niven HIGH ABILITY PROGRAM LEADER

INTERNATIONAL Student Program

In 2022, the International Student Program united students from all over the world, particularly from China and Vietnam. Students cherish their time of being together and integrating into the school community as well as understanding the Australian culture. At RSC, every community member puts effort to maintain the harmonious environment, thereby the International Students Program continues to prosper. With determined and inquisitive wish, overcoming and striding through global epidemic difficulties, we welcomed 13 new international students into our warming RSC community.

This year, we organised 4 birthday celebrations, one per term, to acquire sense of belonging for the international students to celebrate each other’s birthdays at school. Students enjoyed the birthday cakes and sang birthday songs during the events. On a weekly basis, we arrange an After-School Homework Club to allow international students to study together, learn and share experience from each other,creating a positive learning environment.

2022 is such a challenging year, as post-Covid effects still impact a lot of students. As a VCE Year 12 student

this year, I can significantly feel the passion from RSC teachers and staff, even though under this extreme pressure. Visual Art subjects take a great part of my school life, we can access the art rooms at any time to complete our folios and course works, the teachers are always willing to inspire us from different aspects, thus developing our creativities and thinking abilities. Additionally, the coordinators at Senior School are always available and helpful, we can ask them for advice on issues that concern us, such as mental issues, study skills and future decisions. I sincerely appreciate all the teachers that helped me grow during my four years at RSC.

Charles Han, Year 12 International Student

I am honoured to be a student at Ringwood Secondary College for 3 years. As an international student, my high school experience was challenging compared to some of my peers. Fortunately, the teachers and coordinators understand my difficulties, they create opportunities for me to practice English more, and they also pay special attention to my mental and physical health. Besides, I also have priceless memories with my pals which is going to make me laugh when I remember. The experience at school

has influenced my development as a person inside and outside of the class by motivating me to attend college and accomplish goals I have set for myself. Once again, I would like to thank the teachers, coordinators, friends, especially Miss Moore and Miss Shirley for always taking care of me and teaching me lessons not only on academic knowledge but also useful for my life.”

Minh Khiem Nguyen, Year 12 International Student

To acquire knowledge, one must study; but to acquire wisdom, one must observe. With our exploring opportunities and meticulous wellbeing care, we provide a healthy and positive environment for international students to quest their brilliant aims, enhance their ability of observation, thus achieve their best possible selves and gain sagacity through each unique experience.

IMPROVEMENTS at RSC

It’s been another strong year of developments at the college and it is so pleasing to see the teaching and learning environment continually improving for our students and staff.

UPDATES

Junior

School/Arena Shade sail

After losing our original sails when the new Junior School was constructed in 2017, it was very exciting to install new sails in the arena.

Landscaping College entrance

The recently landscaped area has greatly enhanced the Senior School, providing a tertiary feel for our senior students and a genuine avenue entrance.

Gym entrance

The old roller door has finally been removed and replaced with a modern glass entrance. It has vastly improved the look of the building significantly.

Hall landscaping and PAC Improvements

The south side of the gym and north side of the PAC were re-concreted, gardens improved and seating installed. The PAC foyer received a long overdue lick

of paint and new air conditioners were installed in room 700.

Oval ramp

A very busy term 1 saw the construction of the new wheelchair ramp to the oval. Several walkways were also improved around the PAC and Gym.

Locker replacement and locker bay improvements

Over 1000 new lockers were purchased at the end of last year to facilitate our move from the old Science building and many locker bays were improved including installation of roller doors and raising of lockers.

Middle School, Timetable and Careers development

As part of the STEM Centre the end of the staffroom was completely renovated to include a Middle School office, Timetable office, improved meeting room and improved classrooms.

Construction - Junior School locker bay and Woodwork rooms

To enable the construction of the STEM Centre, alternative Woodwork rooms were constructed in the old 200s classrooms.

STEM Centre

We are making excellent progress with the new STEM building and look forward to Stage 1 completion later next year.

Minor projects

Smaller, but important projects throughout the year include painting of many areas, new vinyl installation in the female admin toilets, new partitions in the male staff toilets, new air conditioning and carpet in the CAVE, LED replacement lights throughout the school, lighting and extraction improvements in the Automotive building, Wellbeing roof reconditioned, Indigenous garden seating, Indigenous signage on the Senior School and construction of temporary Woodwork rooms for the building project.

Finally, many thanks to both the dedicated Facilities Committee and maintenance staff for their efforts throughout 2022.

Chris Salisbury FACILITIES MANAGER

STUDENT Prefect Team

STUDENT PREFECT TEAM

Over our time at Ringwood, our cohort has had many opportunities that we are all so grateful for. From in the classroom to camps and excursions, Ringwood has provided us with the skills and knowledge to enter the next chapter of our lives, as well as so many memorable experiences.

Some of the highlights over the years include the many successful sports teams, swimming and athletics

carnivals, the VCE kitchen, school productions, orchestras, clubs and more. It was the continuous quality support that made these experiences as special as they were.

We were always able to turn to our peers, teachers and other support staff for guidance. It was also this level of care that helped us through the challenges over our journey. This included two years of on and off remote learning, as well as having to adapt back to normal life quickly whilst facing the

most challenging year of schooling. Thank you to the entire RSC community, especially our coordinators and teachers for creating such an inclusive and encouraging environment.

Brooke Humphreys and Sienna Sleigh HEAD PREFECTS

STUDENT Leadership

PHILANTHROPY

Over $1250 has been raised in total for philanthropy this year so far.

I would like to thank every single person who has;

• Bought popcorn for ‘Teach.Us. Consent ‘, where we raised $50 for consent education to be implemented throughout the curriculum

• Bought soft drinks for the Queensland and New South Wales floods where we raised $213 to help flood victims in desperate times

• Dressed up in their pyjamas where we raised $485 for FightMND and helped to find a treatment for Motor Neuron Disease and

• Dressed up in their sport jerseys for Beyond Blue where we raised $506 for mental health support.

Philanthropy is the desire to promote the welfare of others. Apart from the simple act of donating money, this year we have also been able to;

• Donate shoes to aboriginal communities

• Donate tinned goods to homelessness and

• Create Christmas shoeboxes to give to those who are unable to celebrate Christmas.

fundraise for many different causes this year as a whole school – especially with the welcomed addition of fan favourites bake sales and selling of food!

Chelsea Hillier PHILANTHROPY PREFECT

YOUTH IN PHILANTHROPY

My name is Imogene and this year I participated in the “Youth in Philanthropy” program run by the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation. Alongside Kayley Bryan, Ankita Patel, and Isaac Yau, we received $10,000 that we split between 3 charities referred to us.

I wanted to be a part of YiP because I saw a really great opportunity to help the community and learn about different charities. We got to choose charities that we were interested in and then got to have some Zoom interviews with each charity to learn about them and their aims. The charities we chose were ‘Climate and Health Alliance’, ‘Human Rights Law Centre’ and ‘Weenthunga Health Network’, each charity had ambitious plans that we were grateful to be a part of and support.

When splitting the money, we decided to give ‘Climate and Health Alliance’ $1,125 to support their plans of making online modules for healthcare workers about climate change and how best to support patients worried about climate change. We believed they were deserving of this money because climate change is a big issue in our society and providing factual information to patients and healthcare staff is key in being able to support one another. The next charity ‘Human Rights

Law Centre’ received $1,525 to fund their Human Rights Writing competition, asking students “How should an Australian Charter of rights be written?”. We decided that the ‘Human Rights Law Centre’ was really deserving of the money as human rights build security and safety for everyone and asking young people of their view on the issue is vital to the evolution of human rights not only here in Australia but internationally.

Our final charity that we met with was ‘Weenthunga Health Network’ and we gave them $7,350 to go towards the introduction of a wellbeing and healing program for First Nations health professionals in Victoria. We gave ‘Weenthunga’ the most amount of money because supporting First Nations people in any sector is vital to the reconciliation and respect of communities everywhere and we could see great positive change coming from this program. Their aim was to reconnect First Nations health professionals to their country and support them in healing through group sessions and individual guidance.

Through the whole program we had an amazing lead teacher helping us with everything (Miss Horton) and we can’t thank her enough for all her help and guidance with everything! After the whole experience I was able to learn a lot about aspects of our community I wouldn’t have otherwise known about, the education that these organisations are implementing for their communities is just phenomenal and it was a really special experience to be able to participate in.

It’s been really fun getting back to

Imogene Prince YEAR 10

WELLBEING

WELLBEING CAPTAINS

As the well-being prefect, you are given the unique ability to step outside the academic aspects of schooling and work on improving and educating well-being for both students and staff. I had the privilege of working alongside the Well-being team and the fellow captains to run and help manage events like the mental health carnival. I also worked closely with the philanthropy team on raising funds to put towards consent-based organisations such as ‘This.is.Consent’. Making small changes that eventually equate to a more inclusive school was my goal for this year, and I’m glad I had the opportunity to do so.

As a Wellbeing captain in 2022, I’ve been able to develop my leadership skills in areas such as management and utilise and further extend my leadership skills such as responsibility and creativity. In term 1, helping with the wellbeing carnival was rewarding in seeing how it all turned out with everyone’s hard work and time put into it, which led to it being a great outcome of a successful event. Collaborating with fellow wellbeing captains on ideas has been an enjoyable experience, everyone at wellbeing is very supportive and open so spending time in that environment has been fulfilling. Helping with R U OK day has given me a better outlook on the importance of wellbeing and the way people treat each social situation.

YOUNG WOMENS RETREAT

Before going on the retreat, I didn’t know anyone and was nervous to make new friends and be in a new place and experience. I wasn’t sure if I was going to fit in at the start. Soon after on the first day, I found some lovely people to hang out with and was more confident with myself and my surroundings. The nerves soon went away as I realised everyone doesn’t care about appearance or anything and are really nice, especially the leaders!

After leaving the retreat I have a much more positive mindset than I ever thought I would have. From the journey I’ve had a great experience working with other people and the fun activities. Having this retreat has changed my life physically and mentally by all the talks and kind people come in to help myself and others. Ever since I have had so much confidence in the way I feel and express myself. All together I recommend coming to bridge builders, it will change you in the best way possible!!”

“Being a wellbeing leader this year has been an experience I won’t forget. One of my highlights had to be helping organise the mental health carnival. Getting everyone to participate in dressing up and making new friends was a fantastic experience. Along with that, working with my other captains was an absolute delight.”

Zoe Fretter YEAR 12 PREFECT

Rochelle Munro YEAR 8

Hayley

Isaac Murray-De Lucy (he/him) YEAR 9

Lucy Sutton YEAR 7

Jackson Smith YEAR 11

WELLBEING

YARNING CIRLES

arning circles is a programme run for indigenous students at the school. It’s been great to be part of this group; it’s created opportunities to learn more about my culture and connection to other indigenous students in the school.

Some of the activities we did included an art project that was displayed at Federation Estate. We did a shared wood burning on a boomerang with our symbols from our life stories. On Reconciliation Day we helped run activities and raise knowledge about our history. We were consulted on the wording of the college Acknowledgement of Country and presented it at the farewell Year 12 assembly.

STANDOUT

This year, Ringwood Secondary College’s queer support group, StandOut has been able to achieve so much and has created a more inclusive environment for all queer students at RSC. We held a stall at the Mental Health Carnival that raised awareness for the queer community and allowed us to make many new friends! We also celebrated IDAHOBIT Day, Wear It Purple Day and Pride Month! These events brought a lot of colour, fun and good times to RSC, as well as brought a lot of different people together across the school including staff and students that might not have otherwise crossed paths.

StandOut has grown so much over the last year, and it wouldn’t have been made possible without the constant support of the RSC Wellbeing team and all the staff at Ringwood Secondary College. As the former Year 12 leader of StandOut and on behalf of the whole group, I would like to give a big thank you to Anna Jenkins, Sharlene Hetherington and Emily Collett for your unconditional support and encouragement toward the group and giving a voice to those who may have felt silenced by who they are.

I can’t wait to see what the new Stand Out leaders have in store for the group next year. I wish you all the best and most of all StandOut, keep being you!

R.A.D.

Ringwood Advocates for Disability (R.A.D.) was founded in 2022. It is a student led action group across all year levels that focuses on inclusivity for people with disabilities. This group aims to increase awareness, break stereotypes and eliminate ableism within the school. We do activities including art design, writing advocacy letters and learning about social justice.

Zee Veldhuizen YEAR 12 STANDOUT

Dakoda, Rubee & Jade

Zane Vahrmeyer and Rebecca Poole

YEAR Seven

Our Year 7’s started 2022 with a lot of excitement and nervousness after spending the last two years home schooling. We were all wondering; parents, teachers and students, were they ready to take on the challenge of high school?

The answer was YES!! And didn’t they just dive right in and absorb themselves with all that Ringwood Secondary College offered for them all. Right from the start where they worked out how to open their locks, read a timetable and move from room to room successfully. Some of the events they have involved themselves in are:

• Start-up orientation program

• Mental health carnival

• Trivia day

• Luna Park

• Elevate

• Clean up Australia Day

• Indigenous performance

• Cybersafety information session

• Brainstorming productions – hurting game

• Student leadership day

• Drama production performances

• Geography field trip

• Backstage crew of ‘Urinetown’ production

• Performing in ‘Seussical’ – Junior production

• Junior Volleyball lunchtime tournament

• Junior basketball lunchtime tournament

• Lunchtime clubs – board games & Minecraft

• Leading school tours

• Open night

• Speaking at parent and staff information nights

• Athletics carnival

• Receiving academic awards for semester 1 results

• Helping with grade 6 visits and 2023 orientation day

• Celebration day – Lilydale Lake

Thank you to our student leaders who helped run assemblies, lunchtime clubs, school tours, orientation programs and leadership days. We have loved watching you all grow and develop this year and look forward to working with you all in 2023 for your final year in Junior school.

Another highlight was the year 7 trip to the Melbourne Museum. We had such a fun time from chatting in the bus with our friends, walking around the museum and learning interesting things.

Inter school sport was an amazing experience as people got to try out for different sports and travel on a bus and compete against other schools with our friends.

This year for the year 7’s has been a very fun and busy year.

Starting in the early days, we had an amazing whole day at Luna Park having the park to ourselves, and had a wonderful school athletics day, getting to meet at a track and dress up in house colours. It was all very social and everyone had a great time.

Natasha, Year 7 leader

Kathryn Mahoney HEAD OF JUNIOR SCHOOL

YEAR Eight

Our Year 8’s started 2022 with great excitement, finally being able to get involved in all that Ringwood Secondary College has to offer after spending most of Year 7 learning from home. Most of the year was spent doing the activities they had missed out on and taking on new challenges that they had not been able to do in the past. As you look through the photos, see the smiles on everyone’s faces as everyone was so pleased to be able to enjoy the events we had not been able to deliver in 2021. Some of these activities included:

• Mental health carnival

• Trivia day

• Gumbuya World

• Elevate

• Clean up Australia Day

• Indigenous performance

• Cybersafety information session

• Brainstorming productions – hurting game

• Student leadership day

• Backstage crew of ‘Urinetown’ production

• Performing in ‘Seussical ‘– Junior production

• Junior Volleyball lunchtime tournament

• Junior basketball lunchtime tournament

• Lunchtime clubs – Kahootz, Table tennis, Minecraft & Just Dance

• Leading school tours

• Open night

• Speaking at parent and staff information nights

• Athletics carnival

• Cross country carnival

• Receiving academic awards for semester 1 results

• Helping with 2023 orientation day

Thank you to our student leaders who helped run assemblies, lunchtime clubs, school tours, orientation programs and leadership days. It has been brilliant working with you all. Good luck in Middle School, they are going to love you all.

Kathryn Mahoney, Head of Junior School

We have had so many amazing opportunities presented to the Years 8’s this year. These include all the amazing sports days and competitions such as Year 8 boys and girls netball, basketball, cricket, football and so many more. Another splendid day we had was Gumbuya World that took place on the 9th of March, this day was full laughter, happiness and fun, with so many rides and waterslides. Happening right now are the rehearsals for Seussical the Musical which the Year 7s, 8s and 9s are a part of. There were so many amazing Year 8s that put their hand up too be a part of this wonderful production. This year has been so incredible; we have made so many friendships and amazing memories along the way. While we are all so excited to be starting another journey into Middle School, we are all very sad to be finishing our time in the

Junior School. We are all very grateful for all the opportunities that have been set out for us this year and can’t wait for the next phase of our lives.

Scarlett Crowley, Year 8 Level Leader

This year has been nothing short of incredible for year 8s to enjoy! This included a wide variety of special events including sport, which we have made State for in track and field and multiple regional participations for basketball, netball and cricket. This year we went to Gumbuya World where we went as a whole year level and went on amazing slides, rollercoasters and there was even a lazy river for anyone who didn’t like the rides. This day was made to celebrate our year last year and this year to celebrate what we have achieved. During the year we went on a Yarra River trip across the Yarra to all the scenic points and got to experience what it was like at all these interesting locations! The amazing part was that’s not all we did! We had table tennis, Kahoot Club and even Just Dance run by some amazing year 8s throughout the whole year at lunchtime for any year 7s and 8s to enjoy and come down to participate. This year has been one of the best years for us and I believe we are all ready to start another chapter of our journey in Middle school.

Brodie Llewellyn

JUNIOR School Production

YEAR Nine

DUKE OF EDINBURGH

2022 Duke of Edinburgh has been amazing! Although wild at times, all of us have had so many incredible experiences, filled with unique opportunities and awesome adventures.

Not only has the Duke of Edinburgh program provided us with incredible practical skills, such as Certificate 2 First Aid, mapping, orienteering, peer teaching, teamwork and communication, this amazing program has helped us to build strong friendships and has provided us with so many wonderful experiences.

Most would agree that the highlights of Duke of Edinburgh have been our camps. In Duke we have had the incredible opportunity to go on three camps, each with a different environment. These include:

• Mt Buffalo Hike: caving, rock climbing, crevassing, abseiling and hiking.

• Lake Mountain ski day

• Mt Bogong 35km hike in mountains

Our first camp was a 3 night stay at the wonderful Mount Buffalo. We did 4 amazing activities: crevassing, abseiling, rock climbing and, everyone’s favourite, caving. We ended it with a 13km hike down Mount Buffalo.

Our next day trip was the cross-country ski day to Lake Mountain. Although the weather was not the best, we made the most of the day. We pushed through many tumbles and even a broken wrist. We all learnt so many things that day. Our last adventure is our upcoming hike to Mt Bogong. Over the 3 days will we hike roughly 35km up and then back down again. We are all so excited for our next journey!

The Duke of Edinburgh program run here at Ringwood is a team of supportive, strong and likeminded individuals. Though each of us were

here to learn and grow in our own ways, class-time proved to be collaborative, constantly challenging and always fun.

‘Peer Teaching’ - sharing our expertise and hobbies as a group - is an excellent example. Every one of us stood before our class and spent half an hour demonstrating a chosen skill to our classmates.

We all walked away from this experience with new knowledge and grew massively in our confidence. Completing our First Aid Certificates was another feat. Online modules as well as a full-day course amounted to a lot of work but was well worth it for the vital first-responder skills the group now possess.

Finally, let’s glance back all the way to the beginning of the year, when the Duke of Edinburgh classes of 2022 first came together. Class-time consisted of group-activities, guiding our blindfolded friends past obstacles, passing balls against walls with our feet and trying in vain to lift poles with our fingers!

RINGWOOD

INTERGREAT

What a YEAR we have had! The first in a while where it has been fully onsite at school, which is where InterGREAT truly thrives! InterGREAT is a special program delivered at year 9 for the whole cohort and it exposes students to opportunities, challenges and issues through term-long projects, many guest speakers and a unique opportunity to collaborate with their peers.

Term 1: The Self – students explored their character strengths and delivered an impressive collection of Personal Projects. They also pushed themselves to the limit at Phillip Island Adventure Camp, forging new friendships and testing their endurance on the many activities.

‘The personal project gave us a chance to explore ourselves through our passions and interests through a creative outlet. It was an enjoyable experience that helped us learn and build a connection to ourselves while also challenging our limits.’

portant to acknowledge these incredible people and let them share their story. We were given the opportunity to work with these people, even if there were challenges, such as finding the time in both party’s schedules to interview your Change Maker.’

we bargained with our peers. This task was insightful, especially to figure how much money and effort goes into a business.’

Isaac Murray-De Luca (9E)

‘Entrepreneur Luke Bennie was so passionate about what he did inspiring us to follow what we love most. His presentation was far from boring and never had a dull moment, SEND IT!’

Term 3: The Future Self – students were given the opportunity to project themselves into the future and build a business from scratch in an industry that either interested them or had been recommended through their Morrisby test results. A meaningful opportunity to take a business idea for a test drive!

‘We enjoyed making logos for our AT1 Future Entrepreneur businesses.’

Career Discovery Day

As part of the Future Self term, the students took part in the Careers Discovery Day which was an opportunity to hear from people in many different professions and ask them questions and discuss their careers.

‘I liked the creative process of putting my Pitch PowerPoint together, with all my Work Requirements (WRs), to present to and seek funding for my business idea from my classmates and teacher.’

Term 2: The Self in the Community –students interviewed a person from their own community circles, who they believed was a Changemaker!

‘Through the Change Makers Film assignment, we obtained a fresh insight on the lives of people who consistently change our world through their actions and commitments and how it was im

‘In term 3, the year 9 cohort worked on our future entrepreneur project. The idea of this project was to come up with a business idea to our interests and choice and develop it into a pitch where we sold our idea to our classmates. We expanded our concept from our brainstorm and proposal, to figuring out our budget to sharing our ideas where

Term 4: The Self in the World – students worked in groups to produce an awareness campaign for a Global Issue they felt passionate about. Students also went on the City Experience week, developing independence and exposing themselves to the beating heart of Melbourne culture. It has been so heart-warming to see the family input both in the Personal Project process and interviewed in the Changemakers film.

With InterGREAT you get out of it what you put into it. And whilst it is not a subject that continues into the following year, the skills the students are taught and the global issues they are exposed to will serve them for years to come. Well done, Year 9 of 2022!

Cleazza Lim and Carmel Tien (9B)

Ashley Sharkey and Destiny Wikeepa, (9D)

Nathan and Tyla (9F)

Mina (9F)

Cherry-May (9K)

Mrs Jacqui Godfrey

YEAR Eleven

Year 11 has presented RSC students with some awesome opportunities to learn and grow as new Senior students at the College. We engaged in many new and exciting extracurricular events such as the Central Australia Trip, Production, and the formal, which were all highlights for our cohort. Now halfway through our VCE, VCAL, VET, and Headstart journeys, it’s highly important that we reward our efforts, but also prepare for the next year ahead. It’s going to be challenging at times, but with the help of our teachers, friends and loved ones, we’ll all get through the year and have fun along the way.

This year we got involved in the school community and focused on our studies to prepare ourselves for Year 12. We ran and jumped in Athletics, with many of our cohort going through to the next level of competition and even competing regionally. We danced the night away at formal with a three-course dinner and studied with Elevate Education who taught us about time management, study techniques, and exam revision strategies. Production this year was also a hit, with many Year 11 students getting involved not only on stage, but behind the scenes too.

We are thankful to all our teachers and coordinators for assisting us with our

studies and for never ceasing to put our best interests first as Year 11 students.

STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS

My highlights in 2022 included leading the SRC Student Culture subcommittee’s planning and organisation of the Senior School Naming Ceremony ‘Yanna Mudjirr’ (Stepping Stones) and finishing my Early Entry Year 12 VCE exam. Both were the culmination of hard work and persistence, but highly rewarding in their unique ways!

As always, production was the highlight of my year! It was so fun learning the dances, singing the songs, and seeing everything come together. Production camp was particularly rewarding, as it gave us the opportunity to make friends, revise the choreography, and lean into the ridiculous nature of the show. I can’t wait for next year’s musical!

I have seen some awesome sporting efforts this year from the Year 11 cohort! For Swimming, many of our athletes made it to Eastern Metropolitan Region, where the school had a successful day in the pool. In Athletics, we had a successful run on the track, with Jesse Llewelyn coming in third place in hurdles. In Senior School specifically, the girls’ footy team came second place, only losing one game. I’m looking forward to another great year of sport at RSC!

This year has been an amazing year full of challenges and triumphs for Year 11. We finally got to experience the Central Australia Trip, where we became closer as a cohort. We also had a massive win for Freeman! We’re excited to carry on the spirit and involvement from this year into our final year of schooling and make it the best year yet!

Noah and Alyssa YEAR 11 YEAR LEVEL LEADERS

Niharika Harne YEAR 11

Jesse Macleod YEAR 11

Jackson Smith YEAR 11

Ebony Morrison YEAR 11

YEAR 12 Students v Staff Football Match

YEAR 12 Celebrities Day

CLASS of 2022 - Year 12

CLASS of 2022 - Year 12

CLASS of 2022 - Year 12

CLASS of 2022 - Year 12

CLASS of 2022 - Year 12

CLASS of 2022 - Year 12

CLASS of 2022 - Year 12

CLASS of 2022 - Year 12

CAREERS

The recognition that each student’s path is a translation of success underpins our entire careers department philosophy. Our commitment to personalised and tailored information and support allowed us to maintain a positive relationship with our students through 2022.

The careers team began term one with year twelve interviews to foster a sense of connection as face-to-face classes commenced. The interviews provided students the opportunity to discuss their plans beyond school. The data from the interviews demonstrated that students are interested in a wide range of career paths, including environmental science, animation, criminology, nursing, performing arts, plumbing, electrical, and exercise and sports science. In addition, students who did not apply for further study chose to take a gap year to broaden their horizons or chose an apprenticeship in a skills shortage field such as plumbing, carpentry, automotive, or electrical services.

Our year ten students had the opportunity to participate in work experience; despite employer hesitations due to restrictions, 174

students were able to secure work experience in June. Our students were able to secure positions at leading organisations such as CSIRO, Cricket Victoria, NAB, Australian Defence Force, Victoria Police and various primary schools, hospitality, and retail settings. We congratulate our year ten students on their ability to secure work experience by being persistent, ambitious, and creative.

Our year nine students had the opportunity to learn about careers such as fashion design, animation, children’s services, dietetics, physiotherapy, trades, fitness, meteorology, marine biology, medicine, beauty services, and dance at Career Discovery Day. They were further inspired by Michael Streeter, who shared his story of combining his passion for education, entrepreneurship, and pro basketball.

New career education initiatives enabled us to improve career education at RSC and deliver innovative, creative, and future-focused projects that assisted students in navigating the world of work. From year seven to twelve, Career Education in the Bounce program was redesigned to ensure curriculum is aligned with the new world of work and

prepares students to explore their 21st Century skills and employability skills, identify their professional purpose, navigate virtual workplaces, design their resume using the industry preferred templates, and explore future careers and the future of work.

With the world of work changing at such a rapid pace, it is critical that students are well informed and have access to the knowledge, skills, and attributes needed for success after high school. We strive to keep our career education information up to date, to increase industry engagement, to expose students to a wide range of career paths and opportunities, and to provide families with the information they need to support their child.

Our strategic direction for 2023 is to continue a culture of reflective practice incorporating expertise, support, and design programs that empower students to recognise their strengths, understand future career options and confidently explore a personalised pathway to achieve their own success.

VCAL

The success of the VCAL program at Ringwood is due to the motivation and achievement of all involved. Staff and students have worked tirelessly to complete the requirements ensuring students experience their chosen career pathways whilst completing the first year of apprenticeships, traineeships and vocational pathway qualifications.

Students have been involved in a myriad of activities:

• participated in running stalls at Our Mental Health Carnival

• immersed themselves in Community based projects – for instance supporting and teaching the older members of the community how to become more tech savvy,

• raising awareness and saving plastic tags to support the purchase of a wheelchair in Africa

• helped raise funds for the Salvation Army – as well as knitting scarves for the Homeless.

• run fund raiser barbeques or car wash activities

• collected food parcels, donated them to social awareness groups who have clientele with areas of need

• worked on the Indigenous Garden linking with the Wurundjeri elder of our area to continue to create and develop this area on our school property as well as created a vegetable plot

After 20 years the VCAL Secondary qualification will be merged under the VCE umbrella. In 2023 the program at Ringwood Secondary College will be replaced with the new VCE Vocational Major Program.

So, we are now packing all we need to move our Applied Learning programs into 2023. From Integrated programs, new curriculum, Community involvement and learning more about Global Goals whilst trying to incorporate and not lose the best aspects of the old program we are all working to create and maintain the key aspects of Applied Learning that are so critical to a successful program implementation and most importantly to a program that fulfils the needs of our students.

VET

Students once again flourished in the wide variety of VET certificate courses they accessed through Ringwood Secondary College as a part of their chosen curriculum. It was great to get back to some normalcy after the previous two years and witness the enthusiasm shown by students as they started their practical hands-on vocational certificate.

As these are applied programs students found structured work placements providing many with the opportunity to gain experience in the workplace demonstrating to employers that they have the right attitude regarding work whilst utilizing the skills they are attaining.

A few of the students were able to transition into School Based Apprenticeships [SBATs] with their employers starting a genuine pathway that will convert to a full-time apprenticeship at the end of year 12.

The skills they learn participating in the VET course, put into practical use in the workplace can then be consolidated into an authentic genuine path post-secondary school moving into correlating tertiary courses If chosen.

The following students received the Mullum VET Cluster Certificate of Excellence in their respective course:

Hailey Atkins: VET Certificate II in Outdoor Recreation

Courtney Canning: VET Certificate III Sport and Recreation

Jasmine Lui: VET Certificate III in Information Technology

Hannah Mebalds: VET Certificate III in Acting [Screen]

Ciara Willey: VET Certificate III in Sport and recreation [Personal Fitness Industry focus]

THE SPIRIT OF Ringwood

MUSIC

Instrumental Music Director’s Report

After the past two years all of us in Instrumental Music were so excited to be returning to live performances, weekly in rehearsals and for concerts, throughout 2022.

In some respects, this year has been tougher demanding all of us to still stay fluid with plans A, B and C to deal with the multiple “curve balls” thrown by covid throughout this year. Incredible persistence and resilience have been displayed by all and we are back!

Our achievements for 2022 included both Intermediate Stage Band and Senior Choir gaining Second Place in their respective divisions on our return to Generation in Jazz. Thomas Dower (Vibraphone)) and Riley Lobert (Drums) were also selected for the Div. C Superband which selects the best performer, on each instrument, for each division.

Intermediate, Junior and Training Stage Bands also participated in the All-State Jazz Competition held down at St Leonard’s College. Sasha Durkin (Double Bass) was recognised as an outstanding Soloist for the entire division and Thomas Dower (Vibraphone) was selected for the All-Star Band.

After two years, all our concerts for this year were sold out: Junior/ Intermediate and Senior Concerts as well as our Jazz Night and Gala.

Our Senior Jazz Combo were invited to perform at the North Eastern Victoria Region’s Youth Concert held at the Melbourne Recital Centre. The Senior Jazz Combo were fine ambassadors for our college at this event and they thoroughly enjoyed performing in such a fine concert venue.

All ensembles returned to performing at the Victorian Schools Music Festival with great results:

• Intermediate Stage Band – Platinum

• Senior Stage Band – Gold

• Symphony Orchestra – Gold

• Senior Choir – Gold

• Symphonic Band – Silver

• Intermediate Concert Band – Silver

• Junior Concert Band – Silver

• Training Band – Silver

• Junior Stage Band – Silver

• Training Stage Band – Silver

• Junior Choir – Silver

Our Gala Concert, which features all ensembles in the program, was one of our best to date. The atmosphere was electrifying and filled with so much joy. The Finale, for mass choir, orchestra and soloists, was Stevie Wonder’s Sir Duke, voted for by the music student cohort and arranged by students Archie Jacka Yr 11, Thomas Dower, and Sasha Durkin, both Yr 9. Congratulations to everyone for an outstanding performance.

Our last event for 2022 was our Band Tour to Phillip Island which was a resounding success. For the first time in its history, most of the students had no previous experience of Band Tour so the ability of the group to learn the repertoire in just 5 weeks was more than impressive. Training Band’s rendition of Bob the Builder brought the house down at many a performance!

Congratulations to students and staff alike for all your effort in navigating yet another challenging year with such determination and resilience! Effort equals success and the effort from everyone to return to live performances has been immense.

Finally, we sadly farewell to two of our beloved staff. Rosemary Kenna and Kevin Bonnett have both been long time staff in Instrumental Music and have had a significant contribution to the program culminating in the successful program it is today. Rosemary is commencing retirement at the beginning of next year and Kevin will commence his retirement the beginning of term two. On behalf of everyone in Instrumental Music, “thank you” for the incredible work you have done over the years, and we wish you all the best for the next exciting chapter.

Janine Pero DIRECTOR OF INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC

Music Prefect Report

Being in the role of Music Prefect for 2022 has created some amazing opportunities to help rebuild aspects of our program that were lost due to the pandemic. It also created opportunities to create new ideas to implement and try to make our program better. I took my role as very lucrative position where I was able to introduce new forms of leadership onto others, gaining consultation from my peers and staff within the program working collaboratively to make it bigger and better not only to develop the program but also develop connections with my

peers and teachers within the music and performing arts departments respectively. We achieved so much this year in regaining what was lost and I hope to see the program reach new heights in the future because the people from students, to full-time teachers and part time instrumental teachers and the classroom music teachers see the opportunity to grow our youthful minds through this unique avenue of creativity  I wish to thank all staff and peers that have helped me and the program through my time at Ringwood Secondary. It is an experience that I will never forget for the rest of my life. We have such an amazing program here at Ringwood Secondary and I wish all the best for the future.

Matthew Nolan

Training Strings

The experience we’ve had this year in the RSC music program has been more than amazing. I’m sure we’ve all thoroughly enjoyed being a part of Training Strings in 2022 and hope to continue with more incredible music opportunities in the future. Everything we have done this year in TS has helped us learn and grow more as music students and this wouldn’t have been possible without our amazing band teachers and conductor Mr Lam and Ms Kennedy!

Talia Humphreys and Ella Baum TRAINING STRINGS REPRESENTATIVES

Junior Choir

Ringwood Secondary College’s 2022

Junior Choir has been praised by many for sounding fantastic while singing. Junior choir has achieved a lot in this year, making a swift recovery from the hardships of lockdown. The songs ‘Here Comes the Sun’ by the Beatles and ‘All Is Found’ from the movie ‘Frozen 2’ were performed in RSC musical events earlier this year. The challenging piece, ‘Seal Lullaby’ written by ‘Eric Whitacre’ was also learnt by the junior choir to sing in a competition, which unfortunately never happened due to uncontrolled circumstances, however they did go on to present at the Victorian Schools Music Festival and were awarded a Silver Standard. This was the first performance by Junior Choir which took place outside of school grounds in 2 years. Junior Choir has achieved a lot this year after 2 years of lockdown and will continue to in the future as new members join the choir each year and

MUSIC PREFECT

the choir branches out and challenges themselves even more!

Meredith Williams JUNIOR CHOIR REPRESENTATIVE

Senior Stage Band

At the beginning of the year, 2022 looked a bit grim for senior stage band. With events like Generations in Jazz and South Street cancelled (or made virtual) left and right, it looked like we’d all have to be stuck in each other’s company every week for 12 months without much to make it all worth it. Things were looking callous. However, it did turn out to be worth it as we grew to love spending time in room 700 each Monday afternoon, having fun and growing together as a band. The endless jokes and improving charts turned out to be all we needed to enjoy ourselves, and proved useful as we played well at Jazz Night in May and achieved ‘gold’ standard at the Victorian Schools Music Festival in August - a great achievement after weeks of band members dropping in and out with COVID. Finishing off the year with ‘Togo’ at the college Gala in September seemed fitting; a triumphant piece, it embodied the warmth and excitement of the music program that many of the year 12 members are sad to be leaving, and that those younger can continue to enjoy. Overall, Senior Stage Band should be very proud of what they managed to accomplish in 2022.

Lachie Bosomworth and Ben Came, Senior Stage Band Representatives

Intermediate Stage Band

Formed in Term 4, 2021, the 2022 Intermediate Stage band has been an exemplary experience for us, and an exemplary combination of musicians. The band has had numerous long-awaited performance opportunities, and we excelled every time. We have performed most excellently at numerous school competitions and concerts, including: All State Jazz, RSC’s Jazz Night, Generations in Jazz, Victorian School Music Festival and Gala.

Intermediate Stage Band is one of the four incredible stage bands at Ringwood Secondary College. At the ‘intermediate’ level, we collaboratively learnt how to play complicated jazz rhythms, how to improve improvising skills, and much more. Throughout the year, our stage band had various day camps and weekly rehearsals to enrich our musicianship and performance quality. Learning and performing comprehensive pieces such

as; ‘Diggin’ The New Digs’, ‘Picasso’, ‘Nola Roller’ and more, helped us as an ensemble to become better musicians and improvisers —of note would be our ability to play in the style of Count Basie, with our lovely renditions of ‘Tritonicus Terrificus’, and ‘I’m Gettin’ Sentimental Over You’.

Winning platinum at VSMF, and placing 2nd in Generations in Jazz were huge highlights for our ensemble, but the thing we love most about Intermediate Stage Band is the amazing people in our ensemble —which just goes to show that music is not only an outstanding way to learn and improve one’s skills, but also the most awesome environment to enjoy time with others. With its members now spread between ISB and SSB, we have the most scintillating optimism for both ensembles.

Arielle Humphreys (Piano) and Sasha Durkin (Bass)

Intermediate Concert Band

The 2022 intermediate concert band of Ringwood Secondary College was a truly unforgettable experience. With rehearsals taking place on Monday afternoons after school, setting up the glockenspiel before practicing our chorales and rhythmic exercises would always be the highlight of my otherwise uninteresting beginning of the week. Practising many interesting and fun pieces, such as ‘Rum-Bah’, a beautiful Latin piece based on the rhumba rhythmic pattern, ‘Bugs’, a piece separated into 4 movements, each depicting the mischievous behaviours of various insects, and the classic fan favourite ‘Ratbags’, featuring conductor Dr. Jemima Bunn on the duck call. Each rehearsal would always be an experience, no matter what took place, whether that was the usual discussion on how to improve our tone, articulation, rhythmic abilities, and aural skills, or masterclasses from renowned composers, such as David Jones (composer of the aforementioned ‘Ratbags’), where we would receive personal insight from these professionals on what they were envisioning for their compositions, and how we could recreate those ideas as accurately as possible. The conductor of ICB, Dr. Jemima Bunn lead the ensemble brilliantly, and as a collective, we couldn’t have been happier to have had her as our conductor, even though she will be unfortunately departing from our musical community

here at RSC in 2023. Altogether, the 2022 Intermediate Concert band was a fantastic project that I’m proud to be able to claim to have been a part of.

Thomas Dower ICB Band Representative

Senior Strings

The Senior Strings of 2022 are proud to present our many achievements throughout this successful year. We had a great start at the beginning of the year with recruitment night, in which we can say all Senior Strings had a fantastic night getting to meet the next generation and their families.

Into July, we had had a few COVID scares within Senior Strings, but luckily were still able to go ahead with VSMF. We managed to pull off a silver place award while competing against elite Melbourne schools, with repertoire such as Polovtsian Dance and Hoedown Showdown, both conducted by the incredible Mr Lam. We performed Polovtsian Dance once again for Gala on the 15th of September, as well as were given the opportunity to collaborate with our Intermediate Strings ensemble to create a combined string orchestra; most importantly, we cannot forget our amazing double bassist Sasha Durkin, as well as Year 12 violinist Shion Kim, who both won well-deserved conductor awards that night. However, all great things must come to an end. This year, we give a heartfelt goodbye to two Year 12s from Senior Strings, who, though no longer with us, will never be forgotten as they go on to wayfare the tumultuous life beyond high school. Farewell, Shion Kim and Will Vandermeer, and thank you for being part of Senior Strings 2022. Of course, we could never have achieved any of this if it was not for our incredible conductor and teacher, Mr Lam. Thank you for all the early mornings, all the performances that you conducted, and all the stories and the life advice that we will carry with us for the rest of our lives. And finally, on behalf of Senior Strings, thank you to the lovely audiences, to all the supporting parents and families for listening and for your continued support. We hope to continue to be part of the new musical memories made by our younger students, as well as to continue creating memories for our senior students in 2023.

Teagan McPherson and William O’Neill BAND REPRESENTATIVES OF SENIOR STRINGS FOR 2022

MUSIC

Training Stage Band

At the end of last year, the training stage band had been formed. The band was full of year 7s, 8s and a year 10. At the beginning of the year, we were introduced to our pieces Louie Louie and (what did I do to be so) Black and Blue. Most of us struggled first playing it, but as the term went on, we started to improve and get better and better. Then towards the end of the first term we got introduced to Around the Corner. It was really challenging but we all got the hang of it towards the beginning of our first concert. After going through these three songs pretty easily, we were getting ready to play in our first concert at the almost winter concert. Then we had our All-State Jazz Competition performance amongst many other schools in the state.

Throughout the last two terms of the year, we learnt the songs Alley Cat Struttin’, Mercy Mercy Mercy, Finding You Here and the big piece, Oye Como Va, which we performed in the biggest performance of the year for all the school’s ensembles, Gala! Gala was a fantastic fun night with lots of hard work and dedication in the lead up for all our members. Creating a great showcase of the work we put in throughout the year in our very first RSC Stage Band experience. Exited to be moving on to Junior Stage for the 2023 music year, but certainly sad to be leaving the wonderful Mr Trounson as our band leader!

Kobe Tauiliili & Angus Jacka TRAINING STAGE BAND REPRESENTATIVES

Training Band

This year was a great year for Training Band. It all started in Term 1, where we all met the different instrument groups and of course, our conductor Mr Declan Trounson. In total, there were over 50 Training Band Members. Our first piece together was called ‘Variations’ which was composed by one of the schools’ staff, Dane Sorenson. It was a simple piece to get us started and used to playing together in a band this size, which was a first for most. For most of the students, this was their first time playing an instrument. It was a little rocky at first but after a few weeks, the whole band started to learn how to make the piece sound great with guidance from Mr Trounson.

After our time on ‘Variations’, we started on our first main piece, name ‘First Blast’ which was also composed by Dane Sorenson. This piece was a little more complex, with more intricate parts for each instrument which together sounded great after a few weeks of practice. We were preparing this song for the Training Bands first ever concert of 2022, The Almost Winter Concert. It was very exciting to practice for. Another song we started to prepare for The Almost Winter Concert was a piece composed by Adam Arnold, titled ‘Pirate’s Revenge’. This was a piece of drama, different to the simpler aspects of ‘Variations’ and ‘First Blast’. This song was the most difficult of the year so far, but after more practice and help from Mr Trounson, it was sounding awesome. In May 2022, The Almost Winter Concert was performed. The Training Band performed the rehearsed ‘Pirate’s Revenge’ and ‘First Blast’. The impressively loud cheer from the audience proved that all our hard work paid off.

After The Almost Winter Concert, ‘First Blast’ was put on the back burner and Mr Trounson began preparing us for VSMF (Victorian Schools Music Festival). This was a competition held in November in which all the Victorian High School Training Bands would compete against each other in music. Everyone had a pool of a few songs, and the conductors would choose them. For us, Mr Trounson chose ‘Pirate’s Revenge’ and ‘March of the Penguins’ which was composed by Todd Phillips. ‘March of the Penguins’ highlighted the flutes, a quieter instrument, in the band.

We continued to practice these songs until late September, where we started to practice a new song for Band Tour. Band Tour was where Training Band, Tour Choir, Tour Band and Strictly Strings and some teachers went to Phillip Island and performed a show at 9 different schools, both primary and secondary, in addition to a homecoming concert a few days after we got back. This tour was on the 24th of October to the 28th. Not all training band members came along on the trip, but a majority did. The new song we were practicing was very popular with the kids, especially the younger kids. Mr Trounson’s hard hat may have given it away. We performed ‘Can We Fix It? From Bob the Builder by Ed Wilson. This song was extremely fun to rehearse and perform. The younger kids would scream the lyrics with smiles from ear

to ear. It was wonderful. We also played ‘March of the Penguins’ for many of the shows except for one where we did ‘Pirate’s Revenge. Some of the Tour Band members would act like penguins in the crowd which was super fun to see whilst performing. Overall, Band Tour was extremely fun and a great experience from a music perspective for Training Band.

After we got back, we continued practicing for VSMF which was only 3 weeks after. We worked extremely hard on ‘March of the Penguins’ and ‘Pirate’s Revenge’. We made our way to the Hawthorn Arts Centre which is where the competition was held. We played our way through as the night went on, filled with giggles and laughter, and staring intently at the other schools. We ended up getting a score of Excellent from both judges. We were extremely happy with that result. After all that excitement came to us being led to the present day.

Trevin Tirikawala and Bridget Pearson, Training Band Representatives

Junior Stage Band

Junior Stage band this year, had a range of very energetic and ready to learn students from year 8-9 and was conducted by Mr Sorensen. JSB gathered every Wednesday afternoon from 3.30 until 4.30 all eager to start rehearsals straight away, we always started with fun warm ups and tuning and soon started perfecting our pieces as a whole ensemble. We started off the year by learning the pieces Welcome to the Jungle, Around the Corner, Here’s that Rainy Day and A Little Bit of Sugar for the band and we played them at the Saint Leonards competition. Soon after we started 3 new pieces, On Ya Bike, My Groove Your Move and Easy Way Out. In August we performed at VSMF along with two other junior stage bands, after we played our pieces we got a special learning session with one of the judges and we were then awarded with a bronze award.

Once the Ringwood Gala started coming around, our band was faced with the hardest decision, which repertoire we will play as the Junior Stage Band of 2022 one last time. After intense discussion, Mr Sorensen proposed the idea of a mashup, containing 3 of our favourite songs. We all passionately pushed for Welcome to the Jungle, On Ya Bike and Easy Way Out, after a perfect finish to the year, full of fun rehearsals each week and grooving along together

the Junior Stage Band of 2022 came to an end.

Caitlyn Gordon

JUNIOR STAGE BAND REPRESENTATIVE

Intermediate Strings

It’s been great to get back to playing and rehearsing in person after two years of lockdowns, especially since the numbers of string players in our ensemble has grown exponentially with close to fifty people. We’ve enjoyed performing, playing the piece Winter Waltz at the Winter Concert and then Calypso Jive later in the year at the Annual Gala (both written by Stephen Chin). Some of us also had the experience of touring and performing on Band Tour with Strictly Strings. It was sweet to see the warm reception that we received when we performed at the local schools in Gippsland.

For the remainder of the year, we are looking forward to the upcoming Blackburn NEVR string workshop. We also extend a warm welcome to all the new members of the ensemble that have joined in term 4. The students in the ensemble have learnt so much this year, sharpening their skills and improving their ability to play together. Of course, all of this wouldn’t have been possible without Mr. Lam and his commitment to the ensemble, showing up each Friday morning at 7:30, never failing to make us laugh. It’s been wonderful to see the way the strings program at RSC has blossomed.

Tamani Oxworth and Choe Atherton INTERMEDIATE STRINGS REPRESENTATIVES

Symphonic Band

Our school’s Symphonic Band started off this year under the guidance of conductor Dr Jemima Bunn. The band composed of countless instruments including wood wind, brass, and percussion has achieved many milestones this year with Dr Bunn. Learning important musical skills such as complicated rhythms, expressing emotions in music, musicianship/teamwork in an ensemble, and the functions that a Symphonic Band holds. Throughout the year, Ringwood Secondary College’s Symphonic Band has partaken in various events including Victorian State Music Festival, Senior Winter Concert, Anzac Day Concert, Orientation Day Concert and Gala.

At the Victorian State Music Festival, the band got silver and was lucky enough to have two masterclasses with composer Ralph Hultgren and professor Dr Nicholas Williams leading up to it. At Gala students Aidan Maher, Caley Bato, & Patrick Tracey were all surprised to have receives a conductor’s award from Dr Bunn.

After Gala the band’s current conductor Mr Andrew Jacobs took helm. having taught the oboists and bassoonists of the school for years Mr Jacobs is excited to steer the new chapter for the band with the new instrumentalist who joined at the same time. The band’s new players have filled the seats of each section and rounded the sound bringing long missed oboe, tuba, and timpani to the school’s Symphonic Band sound. And this next year of Symphonic Band will sure to be bring its fair share of memories and achievements.

Arielle Humphreys and Patrick Tracey BAND REPRESENTATIVES

Symphony Orchestra

At the break of dawn every Wednesday morning throughout the year, the Symphony Orchestra rises, awake and ready to play at 7:30, minus the few late stragglers who missed their alarms. Despite the early start, the orchestra is incredibly grateful to be able to rehearse together regularly after what has been a few interrupted years to say the least. This year the orchestra dived gracefully into their repertoire, playing pieces such as Rossini’s Barber of Seville, Satie’s Gymnopedie No. 1 and Villoldo’s El Choclo, performing their way to a Gold at the Victorian Schools Music Festival. It was the orchestra’s first time in the festival since 2019, and what a joy it was to be able to play again in the Hawthorn Town Hall. A highlight of the music year is performing in the Royal South Street Competition at Her Majesty’s Theatre in Ballarat. The event unfortunately did not go ahead this year, but we hope to make a return to the competition better than ever in 2023. The orchestra ended the year with a bang at the music program’s annual gala where they closed the show with Stevie Wonder’s Sir Duke alongside the mass choir, arranged by members of the orchestra. As the new music year begins, the orchestra is already up and rehearsing, and we cannot wait to see what they do next.

Archie Jacka and Hannah Walne SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA REPRESENTATIVES

Senior Choir

What a year it has been! To finally make music together again and perform to live audiences both in and out of school, has been nothing short of exhilarating! Senior Choir hit the ground running in February of this year, with rehearsals getting under way for their performances at Victorian All State Jazz Festival, and Generations in Jazz, the latter of which was done via filmed submissions this year. Submitting a performance certainly didn’t stop the choir from doing their job though, as they achieved 2nd place in Division 3 Large Ensembles Mixed Voice, which is the highest result the choir has ever achieved at GIJ! If that’s what happens after pandemic lockdowns, maybe we need a few more (don’t hurt me, please)!

Moving onwards and upwards, the choir continued to prepare new repertoire for Royal South Street and the Victorian Schools Music Festival. Unfortunately, Royal South Street was cancelled due to circumstances beyond the school’s control, but that did not dishearten the choir, who once again roped to the challenge and performed their entire program at VSMF instead. This was well received by both the audience (of parents and other schools), and both adjudicators who provided some wonderful and encouraging feedback and awarded RSC a Gold Standard for their performance.

Off the back of this success, the choir knuckled down even more, having chosen which piece they wanted to perform for Gala concert, and what a choice it was! They rehearsed and refined even further and gave a spectacular rendition of the Billie Eilish song No Time To Die, from the film of the same name.

I am always so pleased and impressed with what these young folk are capable of creating and this year especially has reminded all of us of the value of hard work and persistence/ resilience. My congratulations to every student involved in this year’s choral program, in both Junior and Senior ensembles. It has been a privilege to work with you all this year, and I look forward to more of the same in 2023.

Mr Tim Jaques CONDUCTOR SENIOR CHOIR

PERFORMING Arts

SPORT

ATHLETICS

Ringwood Carnival Proclamation Park was once again flooded by vibrant house colours, well thought out costumes and a buzz of excitement from all participants. The day was a fantastic celebration of our houses, school spirit and sense of community here at Ringwood. Congratulations to all our Age Group Champions.

District Athletics

A large Ringwood secondary team descended to Proclamation Park as we were once again crowned District Champions. Due to the high participation and skill from all our athletes on the day, we almost doubled second place in points. A fantastic effort from everyone involved. Congratulations to those who were District age group champions: Emily Conroy 13G, Emma Driscoll 14G, Ben Plut 14B, Ebony Cassidy 16G, Hannah Day 17G, Tegan McInerney 20G and Jack Martin 20B.

Region Athletics

65 students represented Ringwood at Region athletics this year, a phenomenal effort. Knox Athletics track was dominated by our students, finishing an amazing second in the region by a measly 20 points. Congratulations to all our students for their attitude towards all their events.

On the day:

Our gold medal winners were: Emma Driscoll, Jemma Whitaker, Abbey Whitaker, Imogen Waite, Ella Hose, Frazer Parker, Ben Plut and Patrick Wheeler.

Our silver medal winners were: Chelsea Quill, Rebekah Lim-Spong, Jemma Whitaker, Ebony Cassidy, Frazer Parker, Lachlan Newey and Ben Plut .

Our bronze medal winners were: Emily Conroy, Natalie Barr, Jessica Kim, Abbey Whitaker, Frazer Parker, Jay Egan, Jesse Llewellyn, Rory Walker and Jacob Henry.

State Athletics

Our state participants should be extremely proud of their efforts. The competition at Lakeside Stadium was amazing and it was fantastic to see our students compete against the best in state.

Silver Medal – Frazer Parker, Patrick Wheeler, Jemma Whitaker and Abbey Whitaker

Bronze Medal – Emma Driscoll, Imogen Waite

Other results: Emma Driscoll 6th, Rebekah Lim-Spong 5th, Ben Plut 6th, Imogen Waite 6th , Abbey Whitaker 4th.

Cross Country

Ringwood Carnival

Our traditional cross-country event was a great finish in what was a busy Term 1 for sport. Students relished the ideal conditions for running which made for some very close and entertaining finishes on the oval. It was great to see the competitive spirit in our students on full display and the event was finished off with an ice cold Zooper Dooper!

District Cross Country

“How good is Ringwood?!” were the words on everyone’s lips as we dominated the district cross country again for the 30th time in a row! Unfortunately, with a mix up from some of the directors out on course our under 13 age group were welcomed to secondary cross country by running the 5.8km long course! Amazing resilience was shown by all our athletes on a cold and windy day.

Gold medal winners on the day included: Lucy Doyle 13G, Natalie Barr 15G, Victor Rahmani 15B, Ellie Boucher 16G, Sienna Koh 20G and Angus Norman 20B

Region Cross Country

After missing for two years, 56 students represented the school at Region cross country this year. Travelling out to Yarra Glen, the clouds slowly lifted in what was a stereotypical cross country day. Congratulations to all our runners who took part in their races.

Notable finishing places were: Rebekah Lim-Spong 2nd in the 13G, Natalie Barr 7th in 15G, Sienna Koh 4th and Mia Busch 6th in the 20G and Angus Norman 5th in the 20B.

State Cross Country

If there was a horse race at the Yarra Glen racecourse, the course would be considered a heavy 10. Competitors shoes were getting stuck in the mud as our students battled muddy and cold conditions. We had 4 representatives at State Cross Country this year – Rebekah Lim-Spong, Natalie Barr, Ellie Boucher and Angus Norman, a mighty effort. A special mention to Year 7 student Rebekah who finished 9th in her race and Angus Norman who finished off his high school career in 6th.

We say farewell and thank you to our under 20 athletes this year who have had great success in cross country across their journey at Ringwood. Angus Norman has always competed at State cross country and All schools events, medalling in a number of these. We also say goodbye to our 2-time back-to-back (would have been 4 if COVID didn’t occur!) State cross country champion team of Sienna Koh, Mia Busch and Jemima Wilson. We are truly appreciative of all your contributions to our cross country teams over the last 6 years and we will miss you!

SPORT

SWIMMING

Ringwood Carnival

Once again, our 2022 whole school swimming carnival was disappointingly cancelled because of COVID. Fingers crossed in 2023 we have our vibrant carnival back! We once again organised a small swim meet for competitors to enter so we could create our team for another District competition.

District Swimming

As usual, we dominated the Maroondah Division competition, winning the day by a staggering margin. We had many successful individual and team relay performances throughout the day. We had 10 of the 12 possible age group champions and broke 7 district records along the way! Cade Cavanagh broke 3 individual records, Taylor Viney and Liv Tolliday broke an individual record each and our 16 boys and 20 girls freestyle relays broke records as well.

Region Swimming

30 students represented Ringwood this year at region, where we were once again very successful. Finishing 3rd in the region, we had many great individual and team performances in the pool. Congratulations to all our students who represented us this year.

Gold medal winners: Cade Cavanagh and Byron Geng

Silver medal winners: Betty Geng, Taylor Viney, Lucy Doyle, Bryan Wong, Byron Geng and Cade Cavanagh

Bronze medal winners: Lucy Doyle, Taylor Viney, Byron Geng and Bardia Bahrami

State Swimming

Byron Geng was our sole competitor at State swimming this year, but he flew the flag with pride. In his first State Secondary Championship, Byron placed 3rd in his 50m backstroke event. A fantastic achievement!

We farewell our class of 2022 with great appreciation and admiration, as they were fantastic contributors to the swimming team in their time here. A special mention to Taylor Viney, Cade Cavanagh, Olivia Tolliday and Brian Matanisiga for their contributions.

TEAM SPORTS

GO RINGWOOD

What a massive year with our team sports. Huge participation in the summer and winter round robin competitions saw us dominate the Maroondah district and send a large amount of teams through to Region.

Highlights for the year included the senior girls AFL team coming runners up in the Region, losing in a close contest to the eventual state winners. The Senior girls and the Yr 7 boys table tennis teams both having an awesome year, achieving runners up in the State.

Our biggest achievement was the Yr 7 Boys Volleyball team who were crowned STATE CHAMPIONS! What an amazing performance and what an incredible atmosphere back at school with all the Year 7’s watching on in the junior school. The presentation space erupted with applause and cheers after the final point. A wonderful display of Ringwood spirit.

Congratulations to all those who participated in our team sports and we look forward to another dominant display in 2023. Best wishes also to

students who are excelling in their sports outside of school - Mia Busch - AFLW, Olivia Slade- Lawn Bowls, Morris Khenglawt -Boxing and Ella Hose - Athletics.

1st - FREEMAN

Coming out of lockdown, Freeman really came out with a bang in 2022. Unfortunately, with the cancellation of the swimming carnival we weren’t able to continue the tradition of dominating the pools, however we did not let this affect the rest of our school year.

With heavy participation rates causing seas of blue at the athletics carnival, we made our competitiveness and presence known to the rest of the school, however, our inability to score the win did not deter Freeman. We continued to show up and gave our all at events and house activities with 100% effort.

As we racked up the house points, we displayed our ‘give it a go’ attitude, inspired by our namesake Cathy Freeman herself. As a result of our efforts, we managed to come through with a fantastic win and got to decorate the house cup in BLUE for 2022!

After this very exciting win I can say I am very proud of our efforts as a family and a team this year and hope to continue this reputation for many years to follow.

Mylee James FREEMAN HOUSE PREFECT

2nd - FRAZER

Frazer has never shied away from some friendly competition, proving to the whole school our upmost dedication in all our amazing school events. Coming home with the very deserving victory of first place, Frazer did an extraordinary job in the Athletics Carnival this year and you all should be very proud of this incredible achievement.

Even though unfortunately due to COVID the annual Swimming Carnival was cancelled, that didn’t stop Frazer house from putting a smile on our face, achieving the best we can and doing it with camaraderie and mass participation like we always do. Our ‘book-smart’ and dedicated attitude was reflected throughout all areas of the school, with RSC productions, academics, athletics and sure enough - in next year’s swimming carnival Frazer will all come together in a mass of red to give it our best go!

As the Frazer House Captain of 2022 I am very grateful to be a part of this thrilling experience but also sad to leave this fantastic team. However, I am very proud of every single one of you and I am certain you all will continue to thrive in the many years to come. All the best Frazer and smash it in 2023!

Gimhan Senevirathne FRAZER HOUSE PREFECT

3rd - JACKMAN

Jackman have put their best foot forward this year participating in many events. Their contribution to the athletics carnival was astounding, although not taking home first place, their efforts were reflected on the track!

Jackman certainly lived up to their name of ‘Hugh Jackman’ in the performing arts area as Jackman students thrived in the school’s production of ‘Urinetown’ and in the music program Gala.  Their commitment to rehearsals and long days reflected that of Hugh Jackman who is currently representing Australian talent on Broadway in ‘The Music Man’.

As the Jackman house prefect, I am proud of the efforts of all the Jackman students this year. This year has brought different challenges from each one of us with the return to school and everyone should feel extremely proud of their efforts this year. Good luck to Jackman in 2023!

Hannah Walne JACKMAN HOUSE PREFECT

4th - MABO

Mabo has worked harder than ever after coming back from the 2 years in lockdown to prove to the school how dedicated and strong we all are. Seeing the participation and commitment students have put in to get back involved has been incredible with seeing students from each year level take action in events such as the athletics carnival, cross country, the mental health carnival, school sports, the school’s production of ‘Urinetown’ and the schools music program.

Sadly, Mabo finished up at the bottom of the house points board for the year even after the wonderful full year at school we have all enjoyed but hopefully Mabo can make a comeback next year with an exhilarating and exciting year ahead for the younger students to look forward to after all the excitement and enjoyable memories we’ve all been able to make this year.

Madi Bailey MABO HOUSE PREFECT

COMMERCE

LEGAL STUDIES - Q&A EXCURSION

With the return to live studio audiences, ten students undertaking Year 12 Legal Studies were invited to join in Q&A’s 8th September program, which explored the themes of ambition, power and who gets to tell stories.

Hosted by Stan Grant, the panellists included: songwriter Marlon Williams, ‘Succession’ actor Brian Cox, soprano, composer and educator Deborah Cheetham, photojournalist Andrew Quilty and former ADF officer Catherine McGregor.

Whilst some students were disappointed that there were no politicians on the panel, the lively and insightful discussion reinforced key material covered as part of the Units 3 & 4 Legal Studies course. What does representative government mean? What rights are entrenched in the Australian Constitution? Why is it important for First Nations People to be acknowledged in our Constitution and will the proposed referendum be healing or divisive?

Our students found the behind-thescenes insight into the live taping of a television program, fascinating. They responded brilliantly to the warmup comedian’s jibes and looked fabulous in their RSC uniforms replete with blazers. They certainly challenged the myth that young people today are not interested in politics. I look forward to seeing where 2023 takes them.

of the current state of the labour market, while the Year 12’s were able to get an overview of the current state of the economy in the lead up to the Economics exam. It has been a great year to see how the theory we learn in class is played out in the real world.

YEAR 7 ECONOMICS

ECONOMICS

Economically it’s been an interesting and busy year with increases in interest rates for the first time in a long time and not one but two budgets for the Year 12’s to get an understanding of. This has kept students busy. We have also enjoyed a number of activities that supported student learning across units 1-4. Three students extended themselves and their Economic knowledge by attending an economic debate at Fintona.

Virtual presentations by the RBA at Year 11 to increase students understanding

Year 7 students all completed an Economics unit in the last couple of weeks of term 3. Students learnt about demand and supply, productivity and supply chains and marketing. Students looked at the circular flow model, consumers and producers, and how businesses respond to demand using a ‘Farm to Fork’ ios game to meet the needs of consumers for potatoes and potato products. Students looked at government intervention in the economy and looked at how businesses responded to changes during covid and lockdowns. Students played the Lemonade game and learnt about how businesses determine a price for goods and services. Students taste tested a range of potato chips to set a price and determine perceived

Mrs Deb Wilkins YEAR 12 LEGAL STUDIES TEACHER

value. Students finished the unit looking at changes to demand and supply and identifying what factors could affect demand and supply and how this impacts price of goods.

DOLLARS AND SENSE

In Dollars and Sense students have explored banking and interest rates evaluating their own situation and looking for the best accounts, leant about saving and ACT goals and then identified if they are a spender or saver and budgeting in playing monopoly. Students assessed their spending/ saving strategies and budgeting abilities within the game and will apply these later in the week when they create their own budgets.

Students tested their knowledge playing against each other in ‘Blooket’ Crypto currency games on saving and budgeting concepts and case studies to see who could apply their knowledge to quiz questions earning them the opportunity to earn more currency and hack others.

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT –MARKET DAY

On Thursday the 25th of August and Tuesday the 30th of August, Year 11 Business Management students from Ringwood Secondary College ran their annual Market Day event. Students had to plan and run their stalls with the aim of breaking even with all profits made to be donated to charity. In groups, students devised a marketing plan and created stalls made up of lollies, chocolates, baked goods, crepes, toasties, ice cream, popcorn, soft drinks and many other sweets and savouries. Students also ran games with prizes such as guess the numbers of lollies in the jar and sold trinkets such as phone charms and perfumes. “For our year 11 Business Management class, my partner Amy and I decided to make beaded phone charms. They have become really trendy, especially with people our age so we thought it would be a good idea to sell them. It took ages to make each one, but we ended up making 31 in total to sell for $4 each. By the end of lunch we had one left and

after eagerly waiting, we sold it. We ended making $47 profit which will all go to a charity. The school raised a lot of money through Market Day and it was good to be a part of it.” -

Sienna

This year we will be donating to ADRA Community Care Centre in Croydon who run the VIVE café. Vive Café is a food relief project in Croydon, operating for 12 years, distributing food parcels to anyone in need of support and a takeaway cooked meal program. We are proud to be able to support a local organisation who make a positive and valuable contribution the community. In total, we managed to raise $1955 across the two days.

Congratulations to everyone involved in Market Day and thank you to all students and teachers who came down on the day to show their support and purchase our products.

Mr. Del Sureto, Mr. Gallucci, Mrs. Menz & Mr. Stephens YEAR 11 BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

DANCE

This year in Dance we were very happy to be back in the studio/700 for the whole year. At the start of the year we went to see the ‘Top Class’ dance performances from 2021 and were happy to cheer along our own Brooke Humphreys who was selected to perform. Top class includes some of the top scoring VCE and VET Dance performances from their exam the previous year. It was a huge achievement for Brooke to be selected to perform. Congratulations!

We also did a contemporary workshop at Chunky Move with Kyall Shanks and workshops at school with industry specialists Sarah Neaubacher (Austrian born dancer/choreographer) and some of our RSC alumni students who are excelling in the dance industry. They came and spoke to the VCE VET Students about taking on every opportunity and how best to make an entrance into the industry. Thank you to Emily Lodge and Cameron Shook for coming back and giving our students some great feedback and insight.

All the very best to our dance students who have completed the VCE and VET studies this year.

DRAMA

Ringwood Drama students finished the year with some remarkable drama performances.

Year 11 and 12 students performed complicated and engaging solo performances. They created, rehearsed and performed original work, incorporating many different technological aspects, such as music, lighting and sets.

All performances were filmed and evaluated with some very interesting characters featured. Congratulations to all students for their incredible performances.

YEAR 7 DRAMA

Our Year 7s certainly enjoyed their Drama classes this year, culminating in a fabulous Drama competition. Performances were absolutely fabulous!

ENGLISH as an Additional Language

Well, here we are. 2022….

2022 has been restorative. We were able to complete a full school year of face-to-face learning. To work alongside our students in our classrooms, to witness their learning, their growth, and their English language skills blossom before our eyes has been rewarding and rejuvenating. My year

10 EAL class found 2022 a real step-up in their studies. They reflected on their sense of ‘identity and belonging,” witnessed a man become a monster in ‘Frankenstein’ and persuasively expressed their opinion on an issue that matters to them. Mine and Lucy Moore’s year 11 EAL students both explored the lives of our World War I Indigenous soldiers, consolidated their listening skills, and worked with grit and determination on their comparative

analysis writing. Our year 12 EAL students were also grateful for Lucy Moore’s teaching and leadership, peering into Hollywood’s ‘Rear Window’ and continued to master the craft of analytical writing. Cathy Menz’s year

9 EAL class challenged stereotypes in ‘Billy Elliot’ and consolidated their film as text analytical skills. While Olivia Winczura’s year 8 EAL class continued to build on their written expression and creativity by completing a folio of creative writing. Finally, Jess Duffy’s year

7 EAL class settled into the 2022 school year with curiosity and enthusiasm, completing their first full year of high school education: sharpening their reading, writing, and speaking skills.

As I write this yearbook entry, I can’t help but entertain memories of this time last year. We were slowly transitioning

back to face-to-face learning, stepping back into our classrooms, reacquainting ourselves and re-establishing the routine and structure of a traditional school day. Teaching English is all about communication, expression and discussion and remote learning had taken much of this away. I think it is important that we remember what our EAL students endured and were able to overcome over the last few years. The EAL teaching team at Ringwood are always in awe and admiration of our EAL students’ resilience and courage and our college will continue to foster these character strengths within our EAL students.

Jessica Hilet EA nator

ENGLISH

YEAR 7

The year began with our students learning how to evoke feelings from, elucidate to and exhilarate audiences through the use of embedded clauses. Students went on sensory walks, sold us the canteen memory through the gentle susurrations of sound and developed short pieces of autobiographical writing involving the serious, sanguine and sublime.

Of course, language is also used to change hearts and minds and students began to explore ethos, pathos and logos as the pillars of persuasion, whilst also becoming familiar with newspapers and other modern modes of communication. Students then began taking their own turn in developing and structuring arguments on topics as broad as extending personhood rights to dogs, buying more Australian-made products and enforceable later starts to the school day.

Students’ drop-and-read classroom routine stretched out into the second semester, but now students were being challenged to consciously borrow themes, ideas and stylistic features from the texts we’d read together. Forming friendships and learning how to make sense of new experiences are such crucial aspects to life in Year 7 at R.S.C. and English teachers always enjoy seeing students spread their metaphorical wings in the classroom and in their writing.

Of course part of getting older also involves returning to familiar stories and seeing them through a new lens. Fairytales have established tropes and

narrative-structures, so fracturing them into alternative versions of themselves during the final term allowed students to flex their muscles and develop their story-telling prowess. There is no better way for students to have been able to demonstrate just how much they’ve learned and grown throughout the year.

YEAR 8

The year began with a crash-bangwallop as students learned about more effective openings for imaginative texts than using onomatopoeia. We then worked on setting up and (sometimes not) resolving conflict, learning from the best writers in the business: Pip yearns to be a gentleman, but the English upper-class frowns on social mobility in Great Expectations; Fitzwilliam Darcy discovers that he’s in love with Elizabeth Bennett in Pride and Prejudice, but for one tiny obstacle: Miss Bennett despises the sight of him; after spending his life striving for the unattainable, Wile E. Coyote finally catches his white whale/roadrunner, then is tormented with the knowledge of ‘is this all there is?’

In our study of Whale Rider we deconstructed the key scenes in a video essays on the ‘child of destiny’ Paikea and her family as they struggle to keep ancient beliefs and traditions alive in the modern world. In the poetry unit, we chased a metaphorical thought fox all the way through the ruined grandeur of Ozymandias, past the lurid death of Gwen Harwood’s barn owl, before it turned tail directly into the gaping maw of the boy who’d already devoured Michael Rosen’s chocolate cake. Ms. Wright’s 8F will tell you this last was

their most treasured memory for the year. Of course the ultimate answers to Year 8 students’ examination of ‘coming of age’ stories could then be found in the short hop across the strait, in A Bridge to Wiseman’s Cove and the ‘Curse of the Matts’ and the curious Pygmalion effect where people often rise to the expectations that others set of them.

STUDENT WRITING:

…Hawthorne made his way back out to his group of friends. The group had diminished somewhat, some students had already gone home.

“Where were you?”

“What took you so long?”

The questions came in a flurry. He smiled, but only deigned to answer one: “Were there any ghosts?”

Hawthorne hesitated, then replied with a sly smile, “I don’t know, maybe.” He glanced back at the house. A ghostly silhouette was still visible in the doorway.

Yes. There were, he thought. He turned away, and with his heart fluttering, led the way through the woodland, to home.

Emma Hastings

…I feel as though I am always rushed, Always hushed, The feeling that I’m not enough, I say I am fine; I lie.

Can you see through my bluff?

I want to press the pause button, Or retake the test of life, My score is far too low, My mind is way too slow…

‘Fighting with my thoughts’ – Gracie Kreymborg

YEAR 9

Students began the year dissecting the persuasive trends in advertising and the way a marketing pitch is shaped to win over increasingly cynical target audiences. Was it effective learning?

8/10 students in Ms. Hilet’s 9A recommend learning in the English classroom as the #1 way to fight the causes of ignorance. Beyond this, students began to shape their own persuasive pitches in response to a suite of real-world issues, including “should Australia better regular mass-facial-recognition digital surveillance?” and “should young people be required to complete a year’s ‘national service’ volunteering?”

It has been said that readers get to live a thousand lives and our Year 9s had the chance to experience Marjane Satrapi semi-autobiographical tale of a refugee fleeing the 1979 Iranian Revolution and beginning a new life in Germany. But of-course ‘freedom has a price’ as the graphic novel’s final page reminds us, and students then developed their own short narratives in response to what they’ve studied. We then leapt from that into the hyper-reality of Tina Fey’s Mean Girls, students were able to explore the metaphor of the wild habitat of high-school and the broader question of what kind of person we ought to try to be when we’re still figuring out who we are.

Semester two saw us emmeshed in the secrets of small-town Montana, 1948 and the struggle that develops between notions of loyalty and justice. Back in the world of 2021, one of the topics students tackled late in the year was the ethics of providing in-home digital assistants like Siri and Alexa with feminised voices, given the bossy tone even four-year-old children adopt in addressing them. It’s an interesting world out there and there’s no subject quite like English for examining its various facets.

STUDENT WRITING:

…Bakhita started to tremble. Then she started to shake. She stopped the car. Her supervisor, showing no sign of emotion, stepped out and took her place at the driver’s seat. Bakhita knew where she was taking this girl: to the committee. She could be flogged. Her children would be helpless without her. Bakhita had joined the revolution to do good, but this, she realised, was the worst thing she had ever done.

Bakhita knew that she couldn’t return to work the next day. In the dreadful black of night, she gathered a map, a torch, a heavy coat, a bottle of water and a sandwich. She departed with little but the clothes on her back and, like her poor cousin, was never seen again in that place.

Susannah Maher

You can’t really hurt a fake plant Even if you try

You could give it some fresh roses

Spill the truth to it

No matter what you do

It will never blossom into love

But we’re all pretending to be magnificent All of the time

So who am I to judge a plant?

YEAR 10

Kendall Rogers

Young and old may agree that the year got off to a hectic start and though the various meanings of the word may be disputed across the generations, what was undeniable was R.S.C. students summoning up metaphorical monster waves of powerful rhetoric in their class presentations and tsunamis of tumultuous energies in their creative writing.

Things became no less frenetic in term 2, when a young defendant’s life was in the students’ hands and death was on their minds when studying the classic tale of class prejudice and blind justice, ‘Twelve Angry Men’ by Reginald Rose. From the many lessons that began organised around a jury table, the English Faculty still owes an apology to our maintenance staff after students left the knife (and supposed murder weapon) sticking out of a table. Additionally, many a student on the Central Australia camp found themselves falling asleep during the trial, earning a harsh rebuke from the off-stage judge.

The second semester kicked off with a tale of a rebellious, fiercely intelligent young slave, who in 1810 attempts to flee a Virginia plantation - and of his father who inadvertently betrays him – in Fred De Aguiar’s ‘The Longest Memory.’ Is it possible to be a good person in a morally sick society? The students in Ms. Collier’s 10G are still debating that one.

Whereas the students in Mr. James’ classes are still debating ways to convince him to take off the flatcap and fake moustache. It turned out that such things were quite important as the final term turned towards the art of persuasion. Current issues covered at the time include the potential for renaming Maroondah Hospital after Queen Elizabeth II; requiring the consent of others to post about them on social media and also the rise of vaping and the dangers lurking around it.

STUDENT WRITING:

The dark is everywhere.

It’s triggered by fear. It’s triggered by hatred. It’s triggered by anger. He feels it feeding off his life.

It rid the light from his life. It gradually engulfed him. When you live inside it, there is no way to escape its inevitability.

It lives, now, deep down inside him, waiting to be unleashed again like a wild animal. He was sick of being a criminal. He wished he could go back and show everyone that he had it in him to be a good person.

But all the light around him had been taken for good.

Elijah Spong

Take me home

Bring me back a photo of yore, Bring me over those horizons, Among the heavens let me soar, Over flooded memories stained,

Those shrapnel shards that pieced my heart,

The metal carries us on, A crowded carriage and somewhere new, A lonely journey from which we depart, Find me under the harsh light, Bring me a friend of new, Lend me that feeling and those memories, And let our hope shine through ‘Take Me Home’ - Izzy Burdan

YEAR 11 ENGLISH

The year began with students honing and fine-tuning a persona and context for presenting on a current issue. Students crafted arguments addressing topics like the right of sports stars to make political statements; the future of energy generation in Australia; or representation and diversity in

ENGLISH

Australian media. Later in the term, the honesty and directness of the contributors to the anthology Meet Me at the Intersection inspired R.S.C. students to develop their own narrative ‘slice-of-life’ in the classic format of a snapshot of a person at a particular point in time. Subtlety and subtext became crucial as students crafted ways to leave their readers with an interesting and surprising feeling by the final lines.

As a change of pace, students found themselves hurtling backwards in time with Mary Shelley’s classic Frankenstein, though the text’s timeless themes of technology run amok and the struggle to be known and understood never fails to win over classrooms of students. Ms. Zhang’s class may recall with some fondness the ‘four corners’ debate that wrestled with the question of whether or not the creature is simply a ‘sad boi who perhaps should have just copped it.’

During the second semester, the cross-cultural examinations Black Diggers and Black Kkklansman also spoke clearly about the habit the past has of endlessly resonating into the present, with the hope that each time we endure the cycle of history, we ratchet up a notch; we learn from the last time around, and we do a few things better this time. Students then closed out the year with a return to the art of persuasion, but this time many students found understated and careful modes of persuasion were the order of the day, particularly when writing in the style appropriate to a magazine feature article.

STUDENT WRITING:

“Nick Kyrgios and Novak Djokovic stood at opposite ends of Centre Court on Sunday the 10th of July, ready to play out for one of the most prestigious individual tennis accolades, a Wimbledon Gram Slam. Around them everything is still and silent apart from the whispers and gasps. A sold out stadium of fans from all different demographics packed the seats, with the likes of Prince George and his royal parents William and Catherine sat in the front row.

Just two weeks prior to this, Kyrgios was getting ready for yet another Grand Slam tournament, with no expectations to get close to the final. However, after a thrilling 4 set victory against world number 4, Stephanos Tsitsipas, in the

third round, fans around the world couldn’t believe what they were witnessing. With his sole intention to put on a show for the fans, Kygrios’ elite serve and powerful shot making was must see TV, bringing in a number of new fans to the sport of tennis…”

‘To the Winner Go the Spoils’Remy MacLean

As you turn your back on your daughter and walk out of the room, you are taken back, back to home. You see your mother, singing songs beside the bank of the river, cradling your baby brother. You see her smile and stare down those deep, dark eyes. Deeper than the ocean, they search for answers. Answers of the past, of space and time. As you open the creaking termite ridden door of the house, you step outside to be instantly engulfed by the coolness of July. As you close your eyes to recover, you spot your mother standing before you. She wears a faint smile, a face of comfort and of encouragement.

“Remember”, she whispers, “houah maktoub”. You collapse to the ground and sulk. “You love your daughter; nothing can stop that.” At this, you shake violently. “Breathe”, she mutters. You breathe and your lungs receive the cool shock of air. As you regain your feet you look up… your mother is gone.

’Breathe’ - Noah Philp

YEAR 12 ENGLISH

The best short stories are like polished gems, so one of the greatest joys for an English teacher is working with a student to craft their own texts in ways that shine in ways that may have once seemed impossibly bright. How on earth is it possible for a young adult to match masters of the craft like Alice Munro, whose talent suffuses every page of Runaway? The answer turns out to be ‘quite reliably, with great care and attention to detail’ provided we affix our jeweller’s loupes first.

Later, in Argument Analysis, students are regularly challenged to read and understand media texts within contexts that are fractured, bent and amplified by the modern media landscape. In a year in which a new Federal Government was elected and Clive Palmer was promising us freedom, more freedom and endless freedom, it was appropriate that students had the chance to dissect the ways that the introduction of vaccine mandates has divided Victorians.

Timely for the period that we’ve just lived through, Emily St. John-Mandel’s Station Eleven asks the speculative question: What if we lost it all in a pandemic, but we finally learned what really matters? Year 12s may well be tired of the language of ‘a cast of co-protagonists’ but the optimistic heart of the narrative will likely stay with them into the future. Also unexpectedly apposite for 2022, our study of the biopic The Queen relitigated the tumultuous struggle of the long-reigning monarch to reconcile the ‘stiff-upper-lip” values of a previous generation, with the more vulnerable and confessional ‘modern’ Britain on display surrounding the death of the Princess of Wales. Compared against the poetic majesty of David Malouf’s Ransom, each text asked students to wrestle deeply with some of the most important questions in life – how to deal with towering grief, or how the story of our lives can be re-written in a single day.

STUDENT WRITING:

At the time, though, her heart attack hadn’t been what she had been led to believe it would be like: agony combined with terror, that sort of thing. It had been interesting, especially the part near the end where she began to feel the heavy pressure on her chest and had realized that if you examined that sensation carefully, you would see that it wasn’t really a heavy weight on her chest but something going on in her chest. This ability to locate and identify her bodily sensations, she recalled vaguely, must have come from the years she had gone to dances.

Unfortunately, the sensation of weight hadn’t lasted long enough for her to get to the bottom of it, which had disappointed her. This thought made her laugh, not on the outside so anyone would notice, but inside, she was laughing. And still the water passed softly from her eyes down her cheeks.

Joe Shobbrook

In a quick movement, Penelope sat up, pulling the scattered photographs into a neat pile, and placed them into a drawer beside her seat. They left an empty spot on the coffee table, onto which she replaced her mug, her hands sufficiently warmed. Outside, the wind howled, the frost was pressing against her door.

She couldn’t help but wonder if one day James would head out for a pack of cigarettes and never come back. Later

she might move herself and go sitting on the patio drinking something warm and alcoholic, with nutmeg in it, and the snow would fall on her shoulders. Perhaps she’d put her finger in that snow and stick it in her mouth, for the taste. The snow looked so much like sugar, but she was sure it’d taste like nothing at all.

Hanna Morrin

VCE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

Every year in English Language we like to ask the important questions: What exactly does it mean for something to ‘be a vibe’? Is this different from a student saying they are ‘just vibing’? Why are teenagers suddenly calling me ‘mid’, and how offended should I be?

Our English Language students endeavoured to discover the answers to these questions, among other linguistic enquiries. Studying the patterns and variations we see and hear in the language around us is one of the things that makes this subject both challenging and endlessly fascinating! We don’t speak exactly the same way we did last year, or ten years ago.

2022 delivered its own repertoire of unique case studies for us to analyse, including language used during the federal election campaign. ‘ScoMo’ and ‘Albo’ reminded us of how we Australians love nothing more than a good nickname! We also kept a close eye on changing attitudes towards gendered language, particularly the emergence of preferred pronouns.

Another linguistic trend this year was the shift towards Indigenous names; AFL games are now advertised as being played on ‘Wurundjeri land’, and our own Senior School building was named ‘Yanna Mudjirr’ (Stepping Stones), using language to acknowledge the importance of Aboriginal culture in our modern society. Some linguist somewhere once said (probably), ‘the only constant in language is that it is ever-changing,’ and after a year of hard work, our Year 12s can give you 101 examples to prove this.

We are immensely proud of their efforts this year and wish them well as they depart R.S.C. for new and exciting adventures! Caitlin May and Marissa Lee, English Language teachers, 2022

VCE LITERATURE

It makes sense that Year 11 students would begin their reading practices task with Marvel’s Black Panther, a blockbuster that manages to be subversive, funny and certainly very literary. If Homer opines that ‘it is entirely seemly for a young man killed in battle to lie mangled by the bronze spear,” then why shouldn’t Wakanda’s tribal factionalism still fall back on the trope of a big, noisy CGI battle climax?

That said, not many students will have read texts written in epistolary form, though in Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the figure of the vampire embodies the political and social neuroses of the times. Reading the text through different literary lenses is – above all else – tremendous fun.

Later, beyond the analysis of Shakespearean sonnets, Robert Browning dramatic monologues, there was the self-consciousness of that man of empire, Alfred J. Prufrock. Year 11 Lit students, though, are already on record saying that their most treasured memory will forever be pop-songs recited by Mr. Day-Smith in the voice and diction of T.S. Elliot and who are we to suggest it might be otherwise?

In the second semester, students found themselves amidst regret, hardship and the need to turn towards a higher power (the approval of their teacher) in the dialogic comparison of Ash Wednesday against Tim Winton’s The Turning. In Maxine Beneba-Clarke’s The Hate Race, a polyglossal narrative voice turns towards an indictment of the ways that the concept of race is pathologised.

In Year 12, in Ceridwen Dovey’s Only the Animals, the souls of animals are granted the right to narrate stories of their own, skipping across time periods;

so students themselves were given the opportunity to compose their own literary testaments to creatures in their own pivotal moments in time. Beyond this, students were able to track the evolution of the mores of the romance genre when comparing Jane Austen’s parody of Gothic, sentimental romance, to the modern video-webisode ‘Cate Moreland Chronicles’, where neediness and validation play an even more prominent role.

In Shakespeare’s Othello, the storyline defines the play as a tragedy that speaks against racial discrimination and deals with two topics that still universally trigger strong reactions: cheating and jealousy.

In Tim Winton’s Boy Behind the Curtain and Sylvia Plath’s poetry collection Ariel there are essays, poems and stories reflecting more personal preoccupations. Needless to say, no student will ever look at the arrival of poppies in October quite the same way again.

The Literature classroom is one not quite like any other, with the need to continually search for and try out new possibilities; though at the point when our students’ capacities have been honed to their sharpest edge, it is not always easy to let go and send them off.

STUDENT WRITING:

…The stillness was shattered in an instant, but the numbness remained. The bang was dull and distant, the light blinding. There was air, rushing fast like it had been scared away, Take care of Ayesha, I told it as it whirled away to safety. Heat and falling. We were flying above it all and I realised that even the birds don’t know what is above the sky.

We were young and in love again, soaring into the expanse of blackness we call home to build ourselves a nest of stars.

Kaila Bergmann

FOOD Studies

2022 has been a fantastic year for the Food Studies faculty. Our students have enthusiastically embraced many different experiences aimed at developing practical skills in preparing and presenting food. They were also provided a broad knowledge and understanding of food properties, processing, and preparation methods. These skills are transferable to other study, work, and life contexts that students may encounter.

Year 8 Food Studies aims to increase students’ knowledge and develop their confidence when working with food. Students increased their food literacy through engaging lessons and produced a wide variety of delicious foods. Students learn fundamental food skills in relation to food safety and hygiene, sensory evaluation of food, basic cookery preparation and cooking techniques, fostering confidence and competence in the kitchen environment and Eating for Health in accordance with The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating.

Year 9 students learned about different ingredients and their nutritive values. They used particular tools and equipment effectively to prepare a variety of sweet and savoury products. Students created and responded to a design brief to produce their pizza. Students develop their knowledge of key food groups including cereals, vegetables, fruit, meat/alternatives and dairy. They reflected on being informed consumers considering ethical and sustainable food choices.

Restaurant Delights students produced a range of both classic and

contemporary entrées, main course meals and desserts. Focusing on fundamental skills relating to the preparation, plating and presentation of food to a high standard. They reflected on their knowledge through the creation of a two-course meal. Students also developed knowledge in relation to factors that influence meal planning such as dietary requirements, seasonal availability of food and sustainable and ethical influences. In addition, key issues that plague our food system were critically examined including excess packaging, intensive farming practices and food waste.

Bakery Delight students developed their capacity to produce an array of both sweet and savoury products that incorporate complex processes and elements of patisserie. Students refined their skills to prepare a range of doughs and pastries including bread dough, choux, short and puff pastries, sponge and butter cakes. Students were challenged to consider how the properties of ingredients can be manipulated to optimise sensory properties but also how these bakery favourites can be adapted to be in greater alignment with the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating.

Year 11 students explored food from a wide range of perspectives including past and present patterns of eating, global food production systems and the development of food and cuisine in Australia. Students considered the perspectives of Indigenous native ingredients and how our concept of what truly is Australian cuisine has changed with various patterns of migration.

Students researched current food trends, economic, environmental, and ethical dimensions of food. They participated in various practical activities including cooking, demonstrations, sensory analysis, product, and dietary analysis. Students applied practical food skills as they designed a range of food bearing in mind sensory properties, individual needs, preferences, and innovation.

Year 12 students learn both theoretical and practical food skills as the various roles of food are explored. Through a range of practical activities student use inquiry-based learning to examine the physical and chemical changes that occur to food via preparation. The physiology of eating and digestion is considered as too are the social, emotional factors that influence our development life-long food habits. Students develop their capacity to make ‘informed food choices’ with consideration given to food safety, ethics, sustainability and the evidence-based principles of the Eat for Health program which includes the Australian Guide to healthy Eating and Australian Dietary Guidelines.

Our success in Food Studies:

• Promoting creativity and having fun

• Providing a safe and inclusive classroom environment

• Teaching students valuable life skills

• Teaching students knowledge of the importance of healthy food choices

• Imparting a passion for food preparation and the sharing of food

HEALTH & Physical Education

HEALTH

It has been great to have the students back on Campus this year, with Health & Human Development back in action from Year 8 - Year 12.

The Year 8’s challenged themselves to analyse their own health and wellbeing through their `Happiness Challenge’ task while the Year 9’s have collaborated to create informative reproductive health knowledge through creation of their Sex Education board games.

VCE students in Units 1-4 have looked at individual health and wellbeing across the lifespan, moving onto the Global challenges the world is facing, as well as the work of the United Nations: Sustainable Development Goals.

We wish our Year 12’s the best for a bright future as they move into their adult lives and look forward to our new group of students moving into U3/4.

At Year 10 the students have the opportunity, to further their studies of road safety through aa Health promotion program on driving and by attending a day at METEC in Kilsyth. The following students have kindly written a reflection on their day in the driving seat.

METEC EXCURSION

It was the first time I stepped foot in a car; pretty daunting! I took off and came straight to a stop sign, I was heavy on the breaks to say the least! After I did a few corners, especially a hairpin, my confidence grew and I became excited to drive! I thought I was pretty good personally, but I definitely wasn’t!

We then went through a PowerPoint, talking about road rules and when to give way. My second drive in the car was a piece of cake! I understood the rules and what to do when I needed to do it. I still was no good, but at least I had some idea this time. We finished the day off with a quiz on what we had learnt and all round it was a great day!

Jacob Henry

In late May of 2022, us year 10 students were given the incredible learning opportunity of participating in METEC. This amazing program included a semi formal and engaging classroom learning experience, as well as a practical and hands on first driving lesson.

These both taught us the basics of learning how to drive, and the utmost importance of handling ourselves in the safest way possible, furthermore improving the safety of Victorian roads in the future. We had lots of fun, especially when we were allowed to step into a car and drive on the METEC makeshift roads for the very first time for most of us. This was a comfortable and safe first experience for all, and our instructors were very professional, kind, and encouraging.

METEC was an overall engaging program that was enjoyed by all; not only for the benefit of us as students in expanding our driving comprehension, but also acquiring knowledge allowing us to be safe and responsible learner drivers in Victoria.

Lucy K

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

After the challenge of previous covid years, the PE department approached 2022 with much enthusiasm and optimism! It was great to return to school with the hope of some consistency, and the opportunity to once again be involved in many different activities and events.

Junior classes began with a unit on Minor Games which gave PE staff and students a chance to get to know one another. A focus also on creating a positive learning environment, setting expectations and standards for the year ahead, and the understanding of fair and respectful game play.

The entire Year 7 cohort followed with a unit on Cricket which allowed staff to teach many fundamental skills such as throwing, catching, striking and bowling. The Year 8’s were divided into Volleyball and Basketball units, both such popular sports at RSC. Year 9’s followed a series of themed sports throughout each term; these being Net/Wall/ Striking games, Field Sports / Invasion, Fitness and

Recreation, and Court / Invasion. Both Year 7 and 8’s then transitioned into SEEPEP Netball and Speedball. The focus of a SEEPEP unit being student independence and leadership. Students were given specific roles to carry out which included planning and running the warm-ups and drills, coaching their peers and umpiring and scoring for each match. The ‘Finals’ round for each class saw some exciting results and comebacks with many deserving awards received.

Year 7 and 8’s immersed themselves into some Dance units in the colder months of the year. Many students showed excellent rhythm and talent with bush dancing, waltzing, indigenous hip hop and variations of the Nut Bush on display!

STUDENT VOICE

“I like Year 7 PE because we learn a new sport every couple of weeks. I think it’s great to learn a new activity to see which one you are best at! Then you get to learn new skills and have lots of fun”

Persia Dabrera-Phillips, 7F

“I enjoy Year 7 PE because we get fit and learn something new every 5 to 6 weeks”

Deklan Mclaughlan, 7F

“I really liked the dance unit because I already do Highland dancing and it was a great way to explore new types of dance. I also liked the AFL unit so far because I have always wanted to play football but never had the opportunity to do so.”

Miranda Wainwright, 8I

RSC Year 12 Physical Education students faced many challenges throughout remote learning. This year they were finally given the opportunity to learn and engage face to face. With the support of our amazing Senior PE staff our students have been provided with the tools to prepare them for their final PE exam. We wish RSC year 12 students all the very best in their future as they move into their next chapter for 2023.

Maryanne Jennings and Rachel Edwards Physical Education Coordinators

HUMANITIES

With eleven subjects across years 7-12, it has been an exciting and busy year for The Humanities faculty. We have enjoyed eight full day fieldwork experiences across every year level which gave students the opportunity to get out and about and gain experience in data collection.

Fieldwork included studying the impact of tourism at Melbourne Zoo for year 9, exploration of the Yarra River for year 8 and the CBD for tourism in year 11. Other activities have involved a camp at year 11 to study fire management and hazards, experiencing the ancient past with Museum excursions for year 7 History and year 11 Classics, and an excursion to the Shrine for year 11 Classics.

Year 9 students were able to gain an understanding of more local and recent history by exploring Ringwood’s connections to WW1 on the armistice walk. Two extremely successful market days for year 11 Business Management gave students the opportunity to gain experience in running a business from creating products to marketing and determining their profit, or loss!

Incursions included the Reserve Bank at VCE Economics and year 10 Business Economics, while VCE Business Management welcomed guest Marketing specialists. Virtual experiences included the Museum at year 8 and the Australian war memorial at year 9. VCE Legal studies were also able to attend a Virtual Court excursion to hear from a judge about the court system. We have also extended the subject opportunities for students in the Humanities, with the integration of

economics and business into the semester-based subjects for the first time, feedback from students was clear, they loved it. From next year students across years 7-9 will study the full breadth of subjects that make up The Humanities: Geography, History, Economics, Business, Law, Civics and Citizenship and Work Futures. Thanks to all the staff and students who participated in the rich Humanities program this year.

GEOGRAPHY

Year 7 students started Geography by learning some basic Geographical skills: how to make a proper map using BOLTSS, how to read a compass rose and use direction, how to read a map and use grid references. Students have enjoyed the challenge of using their new knowledge to create proper maps and determine the best strategy to place fielders to stop Steve Smith hitting 100 runs(!), read and identify locations on topographic maps and play battleships.

Year 8 Students went on fieldwork for the first time at secondary school in March; they applied their classroom learning to the field by identifying features of the Yarra River, collected data, and sketched the river across four sites. Students compared the lower and middle courses of the river to identify and understand the extend of human impact.

Year 9 students had a workshop with the Melbourne Zoo educators and collected data to answer the big question on how effective organisations are in having a positive impact on tourism? Students

worked well with zoo staff, using their observations skills to record data to share with the class.

HISTORY

Year 8 History students have been studying the Vikings this term. Students in some year 8 classes have put their knowledge and skills to the test to solve puzzles and problems to escape the Viking escape room that Ms Rafferty created. Students enjoyed the experience and completed the challenge escaping the Viking harsh climate to more to warmer areas.

Year 7 students travelled with their teachers to the Melbourne Museum by train. Our visit included visits to the Ancient Greek ‘Open Horizons’ and the Australian First People’s exhibits

In the Greek exhibit we witnessed some ancient treasures including a golden signet ring from the late bronze age, more than 3000 years old! It was also fascinating to see that the noses of many statues had been removed. We found that this was partly to destroy the spirits believed to ‘live’ inside.

The First People’s exhibit taught us about culture and life for Indigenous Australians. Some of the highlights of this opportunity was to learn about Bungil the Eagle, the creator spirit and Waa the Crow, the people’s protector.

It was also interesting to learn that there were over 40 different languages spoken in Victoria and more than 200 nations in the area we now call Australia. It was great to spend some time away from the classroom with our classmates having fun.

LANGUAGES

FRENCH LANGUAGE ASSISTANTS 2022

This year we were lucky enough to welcome two amazing French language assistants to RSC: Livnat and Océane! Livnat, who is Swiss-French, joined us at the start of 2022 and taught us all about the exciting culture of Switzerland, including the importance of ‘la raclette,’ a delicious Swiss cheese dish. We then met Océane in Term 3, who has moved to Australia from France, and we have loved hearing her observations about the differences between the two countries. RSC students and teachers have greatly appreciated the opportunity to work with both Livnat and Océane this year, and we would like to give them ‘un grand merci!’ for all the help they have provided during their time here.

Learning French as part of the ACE program in Year 7 at Ringwood Secondary has been a fantastic opportunity for me to learn new culture, expand my language knowledge and also have a laugh with my friends about the pronunciation of words. Classes are engaging and a good amount of challenge as we do quizzes, online practice and receive fast feedback. This year, I have really enjoyed French classes and would recommend French to all students.

Aeon Yu, 7I

Being a part of year 9 French, is one of my top three most engaging subjects out of all the subjects that I study! We have covered the topics such as the past tense, house chores, healthy eating, leisure activities, modal verbs, and jobs, just to name a few. My favourite part is when we get to learn a lot more along

the way with grammar and vocabulary! I also really love each of the games at the end of every lesson because, it ends the lesson in a fun way! Games such as Pictionary, Kahoot, Cooperative team games and more! Sometimes we get to watch a movie at the end of both semesters which is really relaxing and entertaining! Most of all, it was a great experience to be part of the year 9 French elective and getting to learn different unique things in an enjoyable way!

Alicia Cheung,

9D

This year in French we have covered a range of topics; we’ve worked alongside the Year 11s in some lessons and even had French Language Assistants in our classes to help us extend our knowledge and become more confident in our learning. We’ve been engaged in learning new verb tenses and grammar points, and investigating topics such as school structure, careers, nutrition and the culture of France.

The assessment tasks this year have included making a video advertising food and its nutrients and writing about a life changing event by applying our knowledge of the different grammatical tenses.

The best parts of French this year included going to the cinema in South Yarra with the Year 9 classes and other schools to watch a French film, ‘L’aventure des Marguerite’. We also had a French breakfast during class with pastries, raisin toast and hot chocolate to learn about and enjoy French food culture. We also watched a French mini-series called ‘Vingt Minutes’ which was about an Irish student on exchange

in France; this taught us about culture and casual conversation and was a great end to every week. French this year has been très amusant, and we’ve all come a long way from the start of the year.

By Ellie and Neena, Year 10

INDONESIAN FILM EXCURSION:

The Year 9, 10 and 11 students embarked on an authentic experience in which we journeyed by train into the city and attended the Indonesian film festival at ACMI in Federation Square. We watched ‘Kulari ke Pantai’ (run to the beach) and enjoyed some pre-viewing cultural entertainment which consisted of traditional Indonesian dancers performing the ‘cecak’ dance which originates from Bali. Following the film, we made our way to the Indonesian restaurant called ‘Nelayan’ whereby we indulged in traditional Indonesian cuisine such as: Rendang, Nasi Goreng, Mie Goreng, Nasi Campur and more.

Students were encouraged to practice their speaking skills by ordering food in Indonesian using their knowledge of restaurant vocabulary/phrases and general conversation. We returned to school feeling very content after what was an extremely wholesome day out students not only mixing with their own peers, but also other teachers and Indonesian students from different year levels and native Indonesians. Students got to experience cultural aspects of Indonesia but also practised their speaking skills in a real-life lived experience, complimenting the study of this subject in the classroom. We’re already so excited to attend similar events next year!

YEAR 7

In Year 7 Indonesia we learnt various new concepts including the following: In Term One we learnt numbers, how to greet people, how to say your name, how to describe yourself/others and how to express how we’re feeling. In Term Two, we learnt all about hobbies and places and made a cultural task by creating a travel itinerary to Bali. In Term Three, we learnt about the classroom which included classroom commands, prepositions, classroom objects then compared Indonesian and Australian schooling. In Term Four, we are currently learning about family and animals, whereby we got to create a Bitmoji family tree! The Indonesian teachers make learning engaging by offering hands on activities and games, this has made it easier to learn new things for a lot of students including me. The Indonesian teachers always made sure our learning experience was as fun as it could be, by letting us play Kahoot!, Blooket! and other learning games. So, thank you to the Year 7 Indonesian teachers of 2022 for making learning fun!

Katrina Whiting, Year 7E

YEAR 9

In 2022, Year 9 students studied Subjects, Body, Illnesses, Markets, Restaurants and Houses. We practised different language learning skills via worksheets, texts, clips, songs, speaking and listening activities. During the year we also completed assignments on cultural topics such as Eating Out in Indonesia and Religion in Asia.

YEAR 10

YEAR 8

In Indonesian Year 8, we studied food, fruit and shopping in Term 1, school subjects and days in Term 2. In preparation for the Independence Day celebrations on August 17, the Year 8 students learnt the Naik Delman song and then played the tune on the bamboo musical instrument called angklung.In Term 3, the classes learnt about countries, addresses and dates. We finished the year learning body parts and illnesses among many other things. Some of the assessments we’ve done this year are Listening, Speaking, Writing and Reading tests. During Term 4, students are drawing raksasa/monsters and writing descriptive paragraphs about their drawing. This involves skills such as learning body parts and colours. One of the more fun activities we do at the end of a school term, is playing Indonesian games such as Assassin. Students pick each other and test their general knowledge skills in Indonesian. President Satu is another enjoyable game which practices numbers. Indonesian is very enjoyable for all students and lollies are rewarded for students who try their hardest and put in all of their effort.

Year 10 Indonesian this year has been great fun. We have only had a small class but because of that we have been able dive deep into our content. In the first semester we learnt “Kota saya” where we made our own special city, we learnt and practiced the “ter-“ prefix, the “ke-an” prefix/suffix, we learnt about the weather and created a news report on the weather using a green-screen. We also watched and wrote film reviews on the movies “Ada Apa Dengan Cinta?” and “Kulari ke Pantai.” In semester 2 we learnt about the environment where we were each allocated an episode of ‘Pulau Plastik’ (Rubbish Island) and created presentations teaching other peers in the class about the implications of plastic use. We also learnt about different events in the environment such as “kebakaran hutan” (forest fires), the dangers of Palm Oil and learnt grammatical sentence structuressubject focus and object focus. In Term 4, we compared occupations in Indonesian & Australia, the skills needed for these and finally created a resume and cover letter in full Indonesian. All round it was a busy but great year in year 10 Indonesian. Sampai Jumpa!

Jacob Henry, Year 10

both practice our reading and writing in Indonesian as well as learn about life in Indonesia authentically. Finally, we examined western influence on Indonesia through fashion, film, food, music, social media and even politics.

A highlight from this year was the excursion to the Indonesian film festival at ACMI followed by a lunch of Indonesian cuisine. It was exciting to participate in Indonesian culture and be exposed to Bahasa Indonesia outside of the classroom.

There are many things to be gained from learning a language but in my opinion the most exciting are the opportunities to connect with a more diverse range of people and to have a greater understanding of the unique culture that Indonesia has to share. I look forward to completing my studies of VCE Indonesian in 2023 and taking the skills I have learned through this subject, into the future.

Charlotte Serre, Year 11 Indonesian

YEAR 11

Over this past year, the Year 11 Indonesian class covered many topics. We began by comparing aspects of teenage life in Australia with those in Indonesia. We soon moved onto education which also involved investigating differences between Australia and Indonesia, this time in regards to schooling. In Unit 2, exploring religion gave us insight into the rich culture of Indonesia as religion informs much of the Indonesian lifestyle.

Our area of study on travel saw our class researching places throughout Indonesia and planning holidays to our favourite islands. During this unit, our class was also paired with pen pals from RSC’s sister school in Indonesia. Sending emails to one another allowed us to

Aiden Truong 8G & Leonardo Virgona 8G

LIBRARY

‘When in doubt go to the library’ –J.K. Rowling

The Library at Ringwood Secondary has continued to provide our students with a dynamic learning space. Every day students have visited the library to read and take part in our Reading Ladders program as well as attend scheduled classes.

Our year 7 & 8 English classes have readily embraced their fortnightly ‘Reading Ladder’ sessions. With the return of our yellow cushions, it has been wonderful to see students relax and engage with a novel.

Congratulations to our 7F and 7J who have shared our ‘best borrowers’ award for 2022.

Our year 9 RISE program has seen students identify their current reading level and set themselves reading goals based on data obtained about their current reading ability.

Through targeted reading strategies and dedicated time for reading, it has been exciting and satisfying to see many students experience growth in their reading comprehension.

On reflection our students identified the following as important in their improvement:

• Reading the question / passage more carefully

• Increasing their focus

• Developing critical thinking skills

• Dedicating time to reading

It has been common for students of all ages and year levels to utilise the library’s resources to print and photocopy as well as to use the media equipment and green screens to film. Key pressure points always occur around the time when VCE folios are due.

During study periods or at lunchtime, students have used the library to study as well as to meet friends and socialise.

This year we farewelled in September Mrs Alison Bailey who worked as a Library Technician at RSC for over 25 years.

At the end of the year we also will be farewelling Mrs Deb Wilkins who has been a Teacher Librarian at RSC since 1991 and Miss Emily Collins who has been a Teacher Librarian at RSC since 2005.

We are proud of our rich heritage and amazing legacy in supporting the learning of our students.

Emily Collins, Deb Wilkins, Jenn Collier and Sharon Wang LIBRARY STAFF

MATHEMATICS

What a joy it has been for RSC to have Maths classes back onsite for the whole year! It has been terrific to be able to see a whole year of students working collaboratively together, inside and outside of the classroom.

This year has seen Maths classes involving leaf collections from around the school for percentage calculations, a problem-solving Maths Olympics in the gym, a probability games carnival, trigonometry Cluedo, logic puzzle races, students performing as teachers, matrices musical chairs, pass the parcel according to network rules, Kahoots and Blookets, and even Barbie made an appearance!

Maths teachers were clearly eager to make Maths fun again being back onsite for all their classes.

Throughout the year we have seen students making the most of being back in the room, getting help from teachers, tutors and their peers. It definitely has been easier learning Maths in 2022, than remotely over the last couple of years.

In August the Australian Mathematics Competition was run, and this year we had 121 students competing from Year 7 to Year 12.

The student who performed the best at RSC was Aiden Truong of Year 8. Congratulations Aiden, and well done to all students who took on this challenge!

As always, we wish our Year 12 Maths students all the best for their plans beyond RSC, whatever they may be.

And we know that they will continue to use Maths in the real world, because it is everywhere – right?!?!

MEDIA

BLAKE HAMMOND

JOVANA KITANOVIC

STEPHANIE CHAN

BLAKE STERRITT

MALIKI ARBIA

EMILY ARMITAGE

ELIA HULBERT

SARAH

JESS JOHNSTON

RYAN BRICE

BROOKE FELL

FIDEL SMOLENAERS

MAYA GARRETT

OLIVER PICH

JAIME WALL JAIME WALL

LUKE BARR

SUNDAY MARSDEN WILL BRYANT

MAYA GARRETT OLIVER PICH

HANNAH MAXWELL HANNAH MAXWELL

BROOKE FELL

FIDEL SMOLENAERS

ALEX BRENNAN

CLANCY COOKE

JAZ MCNEIL

SCIENCE

2022 has been another year of changes in Science. Making way for the construction of our new STEM building, half of 1960s-era laboratories were demolished in Term 2, leaving just 4 labs remaining as the spaces for our students to practice and develop the science skills.

This has been a significant challenge for students and teachers, often involving long detours around the STEM construction site, lots of construction noise and limited access to the Science block.

We thank you for your patience so far and anticipate that the amenities of our new purpose-built STEM centre, when it opens in Mid-2023, will more than make up for the minor inconveniences.

The STEM building construction has given our staff and students the opportunity to investigate some real-world problems and apply their scientific understanding in a number of ways.

I was lucky enough to see the results of one such problem-based activity, where students in Mr Norman’s Year 7 class were tasked with research and design improved access to the Science block. The real-world constraints of the site were reflected in the accurate measuring of the existing stairs and building dimensions and students were able to cost and design ramps that would not only work in the space, but meet the design standards for wheelchair accessibility.

The exciting part for me and other members of staff who attend the student presentations of their work, was the visible excitement of students and their application of the theories of forces and simple machines in real context. Similarly, our year 9 Science students have, as part of their ecosystems unit, have completed an audit of the species diversity of plants and animals near the STEM centre, with a view to design a biodiversity boosting, bee-attracting native garden.

Students were surprised by the number of different species present across our campus and the differences that can be observed when the environment is varied. The sight of skinks and a blue-tongue lizard demonstrated the amazing things you see when you scratch the surface, just a bit.

I look forward to seeing the plans that students come up with and hopefully we get a chance to implement some or all of their ideas in the future.

2022 has also seen a return to a full year of practical activities and experiments that had been cut short over the last few years of remote learning.

Over 1,100 students have moved through our labs this year, resulting in thousands of hours of experimentation, observation and better understanding of the concepts being explored.

The Science faculty has redoubled its efforts this year to further embed practical science skills into our assessment of learning and achievement. Our staff have constantly sought to improve the quality and impact of time in the lab.

We’ve had the pleasure of working with new staff this year, Naomi Lowry and Yui Chong have been great contributors to our team in 2022 and though they’re moving on to other schools in 2023, I thank them for their amazing work and wish them the best of luck!

Sally Sonsie, a mainstay and guiding light of our VCE Biology team also finished up her time with Ringwood in 2022. Officially retiring this year after decades of teaching at RSC and beyond, Sally has been greatly missed as a teacher whose professionalism, compassion and integrity are incomparable. Science faculty, whose robust discussions about teaching, learning teaching and assessment of understanding, demonstrate their passion and enthusiasm on a daily basis.

We are united in our appreciation of being in the lucky position of being able to help open the eyes of our students to the world of science.

Finally, I’d like to acknowledge the efforts of our amazing Lab Technicians, without whom, most of what we do would be impossible. A huge thanks to Danielle Buttress and Mel Jones.

Kain Gardner HEAD OF SCIENCE

VISUAL Arts

Our Visual Arts program continues to provide a creative environment for students to express thoughts and feelings in response to the world around them, and gain an appreciation and understanding of visual culture. In class, students have been making and responding to artworks, and discovering new ways of representing and expressing their observations, ideas and imagination.

Our Exhibition celebrated the creative achievements of our students as artists, and it further highlighted their use of materials, techniques and processes in a range of art forms to express ideas, concepts and themes in artworks.

The Visual Arts staff are pleased to showcase artwork by our many talented students from Years 7-10 Art, VCE Studio Arts and Year 9 Photography.

1. Katrina Whiting_7Art

2. Bella Liddington_7Art

3. Nika Fallah_8Art

4. Keara Rheeder_Yr12Art

5. Jasmine Lui_Yr11Art

6. Alicia Cheung_9Art

7. Desy Kutasara_Yr10Art

8. Livian Derham_7Art

9. Jasmine Lui_Yr11Art

10. Jali Bai_Yr10Art

11. Jasmine Lui Yr11Art

12. Keith Yu_8Art

13. Cal Park Yr12Arts

14. Cara Marks_Yr7Art

15. Emily Casey_8Art

16. Cynthia Liu_Yr10Art

17. Xavier Tucker_Yr11Art

18. Lily Pich_Yr8Art

19. Finn Cassidy_Y7Art

20. Alicia Cheung_Yr9Art

21. Joey Choong_Yr11Art

22. Jasmine Lui_Yr11Art

23. Hayley Ferries_8Art

24. Cleazza Lim_Yr9Art

25. IAri Humphreys_Yr9IArt

26. Jenny Tha chin_Yr12Art

27. Joey Choong_Yr11Art

28. Kaya Pedersen-Haward_Yr10Art

29. Lucy AhearnYr11Art

30. Molly Stone_Yr7Art

31. Victoria Charlton_Yr11Art

32. Lucy Ahearn_Yr11Arts

33.

41.

42. Coco Dastolto_8Art

43.

44.

45.

Mary Hualngo_Yr12Art

34. Molly Stone_Yr7Art

35. Tabitha King_Yr9Art

36. XavierTucker_Yr11Art

37. Anjus Dunk_Yr9Art

38. Sarah Johnson_Yr10Art

39. Cynthia Liu_Y10Art

40. Betty Geng_Yr11Art

Amelia Trefz_8Art

Cal Park_Yr12Arts

Cleazza Lim_r9Art

Anais Chung Po Chuen_Yr9 Art

46. Matilda Holt Gonzalez_Yr7Art

47. Victoria Charlton_Yr11Art

48. Betty Geng_Yr11Art

VISUAL Communication Design

We started 2022 in Visual Communication Design by celebrating Kaila Bergmann’s outstanding achievements and selection in the VCAA Seasons of Excellence.

Her School Assessed Task (SAT) folio was selected for Top Designs which was on display at the Melbourne Museum exhibition.

Throughout the year, students convey ideas and information to an audience through visual language. Students develop design thinking which involves the application of creative, critical and reflective techniques, these skills are fundamental to learning in Visual Communication Design.

Students learn about design, the role of the designer and their contribution to society.

The work showcased by students in Years 7-12 demonstrates the use of manual and digital drawing methods to create visual communications in the specific design fields of Environmental, Industrial and Communication Design.

One of the final presentations designed for Avo Book Co by Kaila Bergmann, Top Designs 2022

Dina Mihailidis HEAD OF THE ARTS

22. Declan

23. Nika Fallah_Y8VCD

24. Calvin Wei_8G VCD

25. Olivia Tolliday_12VCD

26. Rianha Quan_Y10VCD

27. Isabella Burden

28. Richard Roy_Y9VCD

29. Charlotte Pich_8GVCD

30. Finn Hughes_Y11VCD

31. Gemma Lindley_Y11

1. Amelia Di Leonardo_10VCD

2. Caleb Poupos_7VCD

3. Liv Harmsworth_7VCD

4. Imogen Kraisnik_8VCD

5. Jali Bai_ Y10VCD

6. Isabella Burdan_10VCD

7. Maya Garrett_10VCD

8. Sahara Sinclair_10VCD

9. Desy Kutasara_11VCD

10. Gemma Lindley_11Vcd

11. Xavier Tucker_11VCD

12. Finn Hughes_11VCD

13. Finn Hughes_Y11VCD

14. Holly Cvetavoc_Y12VCD

15. Kelsey Kane_Y12VCD

16. Angus Dunk_Y9VCD

17. Jovana Kitanovic_ 9VCD

18. Natalie Barr_9VCD

19. Keiley Preston_11VCD

20. Zane Shaw_ 11Vcd

21. Aidan Maher_12VCD

Guscott_12VCD

YEAR 12 Final Assembly

YEAR 12 Back to Primary School

YEAR 12 Valedictory

THERAPY DOGS - Europa & Emmi