Around Campus Archives - Page 8 of 16

Imagine this … BBQs firing, snow cones freezing, ice cream scooping, lollies popping and doughnuts drizzling … this, and so much more. Wednesday 31, August 2022 was the post-COVID return of Market Day at Waverley College.

To witness Year 10 Commerce and Food Technology students confident, primed and prepped to encounter the masses, for what was an exhilarating 40 minutes, was something to be believed.

Every stall sold out, and of course, a sugar rush ensued. But the one common theme from this special day was that everyone loved it and now can’t wait for the next one (in 2023). We are super proud of all the students – the way they took on this challenge, and how they made it a great success.

The money raised from this day will be directed to two very important College charities: The Chris O’Brien Lifehouse specialising in cancer treatment, and R U OK? which encourages all young people to seek help when struggling mentally.

An outstanding $3,258.95 was raised, and now will be split evenly between the two charities. The Waverley community certainly makes waves with supporting charities, and a huge thank you to all who donated and got involved.

This day would not have been possible without the guidance and support of the Year 10 Commerce and Food Technology teaching teams, five fabulous markers, Heads of House, TAS Assistants, Marketing, IT, Maintenance, Finance and Cleaning Teams … and all of the staff who assisted or visited the stalls. But the biggest thanks goes to the Year 10 Commerce students; their hard work and community spirit was exemplary.

Science Week 2022 was an excellent opportunity to experience some fun and exciting science experiments, both in class and at home. Students enjoyed some explosive experiments with ping pong balls, cool experiments with liquid nitrogen and dry ice, and some other weird and wonderful practicals in class time.

The Junior School experienced a fun Science show with Ms Brown, Ms Pace and Mr Listberger. A big thanks goes to the whole Science Department, including all the Science teachers and lab technicians for all the work they put in to this week.

Scientists of Waverley Competition

Thank you to all who entered the Scientists of Waverley Competition. There were some interesting and creative videos from all entrants. It was very hard to judge and pick a winner, so well done to everyone who entered!

Prize winners will be contacted by Ms Pace with their Westfield voucher prize, to buy something to continue their scientific explorations. Well done and I look forward to seeing what you all come up with next year!

Tevlin House had a highly successful evening on Friday at a Winter Sleep Out in our Gym. This concluded the recent Winter appeal donation drive, also for the Matthew Talbot Hostel, with guest speakers leading a fantastic discussion with boys on the common factors influencing the different types of homelessness, and the services aimed to support those without safe or permanent accommodation.

Nate Smith

Nate Smith (Year 10), also provided an inspiring local story of how small actions can grow to provide a large and ongoing impact through the evolution of ‘Pantry 4 the People’, a community pantry in Botany. Boys discussed how we can all assist in practical ways throughout our lives, and treat those experiencing homelessness with dignity.

Sincere Thanks

Thankyou to all the Tevlin and Waverley community for the fantastic response to the Matthew Talbot Hostel’s donation drive.

Waverley are also highly grateful to Woolworths for contributing boxes of toiletries in a huge delivery, to assist our contributions.

Thank you to the many Tevlin mentors who assisted in supervising the evening, and below are some student accounts of their experiences.

Two Student Reflections on the Sleepout

Last Friday night, Tevlin boys had the opportunity to sleep out, staying the night in the College gym as part of our homelessness initiative and support of the Matthew Talbot Hostel. During this time, special guests Damian Royce and Mike Synnott from the hostel, enlightened Tevlin House on the issue of homelessness as a whole, the work provided by the hostel, and answered the many questions we had.

Thanks to the hundreds of donations from the Waverley Community over the past four weeks, Tevlin boys organised these items, and put together more than 220 kitchen and toiletry starter packs for the Matthew Talbot Hostel.

I most enjoyed putting the packs together, as it was a rewarding activity, and the most challenging part of the night was undoubtedly the sleep. Being away from the comfort and security of our homes, and beds in particular, really gave us an insight into what our homeless population have to deal with on a daily basis. – Daniel Di Francesco (Year 12)

Last Friday night, the Tevlin boys participated in the Matthew Talbot sleepout. The aim of this event was for us to donate essentials to the homeless, whilst also being able to experience how tough homeless people have it, one example being their sleeping situation.

We started off the night at 7 o’clock by gathering around a circle and partaking in a detailed Q and A with two representatives from the Matthew Talbot Hostel, Damian Royce and Mike Synnott. They explained to us how tough the conditions homeless people at the hostel encounter, for example, some of the residents suffer from PTSD, so they don’t feel safe living within four walls, and would rather sleep in a park with a group of homeless people.

We also created essential care packages for the residents with all the donated items. Our guest taught us so much important information about how most homeless people function in society. We enjoyed the sleepout, as we were able to choose where we wanted to sleep, and this gave us insight into how homeless people would prefer to sleep near people they trust.

What challenged me the most, was sleeping without a sleeping bag and just a light blanket, as I wanted to experience how tough the homeless sleep. I was truly grateful for this experience, as it really opened my eyes about how fortunate I am to have my own room, and have the guarantee of sleeping in my comfy bed every night, an opportunity that most homeless people don’t have.

To help homeless people in the future, I would like to advocate more hostels being opened to keep homeless people safe and to give them a sense of security. – Christian Robbins (Year 10)

On Tuesday, 23 August, Years 11 and 12 Economics students were joined by Economic students from St Clare’s College in a live online presentation from the Reserve Bank of Australia.

Students listened to an economist discuss Monetary Policy and current economic conditions. The presentation covered an in-depth analysis of current and predicted trends involving headline inflation, interest rates, consumption, investment, wage growth and geo-political influences.

In the leadup to their examination period, students were fortunate to have the opportunity to pose their own questions to the bank. Questions submitted included the role of monetary policy, future rate rises, the accuracy of bank predictions, China’s looming invasion of Taiwan, and the current conflict with Russia and the Ukraine.

Overall, students found the event very worthwhile. Thank you to Mr Picone and Ms Barber from St Clare’s College.

Throughout the year, our College Captains and Prefects have represented Waverley College at various leadership afternoons and conferences at surrounding schools, to share ideas and leadership initiatives.

One of our College Vice-Captains, Guy Hammerschmidt, reflects on these experiences and the insights that they have gained from these valuable encounters:

We have been privileged to be invited to neighbouring schools, where we have been able to interact with extremely inspirational and influential leaders within our community, such as Dr Marjorie O’Neill, and former Prime Minister, Malcom Turnbull.

Through such experiences, we have gained valuable insights into how we as young leaders can enact real change within our own communities.

Through further collaboration with young leaders from other schools, we have had the opportunity to discuss topics and issues that are of critical relevance for us, such as refining consent education, and building a more inclusive environment for individuals within the LGBTQAI+ community.

It has been a great honour to work alongside aspiring young leaders, who we have certainly learned a lot from, and have made connections that I’m sure will continue after school. – Guy Hammerschmidt

In collaboration with St Clares College, the Year 11 Hospitality students catered for the TAS/Art and Design HSC Showcase last week. These talented young ladies and gentlemen created and served canapes and sweet treats.

Items included mini tartlets, salt and pepper calamari, cheeseburger sliders, smoked salmon, cream cheese and dill croutons, and mini banoffee pies. The teamwork, organisation and enthusiasm was commendable and it is wonderful to see the students’ culinary skills continue to develop and improve.

Being an effective teacher is more than just improving test scores – it’s also about making a difference in students’ lives. Some of the traits of an effective teacher are their passion for learning, believing in their students’ strengths, and knowing how to help students to reach their full potential.

The Heads of Department, Mr Spargo and Ms Quintana, took the opportunity to create an experimental cross-curricular Spanish and TAS activity, touching upon the importance of cooking and safety, responsible food preparation and good food choices. Aligned and cooperative collaboration is all about diverse departments getting together and planning, so that topics of study are taught concurrently.

Led by Ms Quintana, students from 803 were provided with a cooking demonstration class in Monday’s lesson, sampling the savoury and traditional Spanish tortilla. The following day they were tasked with preparing the dish during their practical lesson by following a detailed recipe. They did an outstanding job and would make their families proud, perhaps even given their parents a night off every week to prepare something nutritious and delicious for the whole family.

Research has shown that students can achieve deeper learning when professional educators combine their efforts and reinforce the same message in each subject area. This helps clarify the information for the student, the learning activities become more fluid, and the student’s knowledge and skills improve.

Needless to say, the smiles on the students’ faces were priceless after successfully completing their cooking lesson, with the knowledge that they could devour the fruits of their labor – once they had cleaned up, of course!

This week, creative Year 9 students collaborated against the clock to illustrate and ‘Write a Book in a Day.’ This popular 12-hour competition really challenges students, because they must include unique parameters in their story, which stretches their intellectual flexibility and innovation. It’s also a lot of fun!

We’re so proud that these student authors and illustrators got involved. Here’s what a couple of them had to say about the five-chapter project:

“The collaborative process works really well, because in the end, each piece comes together from each individual to paint the full picture … and I learned that we’re all creative in different ways.” – Archie Godby

“Having many people writing, creates a lot of variation which adds to the creativity of the writing.” – Max Sheehy

We can’t wait to read the digital edition of their story, The Search for Happiness, in the Online Library shared with hospitals right across Australia, with sponsorship funds gifted to the Kids’ Cancer Project.

Thank you Archie Godby, Thomas Jackson-Whilock, Kobe Jones, Toby McDonald, Max Sheehy, Luca Cornelius and Renator Rovacchi for sharing your storytelling magic.

On Friday, 19 August, members of the Students of the World Ecology Group attended the annual Eco Edmund Rice College Sustainability Conference at Wollongong. These included myself, Christopher Kallo (Year 12), Liam McEvoy (Year 10), James Peate (Year 9), Max Sheehy (Year 9), Archie Godby (Year 9) and Lachlan Isaac (Year 9).

Lara Pugh and Dr Carl Hopley

The conference began with a presentation by Ms Lara Pugh, from Wollongong City Council who spoke about their sustainable approaches. Following Lara, was Dr Carl Hopley, a Buildings and Facilities Sustainability Planner. One of his projects utilised Bluetooth technology to perfectly illuminate the building only when and where individuals are present. Essentially, the LED lights follow you around by communicating with each other. He also implemented a solar panel scheme, significant enough to hide an Olympic Swimming Pool on the top of one of his projects. These initiatives alone saved $300,000 and absolutely astonishing volumes of energy.

School Presentations

Following these presenters was each school’s presentations on their energy audits and initiatives implemented to address them. We presented a variety of Waverley initiatives as well as our energy audit results, focusing on areas of high-energy consumption within our school. Initiatives that we and others have implemented include, solar panels and solar buddies initiatives, collaboration with St Clare’s, food waste audits and management, green initiatives, and finally, utilising Indigenous plant species in greening projects.

Results and Initiatives of the Other Schools Presenting
St. Edwards	Implemented the “FLICK” acronym to reduce unnecessary energy consumption, flick the fans off, lights off, computers off and key to lock the door
Illawara	Significant costs of energy and to approach sustainability, they implemented a Beeswax Wraps initiative for Year 10 students
St. John’s	Discovered that lights, fans and air conditioning were all left on during lunch and times of vacancy, whereby they implemented Johnie’s Action Group and even a beehive to address and reduce this
CHBS	Discovered significant energy usage in Music Departments, however sought advice from this conference to address this issue
ERC	Discovered that 2019 was an astonishing year in terms of energy consumption and implemented battery recycling and paper recycling
St. Mary’s	Discovered that specialist rooms consume more energy than regular classrooms, whereby they instilled ‘No Tech Tuesdays’ where for two periods on a Tuesday, students and teacher plan and complete lessons without the use of technology, with the exception of senior years
Lindsey Park	This primary school had incredible young students implementing change through the presentation of their energy consumption and watching other initiatives
Holy Spirit	Discovered the impact of leaving, fridges, freezers and microwaves on, every day of the year, and plan to instil more energy-saving initiatives in the future

Kylie Flament

Kylie Flament then elaborated on the importance of implementing sustainable initiatives through a series of four key assessors: People, Planet, Finance and Capability – supported by the community, good for the planet, financially fundable and achievable. Additionally, Kylie ran a workshop tackling behaviour, whereby each table of students (all from different schools) developed an initiative that they believed could be implemented and was sustainable either in schools or across the community. A quote from Kylie speaks volumes about our society: “Systems are easier to change than the opinions and behaviours of people.”

Sean Staniforth

Following Kylie’s workshop, was an astonishing presentation by an inspiring young entrepreneur and student of Edmund Rice College, Sean Staniforth who discussed the importance of turning your passion into a sustainable and even profitable reality. Sean started his own business known as “Sean’s Unique Woodworking” utilising reused and recycled timber in collaboration with Acacia and PCA Furniture, using their offcuts to produce his sustainable and authentic work. He has every angle of his business covered in terms of sustainable practices, whereby he recycles sawdust and gives wood shavings to his family and friends to utilise in their chicken’s nesting coops.

Costa Georgiadis

Finally, Mr Costa Georgiadis, a Waverley Old Boy, presented an incredibly engaging and active presentation, exemplifying the fact that we should not stand in the way, however provide an alternative to progress towards a solution. He also elaborated that inclusivity is the best policy, we need collaboration and that we need to talk about our failures. The most crucial component Costa wanted to exhibit, was that story comes from the heart. We can let others share our ideas, and we don’t have to force our ides down the throat of others however respond in an open manner, “Well, since you asked..” Costa’s inspiring presentation paved the way to approach our ideas and the best way to have success in doing so.

Final Thoughts

Conclusively, the conference was extremely enjoyable, insightful and enlightening, enabling us to know the best way to approach our solutions, respectfully adapt the behaviours of people, and instil an initiative and achieve an optimal outcome.

I would like to thank Ms Rebecca Sutcliffe and Mr Brad Thompson for their transportation, organisation and incredible guidance during the event. I would also love to thank the younger students in our Ecology Group: Oliver Isaac, Patrick Blackhall and Oliver Lorimer who helped tremendously in preparing our presentation for the event.

Last Sunday, three Year 11 Waverley young men, Bert Cottell, Elliot Witten and Mathew Woods, went to the Cardoner Project with Mr Ben Steel and Ms Sue Walsh, for the inaugural Burritos and Brownies social justice initiative.

After making and wrapping the burritos and brownies, they headed off to Wade Park in Strawberry Hills. Here they met up with many homeless clients, and others in need, for a chat and a meal.

It was a fantastic opportunity for our boys to participate in activities that engaged them with the excluded and disadvantaged in our community, and the students enjoyed this wonderful new initiative immensely. Feedback from the students was very positive, as they developed a genuine understanding and respect for diverse communities.

“We showed up to The Two Wolves Cantina at 10am and we were put straight to work. We made, wrapped and packed over 80 burritos and brownies to hand out to the Surry Hills Housing Commission community. Taking part in this experience made me realise how often we dismiss individuals who are homeless. We walk past them at the train station or at Bondi junction and don’t think twice about it.

I thoroughly enjoyed this experience and from now on make a conscious effort to stop, talk and help individuals who experience homelessness where I can. I strongly believe that this experience changed me in a way that I really didn’t expect it to.

If, like me, you feel compelled to put yourself out there, help people who have fallen on hard times and just need a helping hand, or just have a conversation with someone you wouldn’t normally have one with, this experience is for you.” – Year 11 student, Bertie Cottell

This initiative will be available once a month with hopes that the program will also spread to the Redfern area. The Cardoner Project (a not-for-profit volunteer organisation) are currently donating all the food, but would greatly appreciate some sponsorship or ingredient donations to fray some of the costs.

As part of the Technology Mandatory course, class 7 Tec 09 have been studying Agriculture and Food Technologies.

On a beautiful sunny day a couple of weeks ago, the students headed outside, and using food models such as The Healthy Eating Pyramid and The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating, they documented their past few meals using chalk and concrete as a canvas.

In the kitchen, students have been cooking various recipes including Apple and Cinnamon Pancakes. Presentation of food plays a large part in meal enjoyment. Congratulations to Edward Garland-Barnes, Joshua Jones, Xander Mills and Ty Paton on their finished product.

Year 11 Hospitality recently completed a week’s work placement as part of their Certificate II in Hospitality (Kitchen Operations). Students were placed in a variety of venues including cafes, restaurants, hotels and catering companies.

They chopped, peeled, baked, fried, flipped, whipped and much more. The students performed and behaved so well, that many venues took time out to let us know just that. Many received a merit award, and some, a Blue Merit.

Scientists of Waverley Competition

Nate Smith

Sincere Thanks