Melbourne Girls' College Upstream 2022

UPSTREAM 2022 Linocut by Maeve Morrison-Brown, Year 12

3 2 Acknowledgement of Country Melbourne Girls’ College acknowledges and pays respect to the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nations, the Traditional Owners of the land and waters on which our school stands. From the Principal 4 School Council & Parent’s Association 5 Student Representative Council 6 Philanthropy 7 Diversity 7 Leadership Team 8 - 9 Year 7 2022 10 - 11 Year 8 2022 12 - 13 Year 9 2022 14 - 15 Year 10 2022 16 - 17 Year 11 2022 18 - 19 Year 12 2022 20 - 21 Student Creative Writing 22 - 23 Student Writing 24 - 25 Debating 26 Public Speaking 27 Humanities 28 - 29 Chinese Language 30 Confucius Classroom 31 French Language 32 - 33 Performing Arts 34 - 35 Instrumental Music 36 Dance 37 School Musical - Mamma Mia 38 - 39 Visual Arts 40 - 41 Design Technology 42 - 43 Food Studies 44 - 45 Maths 46 Science 47 S.T.E.A.M. 48 - 49 International Students 50 - 51 Environment Team 52 - 53 Australian Air Force Cadets 54 - 55 Wellbeing 56 Aerobics 57 Outdoor Education 58 - 59 Rowing 60 - 61 Athletics Day 62 - 63 Swimming Day 64 - 65 Health and PE 66 - 67 Interschool Sports 68 - 69 Staff 70 - 71 Year 7 2022 Portraits 72 - 76 Year 8 2022 Portraits 76 - 80 Year 9 2022 Portraits 81 - 84 Year 10 2022 Portraits 85 - 89 Year 11 2022 Portraits 89 - 93 Year 12 2022 Portraits 94 - 97 Contents

5 4 Since Melbourne Girls’ College opened its doors in 1994, there has been a relentless focus in shaping a culture of excellence and teamwork where diversity is celebrated. Whilst 2022 continued to be another challenging year, we have yet again proven that the inner strength of our school culture has thrived despite COVID restrictions and frequent changes. I would like to express my gratitude to the entire school community for the way I was welcomed as the new Principal of Melbourne Girls’ College. The kindness, support and patience that was afforded to me during this time made such a difference to my transition. Being a member of the Melbourne Girls’ College community offers all of us a unique and exciting opportunity to become actively involved in countless activities and experiences that go beyond the school walls. These affirming experiences contribute to who we are as individuals, as a collective, and will impact significantly who we will become. It is a great privilege and honour to support the growth of our students as they progress through their school years. It is important to take the time to stop and reflect on the enthusiasm and readiness of our students as they arrived in Year 7, to their transformation into mature and successful young adults at the end of Year 12. As well as participating in a broad curriculum program, over the six years students have the opportunity to take part in: theatrical / musical productions, camps and study tours, student led social justice events, and environmental, rowing, dance, cadet, aerobic and sporting events. Upstream is one way we can capture some of these moments. In years to come, our students will look back at their time at Melbourne Girls’ College and fondly remember their school years. Please enjoy the stories in this year’s UpstreamMagazine as we reflect on the year that was 2022. A real highlight this year for me was the school production of ‘Mamma Mia’. This was quite simply a remarkable production with depth and quality in performance and technical excellence. Our performing arts students and staff should be extremely proud of what they have achieved. There is no doubt that it was unfortunate that we were not able to hold performances in our new 400 seat auditorium, but with grit, determination and true spirit, the performing arts team pivoted yet again to put on an inspiring production Our student leadership team has been exceptional this year. There are countless examples where our student leaders steered the way, raising awareness and funds for not only our school community, but strengthened our understanding of a range of social issues confronting society. I can confidently and proudly say that MGC students advocated in a sophisticated and mature manner, and we will continue to strive towards a proud community of active global citizens. Thank you to our generous school community, who continue to believe in us. We thoroughly appreciate our students, families and staff who have supported each other throughout this journey of learning, while prioritising the importance of mental health and wellbeing at MGC. To the members of our School Council and Parent Groups, your unwavering support and dedication to the school is truly appreciated, enabling us to celebrate an inclusive environment, while driving excellence, teamwork and diversity. To the Year 12 students, I encourage you to reflect on the memories and friendships created in your time at MGC. These treasuredmemories of peers and teachers will remain with you forever. Congratulations to the class of 2022, your family and teachers believe in you! We wish you all the best, and look forward to your return, so that we can hear of your future experiences and successes. We hope that we can stay in touch through our wonderful Alumni program. Thank you to all members of the Melbourne Girls’ College community for your continued support, trust and belief. Tamy Stubley Principal Melbourne Girls’ College Parents’ Association The MGC Parents’ Association has developed a strategy for rebuilding our community post COVID. The new approach is centred on reconnecting parents, staff, and students. Emphasis is being placed on developing a greater social media and web presence. We have selected and six parents as Year Level Ambassadors. These Ambassadors are connection points for parents to get further involved in our community. We have created WhatsApp that parents are able to join to receive updates on events, school news, and tap into other parents’ knowledge. We were delighted to run successful face to face events again such as the whole school parents’ night in May, Year Level coffee mornings, Year Level social evenings, and the annual Fathers’ Day breakfast. Photos of these events are on the Parents Association section of the College website, along with our meeting dates. We welcome new members to our meetings and events Tom Quinlan Parents’ Association President This is my last report for Upstream – along with my daughter, I graduate from Melbourne Girls’ College in 2022. With elections early in the year, the make up of the College Council had a refresh with some new faces and ideas. All members of the College Council bring enthusiasm and drive to contribute to making MGC an even better place for our students and staff. After two interrupted years, it has been a relief for our students to attend school and for our College Council meetings to take place face to face. The College Council’s main focus this year has been to support Tamy Stubley in her first year as Principal and to help the school emerge stronger out of the past two years of interruption. We have reviewed both our academic results and wellbeing measures with a focus on ensuring we have the best very systems in place. The school’s finances are an area that the school council reviews, and certainly this year has been a challenge, with reduced income from fewer International students and hire of facilities and increased costs for services. Whilst the school is in a healthy position having savings to draw on, we are mindful of living within our means as a school also. Hopefully by the time this report is published, the Performing Arts Centre will have been completed. Whilst many of the students and staff who have enabled this project to happen will not get to use this facility, it is a great example of the MGC culture in planning for the future. Our current students are the beneficiaries of previous generations of school leaders. 2022 was not quite back to normal, but it has been wonderful to send our children to school to learn and develop within the confines of the MGC physical space and to interact with their teachers face to face. I wish our graduating students (and their parents) the very best for the future, and I am looking forward to hearing some of the familiar names in the future, as our students live the MGC ethos and lead and achieve in their chosen pathways. Heather Pritchard College Council President From the Principal College Council

7 6 What an incredible year for our Philanthropy Team. It has been a privilege to be involved with a group of young people so motivated to be a positive influence on their community. Highlights of our year so far have included; Pedal Power Cinema: Philanthropy provided their assistance to raise for MGC’s sustainability projects. World’s Greatest Shave: We raised funds to support individuals impacted by blood cancer. A big shoutout to Sadie Freeden, Zoe Tregloan-Dunn, Gracie Rawlinson, and Helen Zhu for signing up to shave and a huge thank you to the MGC community for assisting us in raising over $8,500 in support of leukaemia patients. Robert Connor Dawes Foundation: MGC students donated gold coins and wore grey to honour paediatric brain cancer and indulged in the sought-after bake sale. We celebrated the 10th year of Connor’s Run, participating in their annual run in September. Richmond Tutoring: Run by the Australian Vietnamese Women’s Association, MGC students displayed their community spirit every week by volunteering to tutor primary school students. These sessions are so valuable, both for the primary school students who have the opportunity to improve their literacy and numeracy skills, and our MGC students. A huge thanks to all of our regular volunteers, students such as Audrey Ahmed, Abbie Bradley, Alysa Blair, Maryam Abdekhodaee, Calista Loh, Milly Do and a host of others. Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation: A student committee consisting of Calista Loh, Helin Tarpis, Alex Mccurry and Emily Chang represented MGC in the Youth in Philanthropy program. These four outstanding students seized the opportunity to make a change in their community, by gaining a better understanding of several current issues and allocating a $10,000 grant to three causes. Philanthropy Leaders. Middle School Captains: Freya Swannell and Clara Dandurand Senior School Captains: Christine Le and Clem Warren-Smith Paul Sturgess This year it has been my absolute pleasure to co-captain the MGC SRC with Isobel Gilbert, with the support of the Middle School SRC Captains Wendy Haythornthwaite and Nova Karikari. I have immensely enjoyed working with the group of students who were the SRC this year; I am so proud of what we have achieved. Our first major event was Egg Mail, one of my favourite SRC traditions. Each year we invite students to buy easter eggs during the last week of term 1. After the holidays, the SRC distributes these eggs to the students anonymously to brighten the mood during the first week back. This year we set a few new records! The most eggs per student at 85 eggs and the most eggs per year at 1444 total. One of our priorities as captains was to further involve the other student leadership portfolios in SRC events, to hear from more students and allow a wider group of students the chance to provide input on leadership events. Congress provided us with this opportunity. Congress is an annual SRC event, which runs for an afternoon, where students can suggest and debate changes they would like to see in the school. As SRC representatives we develop this into proposals, seeking further student, teacher and community input, then finally presenting to the College Council. SRC representatives present resolutions which we have developed based on the results of surveys or student concerns. These resolutions are then discussed by the Congress. A resolution will either pass or fail based on a majority vote. This year was the first in which other student leaders, including the Diversity and Environment Captains, were invited to share their resolutions. Through the Congress we heard ideas on everything from uniforms to bathrooms to the curriculum. Congress 2022 was a huge success. We have already made changes in line with these resolutions. Interschool collaboration has also been a priority for us. In term 3 we sent two SRC members as delegates to the VicSRC Congress to learn from other SRC members around Victoria, and to lobby the State government for changes to our education system. Wendy Haythornwaite took on the role of Ambassador for MGC to the VicSRC. Our two major proposals this year have been long-term projects which required surveying the student body, collaborating with the principal team and presenting to the College Council. We trailed the trans-seasonal uniform, which was eventually approved by the College Council. Our second major project has centred on mental health. We have proposed a “break-out room” where students can take a break during the day. We are continuing to develop this proposal, consulting with the well-being team. An essential part of our student voice team is the Year Seven Student Council. It is exclusively for year sevens, recognising the unique challenges in our first year of high school. This year they have worked on the Year Seven Notice board, run house games/challenges and held an event celebrating 100 days of year seven. Thanks to everyone who was a member of the SRC this year for your hard work and friendship. Also thanks to everyone who participated in SRC events, for sharing your ideas with us and helping us raise the profile of student voice at MGC. Louella Breach SRC Co-Captain Student Representative Council Diversity As we come to the end of our high school career, and our time as Diversity Captains, we are so pleased to see immense progress in terms of diversity and inclusion here at MGC. We remember the first Diversity captains were introduced when we were in year 7. We immediately felt inspired by them; we looked up to them, and we are so grateful to have been able to step into this role to continue their positive changes. We organised a number of wonderful events this year. We had the annual MGC Harmony Day assembly - a day dedicated to celebrating cultural diversity, and promoting inclusivity. We also handed out rainbow ribbons, and held a hand painting stall, to raise awareness and support on IDAHOBIT day (international day against homophobia, biphobia, intersexism and transphobia) We started our buddy program with the MGC International students, to facilitate further connections within the MGC community. And of course we HAD to have our beloved annual MGC Pride Picnic. Everyone donned LGBTQIA+ apparel and brought delicious food to share! We also started MGC’s first annual Rainbow Festival! We raised funds for Minus18, a wonderful organization that helps youth in the LGBTQIA+ community. We had Pride Totebags, a delicious Bake sale, and a photo booth! We hope that the future Diversity captains carry through our passion and continue to make MGC an inclusive and diverse community. Smi and Sam Diversity Captains Philanthropy Cultivating · Community ·

9 8 Above: Our Humanities Captains with Monique Ryan. From left to right: Middle School Humanities Captain, Eloise Brown (Year 9), Humanities Co-Captains Talia Meiri (Year 11) and Arwa Sharma (Year 11), and Middle School Humanities Vice-Captain Phoebe Woodcock (Year 8) Above, from left to right: Isobel Gilbert (Year 11), Wendy Haythornthwaite (year 9), Jade Nebbs (Year 12), Bea James (Year 11) and Freya Swannell (Year 9) at a Gender and Sexual Diversity Conference hosted by Melbourne Grammar School. Leadership Our College Executive Team worked very hard over the course of this year. While the year started off on a rocky note, the team quickly bounced back and sprang into action to ensure the year would be jam-packed with activities for the student body. In addition to running their own portfolios and events, the members of this amazing team have also collaborated on various projects, such as the creation of the MGC Podcast, a schoolcentred podcast aimed at updating the student body on the events the MGC Executive Team is working on. while forming a connection between the two. We hope this initiative will continue in future years. Sticking to the theme for the year, “Be You In 2022!”, our College Captains, Hannah Benhassine, Jade Nebbs, and Monique Selcuk, have worked hard to make MGC a safe space for students to express themselves, whether that be through their attire or the way they are referred to. They also worked hard, along with the Executive Team, to bring back in-person whole school assemblies, something that hasn’t been a possibility at MGC for the past couple of years due to COVID. Although we were only able to run one at the end of the year for the Year 12 celebrations, we’re extremely proud of the hard work this team has done to ensure that this assembly could go ahead in person and to make it an extravagant event. Our Team has also had opportunities to go to numerous conferences that ran at various schools. Our leaders have been able to enrich their minds with ideas from different schools, while also being granted the chance to network with other student leaders. In anticipation of the next year, the Leadership team decided to work on amending the process of applying for positions to make them more accessible. As a result, they started planning the Leadership Expo, a place where people could go and learn about the different portfolios at MGC. All in all, 2022 has been a very productive year for our School Executive Team, with lots of activities running and projects being created and worked on. We are immensely delighted with what the team has managed to achieve over the year and wish them the best on their future endeavours. Sharleen Hossain Communications Captain Be You in 2022

11 10 Uncle Bill speaking to the Year 7s on Murrnong Day Year 7 and 8 JA Buddy Picnic After Years 5 and 6 spent in remote learning, having the chance to participate in person for Year 7 Orientation Day was a truly special experience. 2022 has continued to be a roller coaster ride but the Year 7s have shown resilience and determination well beyond their years. From beginning the year with camp at Arrabri Lodge in Warburton, to attending the House Swimming Carnival with the rest of the school, the Year 7s have been able to engage with MGC and as a year level. Here are just a few memories recorded by our fantastic students over the year: Year 7 Orientation Day When I first came to MGC I was very nervous about not making any friends but with help form a few getting to know you games, I soon found friends that I knew I would make good memories with. All the games that MGC put together for orientation day were amazing and really helped me make great friends. The teachers made the first day at MGC feel like i really belonged in the school community. Tiara Rambharuth 7C2 First day of Year 7 My mum drove me to school on the first day of class. I was a little bit nervous and also excited. Since my old school is small with less buildings, the first thing I noticed when I walked through the gates of my new school was that it is big, and it would take a while to know my way around. I met a really nice girl from Year 8 who took me to my classroom and told me a bit about the school. I remembered that we walked a long way to get to my classroom. We did not have that many steps and long corridors in my past five years at primary school. I walked into the classroom and looked around, I barely knew anyone. The first teacher I met was my social world/ wellbeing teacher, Mrs O’Callaghan, who introduced us to the school and explained how the different subjects worked in Year 7. My favourite memory from the first day was meeting our JA buddies. They answered all our questions and helped us settle into the school. My first day at school was packed with information, particularly new names to remember, but the experience and meeting new people made that day unforgettable. Chi Dinh 7C1 Assemblies These past two years have been an experience. We all know the struggles of lockdown, and how hard we all had to work to make online learning run smoothly. We had to do all our meetings online, including assemblies, which was a big change for all of us. It started in 2020, when we began online learning. We had two long lockdowns and it was creating a lot of stress in both students and teachers. In 2021, we had many mini lockdowns, which led us to this year. 2022. We all were excited for this year, as we were told that we weren’t going to have anymore lockdowns. We thought everything would go back normal. It didn’t. Everyone was wearing masks, we had to test three times a week, and we couldn’t have gatherings with too many people. Which meant one thing at school was impacted. Assemblies. For a whole term – and a half, we year were watching our teachers talking about important things at school, with voices glitching and people on mute. But finally, we were able to go back to normal assemblies. We have had a great time connecting with the rest of our cohort, and meeting people that we have not met before. Some people received awards for school attendance. We also received awards for uniform checks. It has been making school feel normal again. We had a celebration assembly, for Murrnong Day, which educated us on a new culture. We had a language choice assembly, exciting us for a new journey in Year 8, and our most recent one, the Yarra Trams assembly, where we were able to listen to actual tram inspectors tell us all about the public transport in Victoria. We have been so excited to be back in person and are all so grateful for the amazing assemblies we have had so far. Thanks MGC! Ayla Christie 7L2 Year 7 Student Council Throughout semester one, the Year 7 Student Council helped plan and ran many events such as 100 days of Year 7. We made and presented Kahoots at assembly as part of our House Point activities. We also created a notice board detailing upcoming events and reminders. This notice board also consisted of a suggestions sheet, inspirational quotes, and information on the clubs at MGC. I worked on the notice board, collaborating with Ruby and Linaya to create the events and reminders piece. The Council met every Tuesday at lunchtime to discuss ideas and how to implement them. My favourite part of being on the Year 7 Student Council was having the opportunity to have input on the things we did. Overall, it was a fun and interesting experience. Kate Dean 7C3 I think school council is a worthwhile activity. It was a really good experience for me because it gives the students power to decide what the whole grade does. We planned a few activities like 100 days of year 7 and the notice board. Overall, it was an amazing experience. Lola Rebiere 7C2 Year 7 Reptiles Encounter The reptile encounter incursion was really fun, and we got to learn a lot of things about Australian native animals. This included snakes, frogs, lizards, crocodiles, birds, sugar gliders, insects and more! We learnt things like how endangered they are what family they are in and lots of other facts. The experience as very fun and also very interesting. Trinity Harris 7R2 Islamic Museum In Term One, the year seven cohort went on an excursion to the Islamic Museum of Australia, which was an amazing opportunity to learn about a fascinating religion. We first walked through the galleries with an experienced guide and learned about Islamic philosophy, history, art, and architecture. Then, the owner of the museum gave us an inspiring and engaging talk about Islamic culture and growing up Islamic in Australia. The excursion was a highly enjoyable, interesting, and memorable experience that I am so glad to have had the chance to attend. Ruby Watson 7M1 7 Sack Race at the Athletics Carnival Murnong Day At the start of Murnong day the Year 7s got to meet Uncle Bill. We got to learn about Aboriginal history and ceremonies. Followed by this, we walked in a smoking ceremony. Throughout the day, the Year 7s planted flowers. We could plant murnong, kangaroo grass, chocolate lily, turook, and more. We planted these outside the Year 7 courtyard. After lunch, Uncle Bill taught our class more about the history of Aboriginal culture. We learned about Sorry Day, reconciliation, White Australia policy, cultural traditions and much more. We also saw what life was like before colonisation, including the river that our school is on. Zelda Templeman-Hughes 7R1 and Mirra Vijay 7R2 House Events (Swimming and Athletics Carnival) During Year Seven we had two main carnivals, swimming and athletics. (Ella) My favourite part of the swimming carnival was being able to support my friends during their races and congratulate them for winning. I also enjoyed supporting my friends in their races during the athletics carnival. My favourite part of the athletics carnival was the 200m sprint and shotput, also laughing and messing around there with friends was fun as we were all just getting to know each other. Ella Morgan 7R2 and Eva Murphy-Ward 7M3 Year 7 Camp This year in term one all year seven students had the opportunity to go on a school camp that lasted for two nights. When we arrived, students were sorted into cabins. This was a great opportunity to create friends and memories. For the next couple of days, we got to participate in a range of activities that encouraged team building and creative thinking. Some of my favourite activities included the giant swing, the pool, the night-time scavenger hunt, and bush dancing. The Red Faces talent show was an excellent way to earn house points and demonstrate skills as it brought groups of students together and created a fun, excited environment. The activities, the large campus and wide range of opportunities helped keep old friendships, cultivate new ones, and start to integrate us into the school. Julia Driscoll 7M2 Playing softball and netball on a Year 7 Sport Day Having fun celebrating 100 Days of Year 7

13 12 Year 8 Athletics Carnival Year 8 Swimming Carnival Year 8 Medieval Day Year 8 Picnic Welcome to Year 8 2022, our students’ first full year at MGC. Across this year, our Year 8 cohort has shown tremendous resilience and perseverance as they have adjusted to being at school full time, which has sometimes been challenging. However, the return to school full-time has also been met with relief and excitement as we have settled into a routine whilst enjoying the vibrant program that is Year 8. Early in term 1, students participated in our whole school swimming sports carnival at the Prahran pool, where we came together as a school community, dressed as the first letter of our name. Additionally, our Year 8s brought their enthusiasm to MGC’s Pedal Powered Cinema viewing of Moana. They helped raise money through the Bake Sale and generated electricity during the day to power the display. Term 2 was jam-packed, with fantastic opportunities and experiences throughout our nine-week term. Firstly, we saw our Year 8s continue their study of medieval Europe and participate in a full day of activities learning about various elements of medieval life, such as archery, games, the roles of women, dancing, crime and punishment. The day was active and engaging, which supported the students learning of life during the medieval period. Additionally, we had our whole school Athletics Carnival in Box Hill, our theme being celebrities and icons. Our Year 8’s were wonderful participants, getting involved in various events with some students moving onto Regional Athletics. In the middle of the term, our Year 8 dancers enjoyed performing at our whole school Dance Night, while our budding musicians performed at the Drum and Guitar Soiree; both events were wonderful exhibitions of our talented students. Getting engaged in school politics, many Year 8s had their say on school issues and rules at our whole school Congress whereby they had their voices heard by the SRC and actively contributed to the running of our school. To complement the studying of poetry in Year 8 English, the cohort participated in a slam poetry workshop where they learnt about writing and performing slam poetry. The winners from each class battled it out at the end of the day. Lastly, to celebrate the end of term, we hosted our annual Year 8 Picnic during our Wellbeing session. Seeing our cohort socialising, sharing food and drink, laughing, and enjoying being together was beautiful. Term 3 was the beginning of the subject selection process for 2022, which excited students as they considered their futures and looked ahead to new opportunities. The highlight of this term was our Year 8 Wellbeing Day. Students rotated through four activities; a silent disco, yoga and meditation, bracelet making and trivia. The day prompted a lot of laughter, joy, creativity and connection amongst their houses. Term 4, began with our Digital Bootcamp program to learn about safety online. We were very excited about our Year 8 Camp to Lake Dewar in November to positively end the year and wish our Year 8s every success as they transition into Year 9. Katelyn Waters and Brydie Murphy 8 year Year 8 Wellbeing Day

15 14 MELBOURNE Melbourne Central Station Queeen Victoria Market Franklin Street Latrobe Street Lonsdale Street Bourke Street Collins Street Flinders Street Flinders Street Station Flagstaff Station Patliament Station Supreme Court Melbourne Town Hall State Library of Victoria Immigration Museum Exhibition Street Russell Street Swanston Street Elizabeth Street Queen Street William Street King Street Spencer Street Southern Cross Station Athletics Day Morris Gleitzman First Year Electives & Subject Selection Holocaust Museum City Experience 9 year City Experience: In the beginning of Term 3, we all went on City Experience. We were given certain tasks to do throughout the city and went on different excursions. We went to the Immigration Museum, did a science walk at RMIT, filmed a radio segment at SYN FM and had an intersection walk. We were given lots of independence, trust, and freedom to roam around the city and get done what we needed. Everyone really enjoyed this and took advantage of all the food choices in the city. Due to COVID, this was the first time a lot of us have been in the city in a while and the first time in a while where the city felt normal. This year has been our first year of proper onsite high school due to COVID. It has been really good to have a normal year and we have been catching up on all the experiences we have missed over the years. For previous Year 9 students, they weren’t able to partake in City Experience due to lockdowns and COVID, so all the year 9s were very grateful to be given the opportunity. Laura Allen and Catriona Cameron-Martin First year of electives: Year nine brought a wide range of electives to choose from. This included subjects such as fashion design and forensics science, to outdoor education. This variety has allowed us to explore what we enjoy doing to what we prefer not to do, and what we did not think we would like so much. Year 9 consists of choosing at least one technology subject, one art subject, and a mix of cross disciplinary subjects. With new electives, we had unique selections of subjects for each student, which came with a completely unique class for each. Here you make circumstantial friends, who you would not otherwise have met. There will also be a selection of new teachers to learn from and experience new skillsets. These year 9 electives have supported us in choosing year 10 subjects, helping us to get one step closer to VCE. Subject selections and moving onto senior school: This year we have been thinking about our futures at the school and beyond. This included our subject selections for year 10. The selection process was difficult at times but overall made many of us exited for our future years. We had to decide if we were choosing to do a year 11 subject in year 10, and we had to decide which electives interested us. One of the tools we used to make these decisions was our Morrisby profiling tests. These tests took our interests and attributes to share with us ideas about what careers and classes would best suit us. We also had support and guidance from our teachers, who took the time to individually have conversations with us. In these conversations, teachers shared with us their ideas of what classes we should take, based on their observations in class. Many of us found it incredibly helpful to get an opinion from someone who knew our learning habits so well. Holocaust Museum: We also visited the Holocaust Museum as an extension of our World of Ideas unit on the holocaust. After learning of the tragic events during our World of Ideas unit, we were grateful to be able to hear from a survivor firsthand. We learnt to empathise with everyone who had to experience such devastation while developing our knowledge on historic events. We are very thankful for all the survivors who were willing to tell us their stories. We appreciate you so much. Athletics day: Athletics Day 2022 was an action-packed day, filled with amazing costumes. My friends and I dressed up as different characters from Kath and Kim. We had a blast showing off our costumes as well as seeing everyone else’s. There was a delicious self-powered smoothie stand as well as a kangaroo sausage stand. It was exciting watching people compete in track and field competitions. Morris Gleitzman: We had the opportunity to hear a successful author, Morris Gleitzman share his journey in writing the novel ‘Once’ as well as its sequels. We got some insight on his writing process and how he gets his inspiration. We were glad to have this opportunity as we learnt a lot and have more understanding on his occupation and how he utilises his life events to channel them into his writing.

17 16 10 year Love yourself Poem by Anonymous If you asked months ago, What i thought of myself, I would have nothing to say, No words would be allowed to slip through, And let me feel ok, If they did, They would simply be mean. But recently as time has passed, I have become grateful, For the things I once criticized, My patchy missing hair a show of bravery, The marks that span up and down my arms a sign of recovery, My sturdy legs that give me strength, Small freckles that cover my body like stars in my face, Long eyelashes and perfectly groomed eyebrows, As it is my body, Myself and my outside world, I am a person that I love. I look into myself, And I see someone who is loved, Who is empathetic, Likable and witty, Different and funny, I am internally not perfect Yet i no longer strive for that As everyone is flawed And I am simply the person I am. I can gaze into a mirror, And find myself in it, Without criticism, Without judgment, I am just myself, Year 10 Camp Reflection Year 10 camp was a really rewarding experience at the Phillip Island Adventure Resort. We went the first week back in Term Two for three days which I thought was really well timed. The bus ride down there was enjoyable and when we arrived at the resort we pretty much got straight into the activities. On the first day we did two activities, and my group did canoeing and the twin flying fox. Both were great and it was fun to do two things I hadn’t done in ages. The next day I had team rescue which was a tricky team exercise and after that we did Zumba. After lunch my group went for the beach walk which was awesome as we got to explore the rockpools at the beach and we drew pictures in the sand. During free time afterwards I also played basketball and tried for at least half an hour to get a backwards shot which was a lot of fun despite my bad luck. Then after dinner we had trivia which was a buzz as it was quite competitive. The last day my group had high ropes which was a little challenging and then we went on the giant swings which is always one of my favourites. Then after lunch we packed up and drove back to school just in time for the weekend. Alex McCurry Camp was a buzz

19 18 Reflections The highlight of my Year 11 so far has been the formal and the worst thing would be having so many SACs to study for. Tilly McDonald-Leslie My favourite part of Year 11 was being able to learn in a Year 12 class with Year 12 students as I was able to learn a lot from them. I really enjoyed the Year 11 formal as it was a fun way to get the whole cohort together. Sinead Sullivan The best thing about Year 11 has been formal and the pizza day! Georgia, Sophie, Monika The best part of Year 11 for me was meeting new people in class, especially now that we all do our own subjects and get to hang out with people who have similar interests. I also loved the pizza lunch a couple of weeks ago, and I have loved being a part of a Year 12 class. Liv Jackson My favourite thing about Year 11 is the independence that comes with it. As daunting as it is, being a member of the senior school and experiencing a taste of Year 12 has definitely challenged me academically, providing me with a new and improved set of skills that I now value greatly. Jade Iacuone The highlight of Year 11 so far would be the formal and having Monday first periods off. Having multiple SACs in one day is hard. Gigi Boyd The best thing about Year 11 has been the formal and the pizza day! Georgia, Sophie, Monika Year 11 has been a really good year, surprisingly. The highlight would have to be the formal and the pizza lunch we received. Despite COVID and other illnesses, we have done well academically and we are proud of ourselves. Madi and Meghan My favourite thing about year 11 is the independence that comes with it. 11 year

21 20 12 year Following two difficult years full of COVID outbreaks and going in and out of remote learning, our Year 12 cohort has approached this year with a greater sense of appreciation for all the opportunities and activities we were able to engage in, making our final school year, one of our best. Of course, this year was jam packed with SACs, exams, and studying, but there has always been the excitement of school events that has kept us working through it. The annual Swimming Carnival at the start of the year was some of the most fun we had all had in awhile. Everyone looked and swam amazingly in their different costumes, which added to the excitement. Following this with the annual Athletics Carnival which was equally full of fun. Events like these always feel bittersweet, as it is our last time experiencing them at school, but that just encourages us even more to make the most out of it all. Another great event was the Year 12 Study Camp held at Federation University in Ballarat. Everyone’s favourite teachers ran lectures/classes on study skills, time management and stress management, which became extremely useful resources for all Year 12s throughout the year. It was lovely to spend time with the cohort and we came out of that camp closer than ever. All in all, the Class of 2022 has not let the countless challenges get in our way, and despite our very interrupted senior years, we have never failed to find a way to have fun and stay positive. Despite our constant assessments, there’s no doubt that our Year 12 teachers here at MGC have been there to support us along the way. As MGC’s College Captains, it has been a pleasure to see all the Year 12 students grow and complete their final year of high school. Us three have no doubt that everyone will smash their exams and treasure the experiences we all had together and we wish each and every one of them the best for the future. Jade Nebbs, Hannah Benhassine and Monique Selcuk College Captains

23 22 During Book Week, MGC students celebrated Australian children’s authors and illustrators. Classroom teachers and students enthusiastically participated in workshops held in the library with authors Cath Moore, Gabrielle Bergmoser, Ren Alessandra and Melissa Kiel. We were all inspired to join in the variety of activities, dressing up in our favourite character and sharing stories. We thank Susan Cole and our librarians for organising this great event! MGC Poetry Award Joint Winners Jessica Mai – Girl Ariana Cosatovic – Irony Runner-up Amy Deller - Wife-beater MGC Prose Non-fiction Award Winner Chloe McCormick – The Australian Dream Runner-up Erica Brown Yamada – A Self Reflection and a Realisation MGC Graphic Fiction & Other Writing Award Winner Erica Brown Yamada - Mia and Ollie’s World Trip Runner-up Maggie Chong – Unsoul MGC Year 11 and 12 Short Fiction Award 1st Place Winner Amy Deller – Plagued 2nd Place Winner Lucy Op’T Hoog – Fool’s Gold 3rd Place Winner Alina Ivanova – Drew, Richard Runners-up Grace Haslem – Stay, Leave Amna Kayani – The Face Behind the Broken Glass Scarlett Brydon - Cleaning Up After Yourself Morendo He played the cello, in a theatre somewhere in Europe since after retirement he finally had the time to do something just because. The theatre was large, shining overhead lights roaring onto the wooden plane of stage, plush red seats, warm with the exhale of musical talent and wealth. As he stepped to greet his cello, the vibrato of his academic shoes would ricochet through the room. They would then stand side by side. Partners in crime preparing to rob an audience of their speech. The flowing contours of the wood created a juxtaposition to his frail slender figure. Smooth, deliciously arced spruce wood to his crisply creased skin. Although he stood centerstage to an audience of hundreds, his cello was much like a book. Once his eyes were on it, it was like he was transported to another world. When he played the instrument responded to his touch. Fingers thrumming with fondness. They would dance together. His skin and suit and cello all similar shades, morphing into one monochromatic being as emotion was converted into music. Every time he would perform Elizabeth, his wife, his lover, his partner, his friend, his weakness, his cure, would watch him, hands tightly grasped in her lap or sometimes arms wrapped softly around their granddaughter. Their granddaughter who was a ray of sunshine, pink floral dress which was neither stereotypical nor feminine but just right. A rightness that came from being seven years old. But a rightness that was hers and hers alone, a rightness that was clasped tightly with small hands. When he would look down, bow still soaring against strings, she would always be beaming back up at him through the dark of the theatre. His love for the cello was timeless. And as his granddaughter grew, as primary school became high school, and as friends came and went like the tide, his cello stayed with him and so did Elizabeth. His and Elizabeth’s small cottage became a place where their granddaughter would come as she pleased. Reading in the large, embroidered armchair or using their record player. The house was decorated with small ceramics collected over a lifetime of travel. It was small, unremarkable really. It was all they needed and all he wanted. And all he wanted was to stay with his wife and fit her hand inside his. His callused hands and her’s woven with the softness of age. She was oak polished with his sandpaper. All he wanted was to read with her head in his lap and listen to the melody of her voice. That was all he wanted. Without her his hands were cold, his cello lonely, his cottage quiet. His granddaughter had stopped coming over. “Why?” he would think, staring down at his unfinished porridge, that got greyer by the day. “Why was it that now Elizabeth was gone she would not come over?” As he thought, his cello would glare it him, f-shaped eyes distorted into a scowl, slowly collecting dust. He would like to be able to say that Elizabeth’s death was a crescendo. That is rose up; triumphantly devastating. Really, it was slow. It was hospital beds and beeping machines. It was coming home only to leave again. And now it was nothing. A continuous nothing that played softly in the background. He was staring out the window, one slow morning, when he heard the twinkle of his doorbell. Floorboards creaking under his feet, he approached the door. Creased hands shakily turned the knob and standing there before him, in a dress patterned with peonies, was their granddaughter. ‘Can you please play me something?’ She asked. She was not frowning; she was not smiling. She looked powerful. And although he believed that she looked almost identical to Elizabeth when she was young, in that moment she did not. She looked wholly herself. A new human composed into the most angelic piece he had ever seen. Without questioning, without a word, he turned around and approached his cello. In that moment it felt like a departure of ownership. The cello was not his but an old friend. He picked up his bow. by Lucinda Year (Year 8) 1st place Winner - MGC Year 7 and 8 Short Fiction Award Student Creative Writing Congratulations to all students who entered the MGC Creative Writing Awards. The quality of entries was very high, as always, showcasing the talent at our school. Many thanks to Mr Donnelly for making this possible, year after year! MGC Year 9 and 10 Short Fiction Award 1st Place Winner Mia Kagiaros – Azi’s Magic Garden 2nd Place Winner Eve Wheeler – Dead to the World 3rd Place Winner Alex McCurry – My Younger Self Runners-up Milo Moore – We’ll Run Far Away from Here Leanne Leong – Marionettes on Strings Dorace Cheung – The Window That Opened My Eyes MGC Year 7 and 8 Short Fiction Award 1st Place Winner Lucinda Buckle – Morendo 2nd Place Winner Elsie Falkiner – The Little Red Flute 3rd Place Winner Scarlett Mitchell – The Great Climate Runners-up Mila Grey – Bizarre Blood Noses Mithuna Karthick – Stranded Listowel Short Story Award Winner Amy Deller - Plagued EAL Award Winner Aurora Wang – Wish Upon A Star Celebrating creativity in student writing

25 24 Student Writing Plagued It all began with the numbers on the news. They seemed so far away at first, but soon they began to stare. No matter what corner, what nook or cranny we wedged ourselves into, the numbers found their way inside of us. They watched us from our beds, our favourite armchair in the living room. Our spot at the dining room table. They protested - parading in our minds. Bouncing. Echoing. They twisted, turned, and trekked into our subconscious. And then, as if by plague of locusts, the canned goods began to disappear from the supermarket shelves. The soap and sanitiser got all pumped out. The toilet paper rolled away. And this caused panic - which only caused more. So, we snatched, stockpiled, stacked. And through our windows into reality, we watched others snatch, stockpile and stack. Through those mini mechanical minds of mankind. Our bridging into actuality. A creation of carefully coloured pixels. A reflection on a screen. Slowly, we slipped into peaceful paralysis. Face fused to electronic display. Fingers frozen to cryptic keyboards, to which we lacked the key. And like a ghostly figure, he too haunted our worlds. Squeezed into neat boxes on the TV screen, in the casual neighbourly conversation, drifting by on the afternoon breeze. His presence a constant reminder: a buzzing notification on the COVIDSafe app. Was he that dark figure in black, perusing the supermarket - aisle 13? The driver on the softly lit bus? Next stop please. Did his touch lurk in the takeaway cup of Morning Coffee? On the waxed skin of the packages that towered at our doorsteps? On the coat of a loved one? Ah - That deathly residue. A kiss from him was all it took. So, we waited. We wove fabric between our fingers. Watched our dough swell into bread. Felt our homes mould to us, cocooning us like a well-worn sweater. Existing only virtually. Like one half of our lives had been forgotten. Put on pause. Buried away. Hours stretched to minutes, and months dragged into days. The clock ticked just to sound busy. The trees shed their winter coats, as if a fresh look was the answer. We painted our nails, painted our walls, painted on canvas. Rearranged our living room. Pulled our desk out into the apricot air of the afternoon. As if a fresh look was the answer. We mindlessly meandered through the streets of suburbia, talking solely to the trees. The serenity disturbed only by the echo of bird call. But not the bird call that reminded us of the life beyond our window. Rather, the cackle that reminded us of the lack of life inside. A shadowy flock of crows swooped by. Those ghastly hooked beaks cawing down at us. And suddenly, there he was. At the end of the line. Glass openings for eyes, encased in glossy black leather. Twisted wooden cane. And that curved, contorted, macabre mask, stitched tightly to his skin. His ghastly grin. That gaping hole, stretched to reveal teeth as sharp as needles. Sanguine, sunken syringes. Just in time for the 11am press conference. But he still seemed far away. Not close enough to reach out with his frigid, translucent, bone-brittle hand. And touch. So, we lathered on the sanitiser and breathed a sigh of relief. We felt safe, sealed in our snow globe. Our worlds ending at the five-kilometre mark. The dome ceasing to stretch any further. Shaken only every now and then by his ghastly grip. The story of a friend. A grandparent. A relative overseas. And so, into our dreams stomped the masked man. With haste, he blew in. Charging past our cherished QR codes before you could say “Vaccine Pass Please”. The masked man and his masked-man men. Stampeding in our skulls. His breath rattling our bones. So, we locked our front doors, to lock him from our minds. But in the process, we locked ourselves out too. And when we came back - to our utmost dismay - our eyes no longer looked right. Our ears no longer sounded right. Our thoughts no longer sat right. It was as ifAs ifThe furniture had been rearranged. by Amy Deller (Yea r 12) 1st place Winner - MGC Year 11 and 12 Short Fiction Award Youth Parliament Newsletter Since the extensive lockdowns we faced throughout 2020 and 2021, I started to feel less confident in who I am, often tripping myself up on minor incidences. I knew I had always wanted to become a journalist, but I doubted myself. Could I ever do it? When my Year 10 International Studies teacher recommended the 2022 Youth Press Gallery, I had a wave of different emotions, which these emotions greatly intensified when I was accepted into the course. Don’t get me wrong, I was incredibly grateful and thrilled I could participate in such an opportunity but regularly would feel hesitant about pursuing such a big event. We started our first few online workshops in late April, discussing the course and what our job would be as Youth Journalist. Once I had finished my second term of year ten, and my exams were over, my week away began. While my friends enjoyed their long-awaited sleep-ins, we were all up at five in the morning on our way to parliament house. The Youth Parliamentarians were debating on overall 20 bills, 10 in the Legislative Assembly and another 10 in the Legislative Council. Young adults from across the state came together to debate on bills they are passionate about, bills relating to subjects such as the climate, homelessness and law reform. As journalists, we either chose to write an article on one of even two bills or a video report. Of course, I went with a video report. I started interviewing Buloke-Loddon Youth Advisory Council members, a group who were passing a bill on Sustainability and Carbon Neutrality in Mining. I enjoyed watching the debates, often wanting to join in and yell “here, here” to the government. As the youngest person to attend Youth Parliament, I was intimidated by the Youth Parliamentarians, but soon, I became friends with them all. Many people in the course were in university, journalists or future politicians in their last year of school. Others, though, were a lot like me, in senior schools across Victoria, from Hamilton to Hawthorn, with a passion for change. At the retreat, there was never a dull moment talking to the parliamentarians, as they were all nervous for their debates and found that talking about everything and anything was the best coping method. Our days at camp were split up into 30-minute/1hour sessions, either fun activities, working on our reports/debates or - my personal favourite - debriefing. We had an awards ceremony, where one member from the Youth Parliament and one member of the Youth Press Gallery were peer-voted in recognition of their contributions to the Parliament. A terrific Parliamentarian was awarded, and I was also. As the youngest journalist, it felt pretty great. Unfortunately, the last day of our retreat had come, and everyone was in tears. I was talking to one of my friends, Ravin Desai, “I wish I could stay here with all of you. You made this place feel less like a retreat but a home.” We all felt the same way. Despite the late nights and painfully early wake-ups, for all of us, it felt like the life we were aiming for in the future, and we didn’t want to leave. While writing this article, I’m waiting for the ABC to get back to me, as they are considering publishing my report. In the meantime, if you want to see it, I’ll attach a link to the video. https://youtu.be/GhRGDxNRnl4 by Charlie Todd (Year 10) Celebrating MGC Student Writing Irony His face pulling his lips into a smile, he babbles that smile is mockery. mocks the man before him and by chance on his deathbed. hours away from eternal unconsciousness he is feeble everything the man before a man to be is not Yet he is proud of the potential for life that is slipping away from his body by the minute. in the battle of life and death the dying man has leverage you know why? albeit his vessel is nothing but skin and bones his mind remains strong in contrast to the infant before him who is incapable to comprehend the omnipresence of death of permanence not even the dying man can comprehend. by Ariana Cosatovic (Year 12) Joint Winner - MGC Poetry Award

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