Out and About
National School’s Constitutional Convention
The National School’s Constitutional Convention is a three-day event in Canberra, which consists of 120 students from all around Australia, coming together to learn and discuss Australia’s Constitution. This year I was lucky enough to be selected to attend, representing Frankston High School and Victoria.
In 2019, we debated the topic ‘a new preamble for the Australian Constitution?’. The three days were spent at the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House, where we were able to hear from those in the industry of politics, discuss the Constitution and learn about the making of other countries preambles. Throughout the convention, we determined that Australia did need a preamble to our Constitution. As a result, at the end of the three days, we had formed one. All 120 students came together to create the new preamble for our Constitution, which was then put forward to a mock referendum conducted by the Australian Electoral Commission. The referendum was to pass our new proposed preamble, which is as follows;
We the Australian people, united as an indissoluble Commonwealth, commit ourselves to the principles of equality, democracy and freedom for all and pledge to uphold the following values that define our nation.
We stand alongside the traditional custodians of the land and recognise the significance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures in shaping the Australian identity, their sovereignty was never ceded.
As a nation and indeed community, we are united under the common goal to create a society catered to all, regardless of heritage or identity.
We pledge to champion individual freedom and honour those who have served and continue to serve our nation.
As Australians, we stand for the pursuit of a democratic state that upholds the fundamental principles of human values as set out by this Constitution.
Ultimately, there was a double majority ‘yes’ in favour of our new proposed preamble, which was later presented to the Senate for their discussion later in the year.
The convention was a great opportunity for learning and growth. I made many like-minded friends, as we all have similar interests, and it was an amazing three days. It gave me an insight into what a life in politics would be like, and I am so thankful for the experience. I would like to thank Mrs Bryant for encouraging me with my application.
Zoe Cox
Year 12
Frankston Netballers Steal the Show at Jubilee Park!
Year 9/10 competition – Redbacks 1st, Spiders 3rd
Year 7/8 competition / Division 1 -Whitetails 1st, Hornets 2nd, Fireants 4th, Vipers 6th with Hornets and Fireants promoted to Division 1 half way through the season.
Year 7/8 Competition / Division 2 - Dragonflies 2nd, Stingers 3rd.
Thanks to Ms Libby Nicol for training us, Mia for coaching and managing, Rosie for umpiring, and to Audrey, Julie, Lil, Andrea, Kate and all the other parents who helped out throughout the term; it was an absolutely fantastic season. The championship competition runs through Terms 2 and 3 and games begin next Friday, wish us luck!
Here’s the squad, minus a few Redbacks:
Sports Leadership Council (SLC) Camp
Every year the students from the Student Leadership Council are given the wonderful opportunity of attending a camp based at the Phillip Island Adventure Resort Camp. This year from 27 February till 1 March we boarded the buses heading towards Phillip Island and left our school life behind for three days. As this was our final year at school, my Year 12 peers and I were given the honour of leading a colour group mixed with students from various year levels. This enabled us leaders to interact with students beyond the senior school, communicate with the younger year levels and further develop our leadership skills.
The focus of the camp was to set our goals and devise initiatives we would work towards for the rest of the school year. Students split into multiple teams to focus on different areas, including student voice, casual dress day, mental health and wellbeing and multiple other areas. The three days given enabled our groups to understand the strengths and weakness of Frankston High School and plan what we intend to implement in the future. Students were also given the chance to advocate for a charity that Frankston High School would fundraise for on our Casual Dress Days, and the remaining students voted for the charities we would like to support.
Alongside our goals we also had amazing guest speakers including our very own Eilis Peters (2018’s Vice Captain) who explained the importance of volunteering and the benefits associated with it. Above all, this camp gave us the opportunity to interact with others who we would not normally have the chance to talk to. Developing great bonds and friendships amongst everyone I can truly say that this camp was a delight. I would also like to thank the teachers who gave up their personal time to support us on this camp as all SLC students really appreciate this.
Anzali Nedumaran,
Year 12 – School Captain
International Women’s Day Breakfast 2019
On Wednesday 6 March I was able to attend the International Women’s Day breakfast held at Mornington Racecourse. I was fortunate enough to hear two inspirational speakers, Ms Tania De Jong and Ms Prue Gilbert talk about their stories and their successes. Tania De Jong is one of Australia’s most successful female entrepreneurs and innovators, she has developed five businesses and two charities over 3 decades. Prue Gilbert is a lawyer, human rights advocate and a mother empowering parents across Australia. Prue co-founded Grace Papers to challenge traditional stereotypes, drive gender equality and empower working parents and their employers. I would highly recommend to any student if they get the chance to go to an International Women’s Day breakfast to definitely attend and hear amazing stories about empowered women and to be inspired by others! Thanks to Miss Georgie Long and Ms Suzanne Caldwell for giving us this opportunity.
Madeleine Juleff,
Year 11
MOOMBA - Birdman Rally
On Sunday 10 March Moomba was held and Frankston High School participated in the Birdman Rally supporting the incredible charity DKD (Dog for Kids with Disabilities). The Year 9 LEAD class had worked together to plan for the events leading up to this, such as raising money and organising/designing an aircraft with the help of Hands on Learning. Our School Captain, Guy Taylor, was our pilot and he was assisted by Year 12 students Rory Philpott and Lily Chapple as his support crew.
The Birdman Rally is a charity event where participants launch themselves off a platform and try and ‘fly’ as far as they can across the Yarra river in home-made crafts, with the longest distance receiving prize money for their charity. Teams must fundraise to enter the competition – we were thrilled that we raised over $2700 on our Go Fund Me page, and each $500 raised counted as an extra metre of distance in the competition.
We arrived at Moomba early in the morning to secure a good viewing spot on the banks of the river. Many Frankston High School SLC members and students from the LEAD class came and supported our entry - we had a loud and proud cheer squad, and Guy flew an incredible 8 metres! DKD was a really good charity to raise money for because they are a small charity that is based locally. The charity trains dogs to assist families and act as companions for kids with disabilities, and the dogs really do help the children - some haven’t been able to leave the house but the dogs will help them go out and do activities they have never done before.
The Semester 1 LEAD class are still supporting and raising money for this charity, and will be holding a bake sale at the Parent Student Teacher Conferences in Term 2. I would like to thank Hands On Learning, DKD, the LEAD Class, Guy Taylor, Rory Philpott, Lily Chapple and Miss Georgie Long for making this opportunity possible.
Melanie Reardon,
Year 9
Journalism Students at the Grand Prix
On Friday 15 March the Year 9/10 Journalism students attended the Annual Grand Prix event in Melbourne. Students were there to practice their interviewing and news gathering skills, and had the task of writing a news article about this event. Students could choose what aspect of the event to focus on, and topics we chose to research ranged from “how to have fun at the Grand Prix for non-car enthusiasts” to “is the Grand Prix suitable for children?”
The journalism students were also set the task of interviewing the general public about the event to create vox pops. The day was successful for all of the class, as we practiced the skills we had learnt in class and had a fun day out!
Tiffany-Rose Ellis,
Year 10