Secondary School

At Monday's assembly, we heard from several of our student leaders as they shared their end‑of‑term reflections. It was inspiring to hear just how much has been accomplished over the past nine weeks. GSG is certainly a busy and vibrant place, and it is remarkable how much has been achieved in such a short time.

Thank you to our dedicated staff who work tirelessly behind the scenes to make these opportunities possible. We wish all our families a restful and enjoyable break over the school holiday period.

Mr Jordan Owenell | Deputy Principal – Head of Secondary

Mojos Gig Fremantle - Year 12 VET Music

by Matilda Cook

On Tuesday morning, the team of 19 Year Twelve VET Music students managed to depart Grammar, miraculously, at 7.00am on the dot and began the long-awaited journey to the Mojos Bar in Fremantle. After a thankfully uneventful bus trip, we made it into the “big smoke” and started getting ready to head over to the bar and unpack our gear.

Once at Mojos, we were all stunned by the set‑up: flashy lights waved us in like VIPs, the music was already pumping through the loudspeakers and excitement levels were high. After unpacking all the gear and having a quick run‑through of the set (and hopefully not having to make any last‑minute changes to the songs), we headed next door to Flipside Burger for dinner. Our soon‑to‑be audience began gathering expectantly and as the last of the chips were quickly eaten and the photoshoot with Mrs Pelser came to an end with the photo, the one where no one was blinking, we headed on stage.

Between opening the night with “Movin’ Out” by Billy Joel and finishing with “Long Way to the Top” by AC/DC, a lot happened. Henry and Eugene performed an impressive cover of “Layla” by Eric Clapton; the WAAPA students proved tough competition with their original songs; Mr Fowler and Mr Irving made an appearance on stage; Livi belted out “Harder to Breathe” by Maroon Five; and everyone was grooving along to every second.

Finally, after a long night of sweating, screaming, cheering, and singing, the performance ended, the audience headed out, and we began the pack‑up. Driving back to the hotel, blasting music and singing along just loudly enough to pierce Ms Luxton’s ears, a well‑deserved ice‑cream was almost in sight. After unsuccessfully attempting to get the bus through the Maccas drive‑through, we instead settled for some gas‑station Ben & Jerry’s ice‑cream, which, in the end, was all we could have asked for.

This trip was an incredible opportunity that brought everyone together and created unforgettable memories. From the excitement of arriving at Mojos to the thrill of being on stage, every moment was filled with anticipation and energy. Not many people have this kind of experience or are exposed to the opportunities that GSG Music students have. We are so grateful that we were allowed to perform in this awesome bar alongside incredibly talented WAAPA students. The amount of work that went into organising the whole event is almost inconceivable, so a big thank you to Mr Fowler, Mrs Pelser, and Ms Luxton for their time, effort and almost endless patience.

Duke of Edinburgh

One of the many value‑add programs available to students at Great Southern Grammar is the Duke of Edinburgh Award.

The Duke of Edinburgh Award is an internationally recognised program for young people, designed to build skills and confidence to prepare them for life beyond school. By encouraging participants to develop new skills, engage in physical activity, undertake service and experience adventure, the Award plays a valuable role in supporting students’ personal growth.

At GSG, the Duke of Edinburgh Award challenges students to set goals in physical recreation, learn a new skill and, reflecting our strong focus on service, contribute meaningfully to the wider community through a range of rewarding placements.

This year, for the first time, Year Nine students have joined the Year Ten cohort to embark on this rewarding journey. The level of engagement has been wonderful to see, with close to 100 new students registering and actively logging hours across their chosen activities.

This week, we proudly recognised the following students who have completed their Bronze and Silver Awards.

Bronze Awards

Sarah Arnold  (Year Ten)
Edmund Toomey  (Year Ten)
Amelia Burgess  (Year Eleven)
Maxwell Cruse  (Year Eleven)
Kari Taylor (Year Eleven)
Zoe Bascombe  (Year Twelve)
Charlie Hill (Year Twelve)
Venja Ruggera (Year Twelve)
Katelin Woithe (Year Twelve)

Silver Awards

Tilly Bradshaw (Year Twelve)
Willow Powell (Year Twelve)

Mrs Renae O’Donnell | Duke of Edinburgh Coordinator

GSSSSA Years Ten to Twelve AFL Carnival

Our students represented the school with outstanding spirit and determination at this year’s GSSSSA AFL Carnival, delivering a day filled with effort, teamwork and impressive football.

The girls’ team produced a series of gritty performances, contesting two very close matches that could have gone either way. Despite narrow losses, the team secured a well‑earned third‑place finish. Fenella O’Neill and Abbie Bootsma were exceptional throughout the carnival, leading with composure, strength around the contest and a relentless work rate.

The boys began their campaign with a tight opening loss but showed great resilience to bounce back strongly, assisted by some Adam Kingsley‑style coaching from Mr Bryce McLean. A convincing win in their second match against ASHS set the team up for an exciting Grand Final against NASHS, where they delivered a composed and hard‑fought victory. Corinthian was a constant attacking threat, finding the goals consistently, while Aiden Keen was influential through the midfield, providing drive, pressure and clean ball movement.

Thank you to Mr Kane Smith for coaching the girls’ team and to Mr Lachie Steytler for assisting the boys throughout the day. We also extend our appreciation to the Year Nine students who generously supported the carnival by helping with umpiring duties. Their contributions were invaluable to the smooth running of the event.

A fantastic effort from all involved!

Mr Bryce McLean | Head of Mokare

UWA Year Twelve Revision Courses – July School Holidays

UWA Revision and Exam Preparation Courses with The Exam Experts will run in Week One of the July school holidays (Monday 6 to Friday 10 July), supporting students in preparation for their Year Twelve exams.

Courses cost $220 per subject (10 hours) and are delivered by experienced exam preparation teachers. Students can attend on campus at UWA, watch live online, or choose a fully immersive university experience with discounted, supervised on‑campus accommodation (limited places available). Online participation is available for students unable to attend in person.

Enrolments: https://www.theexamexperts.com.au/

Students can enter a competition to win a free subject enrolment worth $220.

To enter go to: https://www.theexamexperts.com.au/competition/