Year 9 Service Week

Taimi Buchan, Year 9 Teacher

In Week 7, our Year 9s took a break from their usual classes to dive into what it really means to serve others. Each morning kicked off with a chance to reflect on what the Bible says about service - looking at the mandate given in the Law of Love, reflecting on the model set by Jesus and learning from other inspiring figures in Scripture.

We were lucky to hear from some amazing guest speakers - Sam Ramsden (Podcaster), Phil Simpson (Barrister and former school chaplain), Xander Napoli (Bellarine School Ministries) and a panel of people who serve as their vocation (Inspector Dan Jamison, Paramedic Loren Herrera, CFA volunteer Annabelle Forsyth and Captain Starlight Stellios Ioannides).

But it wasn’t just about listening - our students got stuck in with practical service activities every day. Whether it was cooking meals for food bank freezers, helping in our DCC Primary School, or teaming up with local organisations, they had plenty of chances to put what they were learning into practice. Notably, 2000 houses in the local area were letterbox dropped with a little greeting and a sweet treat and the replies from our neighbours expressing their gratitude has been overwhelming!

This week was a hands-on way to live out the heart of our Community Life curriculum: loving God and loving others. We hope these experiences will stay with our students and help shape them into people who build God’s Kingdom wherever they go.

Here are some Student reflections:

I hadn’t done much active service before Service Experience and hadn’t really put that much thought into it. After this week’s experience of doing the “Why Serve?” and Practical Service Activities and listening to the guest speakers, they have all contributed to my understanding of service now. I used to think that service was just serving other people and not expecting anything in return. While that is part of service, it is a lot more profound. We, as God’s creation, serve to honour and praise him as he has created us to do. Serving is fulfilling and impacts both us and others in many ways that are hidden beneath the surface level effects of helping others.

I think all the activities we did had huge impacts, such as community care, where we helped the people clean from the homeless shelter. Cooking would have also made a big difference to people who needed food, whether they were struggling with poverty, sickness or loss of a family member. Helping at Warranwood Primary also made a huge impact on the teachers, when we helped the kids with spelling and handwriting, even playing sport with them and playing with them at lunch, giving them good role models to look up to.

I think I realised how service isn’t about us; it’s about the people we are serving. We aren’t doing service to feel better about ourselves, even though that might be a bonus, we are serving for others so that we can be a bright spark in their day or their lives. We might not be making a huge difference or changing their life by any means, we are simply trying to make others happier and make their lives easier. The Bible tells us in Mark 10:45 that even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve. This demonstrates that even God was serving others, so we should as well.

EISM Cross Country

Emily Townend, Head of Health and PE

Our 2025 EISM Cross Country team competed at the Division 1 Carnival last week. The event, held at Ruffey Lake Park, was an incredible day, showcasing our positive and uplifting community spirit. It was wonderful to see our students cheer each other on, often running between the start and finish lines to encourage one another.  

The day started off with incredible runs from Annabel Messer and Sawyer Onley in the U13 competitions, both winning their races by convincing margins.

As a school, we finished 2nd overall in Division 1 - an excellent achievement!

(A complete list of students who received a place in their events is at the end of the article.)

Our DCC Sports Captains Flynn Wills and Charity Onley have shared the following reflections on the event.

Donvale demonstrated another amazing performance at this year’s EISM Cross Country, and we were yet again blown away by the talent of all year levels. Congratulations to everyone who placed, and everyone who participated. Qualifying for EISM is a huge achievement in itself! Not only did we see many successful results throughout the day, but we were also thrilled to be part of a community that supported one another through every race. We are extremely proud of the way everyone encouraged each other and demonstrated a real sense of positive community. Thank you to all the teachers who made the day possible!

 EISM Division 1 Cross Country Highlights

1st Place:

Annabel Messer U13 Girls (+ NEW EISM Record!)
Sawyer Onley U13 Boys
Bri Coffey U14 Girls
Joel Ferguson U15 Boys
Emmy Smith U16 Girls
Alfie Onley U16 Boys

2nd Place: 

Lewis McLennan U14 Boys
Jem Englezos U15 Boys
Tommy Williamson U16 Boys

3rd Place: 

Hamish McLennan U16 Boys

Photo Credit: Ezra Chan

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