The Anchor

Student Achievements

Students Shine in SA Band Championships Victory

Last weekend, the SA Band Championships took place, and we are thrilled to share that two of our talented music students, Amee Mann (Year 10) and Rachel Ratsch (Year 11), along with Old Scholar Hannah Ratsch (Class of ’24), performed with the Tea Tree Gully Redbacks - who went on to WIN the B Grade Concert Band Championships!

Congratulations to Amee, Rachel, Hannah, and the Redbacks on this outstanding achievement. What an incredible showcase of skill, teamwork, and passion for music! 

Nicole Molloy

Music Assistant

Debating Update

Rounds 3, 4 and 5 of the 2025 Debating SA season have been full of successes and plenty of hard work across all year levels! 

 

Here are the summaries of the last three rounds:

 

Round 3 Topics:

  • Year 7: That the media causes moral panic about Eshays
  • Year 9: The “Trad Wife” movement is good for women
  • Year 10: That Australia is no longer the lucky country
  • Seniors: That the development of Artificial Intelligence is an unacceptable risk to humanity

 

Round 3 Results:

  • 7 Lions - WIN - Irakli Dafov BEST SPEAKER
  • 7 Tigers - WIN - Jia Benson BEST SPEAKER
  • 9 Sharks - LOSS - Hayson Cheng BEST SPEAKER
  • 10 Purple - WIN - Lucy Schmidt BEST SPEAKER
  • 10 Yellow – LOSS
  • Seniors Red - WIN - Paige Emery BEST SPEAKER
  • Seniors Blue - WIN - Hayley Cheng BEST SPEAKER

 

Round 4 Topics:

  • Year 7: That Australia should establish ‘charter schools’
  • Year 9: That YouTube should be exempt from Australia’s under 16’s social media ban
  • Year 10: That the development of bodyoids should be banned

  • Seniors: Short Prep (that Australian universities should abolish undergraduate fees altogether)

     

Round 4 Results:

  • 7 Lions – WIN
  • 7 Tigers – WIN
  • 9 Sharks – LOSS
  • 10 Purple - WIN - Lucy Schmidt BEST SPEAKER
  • 10 Yellow – LOSS
  • Seniors Red – WIN
  • Seniors Blue - WIN

 

Round 5 Topics:

  • Year 7: That parents should be fined if their child frequently refuses to go to school
  • Year 9: That Australia should not have signed the WHO Pandemic Agreement
  • Year 10: Short Prep (That Australia should replace preferential voting with first-past-the-post)

  • Seniors: Round off

     

Round 5 Results:

  • 7 Lions - WIN - Irakli Dafov BEST SPEAKER
  • 7 Tigers – LOSS
  • 9 Sharks – WIN
  • 10 Yellow – LOSS

  • 10 Purple – WIN

     

I am pleased to report that both 7 Tigers and Senior Blue have both made it through to the Quarter Finals. Ten Purple were extremely close but at the end of Round 5, they just missed out on coming in the top eight, being pushed to ninth spot by St Dominic’s Priory College by four points.

 

Our quarter finalists will debate the following topics:

  • Year 7: That the South Australia Police should reinstate mandatory spelling and numeracy tests for recruits

  • Seniors: That the ‘Enhanced Games’ is a worthwhile endeavour

     

Whether teams won or lost or made it to finals or not, the debating coaches all genuinely hope that the debaters enjoyed the experience this year. All students across all year levels have all come a long way with their debating and public speaking skills, which will help in all areas of life. 

Year 10s and Seniors both did exceptionally well with their short preparation debates and worked calmly under pressure.

 

It has been a pleasure being a host venue for Debating SA this year. The convenience for families and the ability to connect with other schools from across Adelaide has been excellent and we look forward to being a host venue into 2026.

 

Well done to all those who finished up debating on Monday night. 

For those embarking on their finals journey, we wish you all the best over the next few weeks!

 

Anthony Bonini

Debating Coordinator

Australian History Competition Awards 2025

In May this year, History students from Years 7 and 10 participated in the annual Australian History Competition. 

More than 38,000 students competed in this national competition in 2025. I am pleased to say that student interest in this competition has remained quite strong again this year. Participants had to complete fifty challenging multiple-choice questions in 45 minutes. 

The questions addressed historical knowledge by utilising source analysis skills and were graded from easy to difficult. 

 

Participation in this competition is voluntary. Twenty Year 10 students chose to participate, as did thirty-six Year 7 students.

 

I am delighted to report that many of the participants achieved highly in the competition and received the following awards:

                                                                                    

YEAR 10 - Merits: 7; Credits: 2

 

YEAR 7 - Merits: 11; Credits: 4; Distinctions: 2

 

The involvement of these students in the AHC reflects the excellent work being done by our teaching staff to enthuse students in their studies of History. 

 

Congratulations to the students who achieved highly in the AHC this year. We look forward to our continued involvement in this worthwhile competition in 2026.

David Thiele

History Coordinator