Around the College

Sharing Technology, Connecting Communities

Last year, Endeavour College was delighted to welcome teachers from Asaroka Lutheran Secondary School in Papua New Guinea, who travelled to Adelaide through Lutheran Mission for professional development and to share in learning with educators from our College.

Since then, our connection with the school has continued to grow. 

Earlier this year, following our annual student laptop distribution, Endeavour donated our remaining laptop devices to Asaroka Lutheran Secondary School, helping provide students with greater access to technology and new opportunities for learning.

We are delighted to share that the laptops have now arrived safely at the school, and the response from students and teachers has been wonderful.

The school shared that students were incredibly excited to use the laptops, with many experiencing a computer for the very first time. Teachers described the students as 'nervous and excited' as they explored the devices, clicked the mouse and discovered all the possibilities these new tools could offer.

With classes of up to 65 students and 30 computers now available, the laptops will make an important difference as the school prepares to introduce ICT as a subject next year, including as part of the National Exam.

The school’s gratitude was beautifully expressed in a message to our Endeavour community, thanking us for our support and describing the generosity as a reflection of 'our love for Jesus Christ and His people'.

For us, this is a wonderful reminder that the impact of our community extends well beyond us. 

We give thanks for the safe arrival of the laptops, for the excitement and curiosity of the students at Asaroka, and for the ongoing partnership between our two schools.

What a joy to see technology opening new doors for learning, and to know that our Endeavour community has played a small part in making that possible.

Science Week

The theme of Science Week 2026 was 'Seeds of Science – Nurturing Knowledge for All', a concept that captures both the study of plants and the broader process of scientific discovery. Just as a seed provides the starting point for something that can grow and flourish, an initial idea, question or curiosity is often the beginning of the scientific process. Through observation, investigation, data collection and critical analysis, scientists explore questions and test hypotheses, sometimes leading to ground-breaking discoveries that change the world. At other times, the process itself is the most valuable outcome, as it develops critical thinking, logical problem-solving skills and a sense of wonder and curiosity about the world around us.

Together with our 2026 STEM Leader, Fran Whittle, the Science Faculty hosted a range of activities and events throughout Science Week. Students were encouraged to get involved in the Care Group Kahoot and Scattergories competitions, with Florey West taking out the win. The Discovery Centre offered students the opportunity to use the Virtual Reality wall to journey inside a plant cell, while our senior Science students hosted a “Come and Try Science” lunchtime event, showcasing engaging activities from Biology, Psychology, Chemistry and Physics.

Our budding botanists decorated pots and planted seeds to take home and nurture, while many Middle Years students enjoyed a lunchtime nature walk. Congratulations to Amali Cameron (Year 7), Ramzi Him (Year 8) and Ruby Georg (Year 9), who were the winners of the Science Week colouring competition.

Staff were also treated to our annual Science Week morning tea, complete with themed foods, science quizzes and a lucky door prize. Throughout the week, the Year 10 STEMIE team continued their research into the requirements of a healthy astronaut, conducting a range of physical and cognitive tests with Endeavour students. Congratulations to Cassie van Mook, who was determined to be the “most suited” to becoming an astronaut, with Evie Madigan and William Altmann named as runners-up.

The week culminated in our Science Week assembly, where Year 12 Biology students revealed which areas of the school had the highest levels of bacteria following their investigations. Year 12 Chemistry students then captivated the audience with demonstrations of the glowing luminol reaction and the spectacular iodine clock reaction.

I would like to extend my sincerest thanks to the entire Science Faculty. While they embraced Science Week with enthusiasm and creativity, their greatest contribution is the passion they bring to Science every day. Through their dedication, they continually encourage our students to learn, question, understand and remain fascinated by the world around them.

Innika Ackerley

Head of Science

Debating Catch Up

Debating Round 4

Round 4 of the 2026 Debating SA season took place on August 3  with the following results:

7 Orange - LOSS

7 Geese - WIN

8 Brown Snakes - LOSS

9 Purple - WIN (Chloe Tan BEST SPEAKER)

9 Green - LOSS

10 Gold - LOSS

Seniors Red - LOSS (Tatum Williams BEST SPEAKER)

Seniors Yellow - WIN (Gjevika Poongavanam BEST SPEAKER)

Seniors Short Prep topic - That the Benin Bronzes should be returned to Nigeria

Both of our Senior teams had a well fought final debate for the season! With only 90 minutes to prepare, they all did well to navigate such a complex topic in a short amount of time. 

For the Seniors Red team, this was their final debate of the season and in the case of the Year 12s, their final debate ever at Endeavour College. It has been such a pleasure coaching them this year! 

With most of the team beginning their debating journey in the Middle Years, they have all grown so much over the last few years of debating and even though they did not make it to finals, they should be proud of what they have achieved. The debating coaches hope they have gained valuable skills in debating and public speaking that they take with them for the rest of their lives.

Well done to the rest of the teams! Particularly with the winning teams, the feedback from coaches was that they all did very well and your wins were well earned. 

Debating Round 5

Round 5 took place on Monday, 24 August and what a tough but amazing night to end the preliminary rounds at Endeavour College for the year:

7 Geese - LOSS

7 Orange - LOSS

8 Brown Snakes - LOSS

9 Purple - WIN (Adele Emery BEST SPEAKER)

9 Green - WIN (Zahra Beattie BEST SPEAKER)

10 Gold - WIN (Mayar Al Khateeb BEST SPEAKER)

10 Short Prep topic - That the AusAlert test was a waste of taxpayer money

Whether teams won or lost, and whether teams made it to finals or not, everyone has all come a long way with their debating and public speaking skills. A special shout out to the Year 10s who did their first short preperation debate. They did amazingly well under pressure and worked cohesively as a team, despite the other team forfeiting. Nicely done!

Finals

I am pleased to report that Seniors Yellow are into the Quarter Finals!

The topics for the Senior Quarter Finals is that 'That Schoolies is a bad idea.'

The Quarter Finals will take place at Nazareth Catholic College (Flinders Park) on Wednesday, 9 September at 7:45pm. Seniors Yellow should arrive at least 30 minutes before the debate for team photos.

To those who end their debating season on Monday night, thank you for your involvement and we hope to see you again next year. 

For those going into finals, your coaches wish you the best, but until topics come out, rest up!

The following teams and should be acknowledged for their efforts in 2026:

7 Orange – Coach: Alex Fechner (Year 12)

• Sakina Adenwala
• Deed Mann
• Emily Zhang

• Lucy Lee

   

7 Geese – Coach: Lucy Higgins

• Amity Smith
• Blair Parker
• Chloe Schwartz

• Harshiv Chavda

   

8 Brown Snakes - Coach: Mitchell Wells

• Viraj Maanju (Year 7)
• William Huynh
• Kevin Vu

• Vivaan Singh

   

9 Purple – Coach: Tracie Whittle

• Evie Madigan
• Chloe Tan
• Jeskeerat Gill
• Adele Emery

9 Green – Coach: Hayley Gronow

• Zahra Beattie
• Abigail Vidyasagar
• Hayley Schultz
• Scarlett Rogers

10 Gold – Coach: Genene Garth

• Nadia Schwartz
• Krisha Babbar
• Tamara Peters (Year 9)
• Mayar Al Khateeb (Year 9)

Senior Yellow - Coach: Jarrod French

• Gjevika Poongavanam
• Elna Mary-Sunu
• Thinara Hatangala
• Lucy Schmidt

Senior Red – Coach: Anthony Bonini

• Asher Harten
• Paige Emery
• Samantha Perryman
• Tatum Williams

Anthony Bonini

Teacher, Debating Coordinator

Book Week Celebrations

This week we celebrated ‘A Symphony of Stories’ as part of our Book Week celebrations.

On Tuesday staff and students participated in our dress up day and lunch time parade. Many thanks to Naomi Mann and the Student Action Team for volunteering to judge our best dressed, and to our College Captains, Gemma and Kohen for hosting the event. 

Together you created a fun celebration of story, and you all looked amazing dressed in character.

A small group of Year 9 students visited The ARC Salisbury Lutheran Kindergarten to join in their book parade and read story books to the Kindy students. Endeavour students thoroughly enjoyed sharing a part of Book Week with younger students, and it is a great way for us to give back to our local community.

On Wednesday, our Middle School classes were visited by Tim Ide who is a local author/illustrator. This was a valuable time for students to understand the writing and publishing process. Our Library Leader, Naomi Mann, hosted our first ever Book Week Book Swap. A great time was had as students and teachers found their next great read.  

On Thursday we held our annual ILF Bake Sale to raise funds for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation. Again, the staff and student support for this event was overwhelming and helped to create a sense of fun and community as we joined together to celebrate the joy of reading to raise funds for a very worthy cause.

Thankyou to all staff and students who baked, made coffee or helped serve on the day. 

Extra special thanks to our senior performers and Mr Haynes who made the event truly memorable by performing numbers from their favourite musicals. They were truly excellent and we are very grateful for their efforts.

Next Friday we will officially close the event for this year with a celebratory assembly to share photos and announce winners for our care group black out poetry competition.

As a Library team we would like to thank all staff and students who joined in our Symphony of Stories. 

What a great week!

Hayley Gronow 

on behalf of the Discovery Centre Team

Food Technology Board Dinner Preparations

On Wednesday, 28 August, I had the privilege of seeing our Stage 2 Food and Technology students bring their learning to life as they catered for and served the Endeavour College Board as part of one of their final assessments.

For the third consecutive year, our students have had the opportunity to take on this authentic catering experience, and once again, they rose to the occasion. Having worked alongside them throughout the unit, it was incredibly rewarding to see their planning, preparation and learning come together on the night.

From the moment our Board members arrived, the students demonstrated outstanding professionalism. They confidently greeted and welcomed our guests, served them with care and courtesy, and conducted themselves in a way that reflected the pride they have in their work and their College.

The food was equally impressive. Throughout the evening, students challenged themselves to develop their skills, experiment with ideas and produce dishes to a high standard. Seeing those dishes come together and watching the students take genuine pride in what they had created was a wonderful culmination of their hard work.

Experiences like this allow students to step beyond the classroom and apply their knowledge and skills in a genuine setting, while developing confidence, communication, teamwork and the professionalism expected in the food and hospitality industry.

Renee Hutton

Head of Technologies

Sub-School Assemblies Message to Students

This morning both the Middle School and Senior School took time to meet in their respective sub-schools for separate assemblies. The clear overarching themes for both were around healthy school culture and that our disposition towards a culture of kindness is critical to who we are.

The Middle School were given constructive and clear messages around the topics of 'gossip' and 'use of language', including racist slurs and remarks, and the harm these can and are having.

These conversations highlight the vital partnership between school and home in nurturing a culture of kindness, respect and inclusion, and in supporting our students to make positive choices in all aspects of their lives.

Peter Pearse

Deputy Principal