Learning and Teaching 

Great results in the National History Competition!

The Australian History Competition offers our capable historians the opportunity to shine at a national level. This year, our students have again done particularly well, with some outstanding individual results and the school’s average across the board above the state and national averages.  We congratulate all the students for their efforts; they should be proud of themselves. 

For several years, the format has been that Year 7 and 8 students sit the same paper, and Year 9 and 10 students sit a Year 10-based paper.  Each year level was graded differently, with consideration given to the content students had covered in their year-level curriculum within the school environment.  This year’s results showed an overall growth in skill set in the competition analysis.

The study of History extends far beyond facts and recall, and at the College, we are dedicated to developing each student’s ability to apply critical and creative thinking that focuses on historical skills, including terms, concepts, chronology, knowledge, interpretation, contextualization, and source analysis. 

National History Competition results:

Austin Sobey was awarded the joint State Champion Year 10 in the Australian History Competition! What a superstar!

• High Distinction: Lucas Rouse (Year 9), Austin Sobey (Year 10).

• Distinction: Olivia Baulch, Matilda Drage (Year 7), Hamish Brown, Maiah Colliton, Jack Gibson & Henry Horne (Year 9), Louis Lazzari (Year 10) 

• Credit: Mi-Ha Kim (Year 7), Zoe Bell, Grace Haldane, Kora Murray, Annabel Wenn, Hannah Young (Year 8), Davi Costa Lima Barroso, Phoebe Lazzari, George Prosser (Year 9), Marianna Novikov, Rupert Merrin & Ned White (Year 10)

• Merit:  Summer Chow, Annie Colliton (Year 7), Violet Brennan, Leila Robertson, Sophie Satchell (Year 8,) Lucas Harper (Year 9), Isabella Compson, Cairo Cullinane, Libby Hermann & Finlay Hunt (Year 10)

Along with other participants, some of these students will receive their certificates during a House meeting, while others will receive them at an upcoming assembly.

Congratulations to all the participants, who did a marvellous job.  The skills of History are vital in many other subjects also, and the History Faculty plays an integral role in working with students to develop their analytical and academic abilities at a whole-school level.

Cairo awarded Premier’s Spirit of ANZAC Prize

The Hamilton and Alexandra College is proud to congratulate Year 10 student, Cairo Cullinane, on being selected as one of just eleven students across Victoria to receive the Premier’s Spirit of ANZAC Prize.

This prestigious award offers young people the opportunity to participate in an 11-day study tour of Türkiye, visiting significant war heritage sites and deepening their understanding of the contributions of Victorian servicemen and women.

Cairo applied through a rigorous process, reflecting on themes of camaraderie, youth, and his own family connections to the ANZAC story. He discovered several relatives who served, including a 17-year-old who enlisted alongside his older brother by declaring himself of age. Cairo’s passion for history and his personal research have given him a strong connection to the events of World War I.

Later this year, Cairo will travel to Gallipoli, where he will present research on his great-grandfather William Russell as part of the Adopt a Digger project — an opportunity he describes as the highlight of the tour at a Lone Pine Memorial Service.

Jody Ogle

Head of History & Humanities