JRC | News

2026 Author Visit: Mark Smith

We were thrilled to welcome acclaimed author Mark Smith to Frankston High on Monday 17 August to speak with our Year 7 and 8 students. Mark last visited Frankston High School in 2018 and was incredibly popular with students, but after this visit, we can safely say he has become our most popular author yet!

We have received an incredible amount of positive feedback from teachers, along with a steady stream of students eager to get their hands on Mark’s The Road to Winter series.

One of the most engaging parts of Mark’s presentation was hearing about his own journey from a non-reader to a published author. Mark shared how he grew up in a sport-driven household where reading wasn’t a priority and how he didn’t read his first book until he was 15, when a catastrophic accident left him bedridden for several months. His story showed students that even the most reluctant reader can discover a love of books — and that a non-reader can even go on to become an author!

Mark also shared some practical (and easy!) tips to help students develop their own creative writing skills. Each session finished with a lively Q&A, with the student who asked the best question winning a signed copy of one of his books.

A huge thank you to Mark for inspiring our students, engaging them with his stories and helping to build a stronger culture of reading and writing at Frankston High School!

CBCA Book Week Activities in the Library

Symphony of Stories!

The Library and English Department have an exciting line-up of activities planned for Book Week, including Book Clubs and Chats, creative workshops, competitions, our popular Library raffles, and our first-ever Teacher Costume Parade!

We’ll also be celebrating an exciting new chapter as we officially launch our name change from the Junior Resource Centre tothe Library!

Join us and help bring our Symphony of Stories to life!