College Assembly 

Thursday 23 November 

At the final College Assembly for the year, the 2018 College Captain Sally Walker shared some family adventures and challenges and International exchange student Mariana Amaral do Prado Castro  reflected on her time at MGSC/ 

And so the countdown beings. 

Only a few weeks until the summer holidays start. Between then and now we’re all starting a new year of our schooling lives; new teachers, new classes and new subjects. With new beginnings come new opportunities. Opportunities to meet new people and make new friends, join a new team or put yourself forward for a leadership position.

It might not even be school related; it could be an opportunity to get a job, to travel, or learn to surf or go bungee jumping. I guarantee you in the next few weeks of school and the holiday period after, so many opportunities will arise for all of you and I encourage you all to say "yes" to as many as you can. I know sometimes it seems easier to say "no" and lie in bed binge watching the entire second season of Stranger Things instead but you don’t know what all those opportunities could potentially lead to if you never have a go.

Just recently, I had the opportunity for one of the most amazing experiences of my life. For my mum’s birthday this year my dad decided it would be a good idea for our whole family to do something together. Now we’re quite an active and adventurous family so we put our heads together and all agreed to do a skydive!!  Imagine my mum’s surprise when she opened the card. That’s not the plane ticket she was expecting!!!

Now the thing is, like a lot of people, I have a huge fear of heights. I was so excited nonetheless and it seemed like such a good idea until about 9:28am last Saturday when I was dangling out the side of an aeroplane 15,000 feet above St Kilda Marina. I’d just seen my dad disappear out the door and now it was my turn.  Never in my entire life have I screamed so much as I did falling out of that plane. I kid you not, once I was back on the ground one of the crew members who was waiting at the drop zone asked us who was the one screaming. That lady heard me screaming from 15,000 feet away!  It was the most amazing experience though. My instructor was awesome and he got me to steer the parachute, and do a stand-up landing. My mum ended up loving it too. Even though she had her eyes shut for 80% of the morning. Anyway, moral of the story, when opportunities do come up, try your best to embrace them and have a go. Don’t let your fears hold you back.

The second thing that I wanted to mention is the AFL draft which is tomorrow night.  My brother, Will, has been playing for the Sandringham Dragons footy team for the last two years.  He was hoping to get into the Vic Metro team at the start of the year but was quickly cut from the trials and he was really disappointed - as you would be. Anyway, he decided to play as well as he could for the Sandy Dragons and enjoy the season, and maybe see if he could get into a VFL team next year.  His team had a good year and they were unlucky to lose the Grand Final by two points.  Considering that, we were all really surprised when he got invited to the draft combine, which is where they test AFL prospects. Since then he has had a few AFL recruiters interview him. They even contacted his school, which is Melbourne High, the nerdiest school in Melbourne, to ask about him. Imagine what the teachers there think when an AFL Club phoned up. It doesn’t happen every day.

So it now seems like he has a chance of being drafted by an AFL club tomorrow night. I’m really proud of him. Not because he’s some amazing footy player but because he makes the most of every opportunity he gets and he never quits. He’s proved the Vic Metro selectors wrong and whatever happens tomorrow night he knows he did his best and he’s really enjoyed the season.

So like I said before, there’s no way my mum would’ve jumped out of that plane on her own, and sometimes, like my brother Will, you have a go but things don’t always go to plan. The point is that you do step up and have a go.

So make sure you look for opportunities to step outside your comfort zone, maybe try things you haven’t done before and test your limits. Also remember to support the people around you with the challenges they face.  And when things don’t go the way you want, don’t give in. Believe in yourself and have another go. I guarantee you will always learn something from it and sometimes you will surprise yourself.

Sally Walker 

2018 College Captain 

Postscript - Will Walker was drafted at pick 23 to North Melbourne.  

Good morning Ms Brown, teachers, students and guests,

For those who do not know me, my name is Mariana Amaral do Prado Castro, and I am a Study Abroad student, part of the International Program, from Brazil. And this is my last assembly before I fly back home.

For those who do not know Brazil, do you know the Amazon forest? If yes, that is where Brazil is in South America.

I’d like to share my story with you: being in the Study Abroad program never occurred to me. I always thought that was impossible, because I would have to build my life in a new country with a different culture and then I would have to leave everything. However, my thoughts completely changed when my brother said to me that he was moving to Australia with his wife. They didn’t know any English, didn’t have any friends or jobs here, they just came. Thus, I had the opportunity to study here as well, because when I saw that my brother achieved the impossible, I just realised that I could do the same. So, I came. Me and other exchange or Study Abroad students with the same aim: to discover ourselves.

I was in Australia for only two weeks and it was my first day at school. I was really scared: to study at a college just with girls in a new country, new language and new culture would be a challenge for me. However the students, teachers, and coordinators of the school made me feel so welcome that this helped me with all my doubts. When students showed interest in me and my country, and included me in their groups, like my friends in Year 11 or the International students that visited Sovereign Hill with me, I felt as if I were a part of Australia, a part of a community, a part of this school.  So I would like to thank my Year 11 friends and my International friends.

I would like to describe school in Brazil, because there are some differences. First, we have to study all subjects, which is 15, thus we can’t choose our favourite subjects, and we study in Portuguese. Secondly, high school is just Years 10, 11 and 12, and the majority are private, because public schools in Brazil are really bad, except for the university, which is really good, but hard to get into. Thirdly, all students have to do the ENEM, which is an exam to get in the best universities of Brazil. It has 180 multiple choice questions about general knowledge and one point of view essay. This is completed over two days, between four or five hours each day. Fourth, my school is co-ed and a 15 minute drives from my school. Very different to Mentone Girls'.

Finally, I would like to say how glad I am that I had this amazing experience for six months and met so many wonderful people that I really want to take with me back home for the rest of my life. I would like to say that this is not a goodbye, because everyone here knows that have a home in Brazil.

Thank you and until next time!

Mariana Amaral do Prado Castro