Around the College

Nazareth College’s Annual Winter Sleep Out 

It could be boiling hot, or freezing cold; homeless people are forced to sleep in tents, sleeping bags or cardboard boxes each night. On Friday 25th of August, approximately 55 students and 10 teachers camped out for the night in tents, or in the school gym, to help raise money for the homeless people. It was an amazing night, and we all had so much fun playing games and hanging out with friends. 

We started the night with hot soup and bread, generously cooked for us by the Nazareth College Parents Association. We played various ice breaker games, including the ‘Poverty Game’ and a twist on ‘Duck, Duck, Goose’. The Poverty Game was not only enjoyable, but it also helped us to step into the shoes of homeless people, and gain a better understanding of what they go through each day. Afterwards, we went to the Chapel for a small liturgy, so we could pray for all homeless people in the world. We were then given the opportunity to have a campfire and roast marshmallows, or just hang out with our friends in our tents or in the gym. About an hour later, we all gathered in the Wheeler Auditorium to watch ‘Hunt for the Wilderpeople’, a film following a young boy and his foster father, as they become subjects of a manhunt after they get stranded in the wilderness. Once the movie finished, we readied ourselves for sleep. Even though we had thick clothes, sleeping bags and a thin mattress to sleep on, it was still quite difficult to sleep and it felt quite cold during the night. What we experienced did not even come close to what thousands of people Australia wide living on the streets have to go endure every single day. 

For some of us, this was our first Winter Sleep Out, but for others, it was the 6th. However, we can say that we all enjoyed it and had a great time. A big thank you to Ms Douglass for organising the Sleep Out and to everyone who attended, volunteered their time or sponsored someone.  We raised $1000, so thank you to everyone who supported our cause. A special mention must go to Sara Kendirjian, Violet Mangiavillano, Emma Keyhoe and Ayana Osmond for raising $50 or more.

Angela Cremona & Sara Kendirjian (Mini Vinnies)

SIS Athletics Day

What an awesome day it was at the Division B SIS Athletics Carnival on Monday 28th August for some of Nazareth students. It was a beautiful winter's day and the sun was shining at Lakeside Stadium and certainly deemed a successful day for our students. 

Overall we had 56 students attend and we placed 4th in the Carnival. Students who attended were positive and participated as Nazarenes with pride. All squad members were willing to jump in and fill events on the day and showed initiative, enthusiasm, and determination to perform to the best of their abilities. 

Special congratulations go out to our Year 7 students on their first Athletics Carnival and our Year 12 students, Sarah Machuca, Jamika Aliaga, Thomas Leigh, Alejandro Tchung and Vanessa Williams for competing in their last carnival for Nazareth. Again a huge mention to all our squad members for their great efforts on the day. 

A big thank you to the staff who helped with training and the carnival, John Brenton, Amy Kane, Jason Kam, Emilia Roberts and Adam Ferraro. A huge carnival like Athletics could not run without their dedication and volunteering  of their time, it is greatly appreciated. 

Ms Emily Morris

Sports Co-ordinator

Nazareth College gives no longer needed resources a second life

Margaret Neith, a volunteer with an overseas Christian aid agency, recently visited Nazareth College to collect no longer needed learning resources consisting of educational DVDs and obsolete textbooks. Margaret together with her husband regularly visits Jaffna College and Uduvil Girls College where they work with the students and teachers and carry out other philanthropic work. Both these educational institutions are grossly underfunded and desperately in need of resources such as these which have been donated by Nazareth College. 

Margaret Neith assured me these Nazareth College Resources would be graciously received by the schools in Jaffna, Sri Lanka.

The following information provides some background about these schools and is worth taking the time to read.

Jaffna College, Vaddukottai, Sri Lanka

Jaffna College is located in the remote north of Sri Lanka in an area that was physically cut off from the south for many years by the long-running civil war. The population suffered great deprivation. Miraculously, the historic spacious College buildings survived the war.  The College is now trying hard to update its buildings, and its teaching methods to give its students the best chance to succeed academically and become peace-loving and productive citizens.

Today, Jaffna College is co-educational, with 1,300 students, and caters for students from Grade 1 to Advanced Level (Years 12 and 13).  Teaching is in the Tamil language, and most teachers and students come from a Hindu background.

The first students at Jaffna College commenced in 1872.  The College was started by local Christian Tamil people after a tertiary level Seminary begun by American missionaries was unexpectedly closed by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. A group of far-sighted and committed seminary alumni struck out on their own to establish a new educational institution for the Jaffna community. 

Twelve years after the seminary closed in 1855, they resolved at a public meeting to establish a new College ‘conducted upon the principles of Protestant Christianity’.  Jaffna College proudly became ‘the first College in the Mission field started by the people themselves’. The public meeting elected a Committee of five Tamil men to raise funds for the College ‘and to attend to other preliminary arrangements for the establishment of the College’.

These days, the College follows the Sri Lankan Government curriculum and has a strong extra-curricular program of sports such as cricket, football, hockey, netball and athletics.  It is proud of its historic Senior Student Library designed by famous Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa.

Jaffna College is particularly keen to improve the teaching and learning of the English language and welcomes Alumni and visitors from all over the world to assist in the improvement process.

Uduvil Girls College

In the early Nineteenth Century, American missionaries established numerous schools in Northern Sri Lanka (or Ceylon as it was known then). In 1820, a seminary was established in Uduvil (a suburb of Jaffna) in an abandoned Franciscan Mission. In 1842, missionary Harriet Winslow turned it into an all-girls boarding school, the first in Asia.  Each subsequent Principal gave her specific personal contribution to the ethos and development of the College.

The historic buildings of Uduvil Girls' College are set amongst tropical gardens and tall shady trees. Over the years, many buildings have been added, the latest being a suite of classrooms on the ground floor of a new building opened in 2017.  However, some of the buildings and infrastructure are in urgent need of repair and renovation.

The College suffered during the long civil war and has endured much turmoil in its long history.  The current principal is Mrs. Suneetha Jebaratnam. The College has Primary, Secondary, and Further Education, and follows the Sri Lanka National Curriculum. Teaching is primarily in the Tamil language. Uduvil Girls School aims to give students from disadvantaged backgrounds access to both a sound academic and a well-rounded education and to help them gain the skills, knowledge and courage to fulfil their

vocational and personal goals.  Priorities include English Language and IT Skills, and to improve and update the buildings and facilities.

Mr Brendan Hermon

EAL Teacher

La Classe D’italiano Visita Piccola Italia. (The Italian Class Visits Little Italy.)

Il ventidue agosto siamo andati a Brunswick Street con la nostra classe d’Italiano. Siamo andati al supermercato Mediterraneo per vedere il cibo e gli oggetti italiani. Abbiamo trovato un detersivo per il bucato, che si chiama “Dash”. Noemi ha detto che é famoso in italia. Abbiamo comprato del cibo per pranzo e alcuni studenti hanno comprato dei prodotti italiani per portarli a casa. Prima di partiti, abbiamo preso un cappuccino. La prof. Calleja ha comprato i cannoli siciliani per la classe. Erano buonissimi, soprattutto quelli alla ricotta! Mentre camminavamo a Brunswick Street, abbiamo visto il famoso italiano fornitore di mobili, “Franco Cozzo”. I mobili del negozio sono di stile antico e molto brutti. Dopo che abbiamo finito a Brunswick Street, siamo andati a Lygon Street per pranzo. Abbiamo mangiato il panino con salumi (mortadella e capocollo). Abbiamo anche mangiato una fetta di pizza. Abbiamo pranzato in una piazza di Lygon Street. É stato un giorno bello! 

On the 22nd of August we went to Brunswick Street with our Italian class-members. We went to the Mediterranean Supermarket to see Italian food and items. We found a laundry detergent, called "Dash". Noemi said it is famous in Italy. We bought food for lunch and some students bought Italian products to bring home. Before leaving, we drank a cappuccino. Ms. Calleja bought Sicilian Cannoli for the class. They were very good, especially those with ricotta! As we walked along Brunswick Street, we saw the famous Italian furniture provider, "Franco Cozzo". The store's furniture is of ancient style and ugly. After we left Brunswick Street, we went to Lygon Street for lunch. We ate rolls with cold-meats “salumi” (mortadella and capocollo). We also ate a slice of pizza. We had lunch in a Lygon Street Square. It was a beautiful day!

by Antonia Scandizzo, Vanessa Williams and Lia Catanzariti

Writers Festival

On 28 August, students from the Year 9 Laurel English and Year 10 Literature classes attended the Writer's Festival which took place at the ACMI Centre in Federation Square. Throughout the day, we students had the opportunity to listen to multiple authors speak about their books and life experiences. We learned in great detail about the Stolen Generation from the author of Stolen, Jane Harrison and had a crash course in feminism from the feminist advocate and author Clementine Ford. Overall, the Writer's Festival was a brilliant day and an awesome learning opportunity to listen about matters that are not normally discussed in the classroom.

by Anne Mulai (Year 10, Mannix 5)

On Monday the 28th of August, the Year 9 Laurel English and Year 10 Literature classes attended the Melbourne Writers Festival, which was held at ACMI (Australian Centre for the Moving Image) in the Melbourne CBD. Over the course of this day, we listened to several writers, as they detailed the inspirations for their work, what their writing process consisted of and the struggles they faced in getting noticed. As well as this, they also talked about real-life topics, such as feminism and the treatment of Indigenous Australians. Being able to hear these interesting and thought-provoking views and opinions coming from actual published writers was an amazing and truly inspiring experience, and one which left me wanting to learn more about the issues that continue to exist within our world as we speak. I am incredibly grateful to have been fortunate enough to be able to attend the Writer’s Festival and be a part of this great opportunity.

by Daniel White (Year 9, Mannix 5)