Brookhill

Mr David Murphy

This week sees the end of a very busy and productive first term for Brookhill students and staff. Some of the highlights of the term have been:

• The launch of the academic mentor group program throughout Years 10, 11 and 12.
• The establishment and great work of the Brookhill Council. Councillors have given valuable feedback and contributed to future planning of the mentor group program and are planning future events in support of cultural awareness and diversity.
• The Performing Arts Captain’s Concert, which was held Wednesday 6 April and showcased an amazing array of student talent. The success of the concert was due to the great work of the Performing Arts Captains, who deserve high praise for their efforts.
• In the sporting arena, Brookhill students represented the College in girls’ softball, volleyball, basketball and table tennis and boys’ volleyball, basketball and table tennis.
• The establishment by the College Captains of a leadership mentoring program, where Brookhill Student Leaders provide mentoring support to younger leaders. Below are reports from Lorjel S and Kayla P on the program:

Kayla P

As part of our roles as College Captains, Lorjel and I have initiated a Mentoring Young Leaders Program, intended to connect the Year 6 leaders with their corresponding Year 12 leader. This program was established to guide the Year 6 captains throughout their first experience in leadership within the College and has since morphed into a great deal more than that. Conducting fortnightly mentoring sessions has been a wonderful opportunity to watch the younger students develop their communication, listening, public speaking and all-round leadership skills, but it has also proven to be highly effective for the Year 12 students, who have found it a fulfilling experience to be a mentor. We are very grateful for the support we have received in initiating this program and look forward to another term of fun leadership training activities!

Lorjel S

Aitken's position as a Prep to Year 12 school results in students from the ages of five to eighteen to achieve top notch education at a wonderful institution. As one of the College Captains, the role involves overseeing students from the age range aforementioned. Despite this, it is demonstrated that from captains of years past and in our own experience that there is an invisible separation between Cumberland and Brookhill. The mentoring program is an initiative that aims to break down the barriers and engage to the wider school community of varied ages. This is done by our fellow captains in Year 12 mentoring their Cumberland counterpart in Year 6.

Through a range of activities such as planning for events and public speaking it is hoped that the Cumberland captains can walk away from the program more knowledgeable about College life and gaining skills that will last a lifetime, having a role model to confide in and look up to regarding the challenges of leadership and school life. Aitken College thrives on community spirit and this initiative is one of the primary ways Kayla and I aim to maintain this, by identifying issues and implementing solutions. To conclude, Kayla and I look forward to the program's transition into Term 2. 

Looking ahead to Term 2, we must keep in mind that this is a shorter second term than in previous years. This means that end of semester exams and final SACs will be upon us quickly and students must make sure they are up-to-date with their school work and well organised for the start of the term.