Student Advocacy
📚2026 Yearbook Cover Voting is NOW OPEN!✨
📚It's time to help choose the official 2026 Yearbook cover.
📅 Voting opens today and closes on Tuesday 16th June.
👉 Swipe through to see all of the submitted cover designs.
How to vote?❤️ Simply drop a like on the comment featuring your favorite cover design. You can only vote once. This can be done on our school's Instagram or Facebook page.
Once voting closes, the design with the most likes will be crowned the official 2026 Yearbook cover winner! 🏆Good luck to all our talented designers, and happy voting! 🎉
Kalkallo Youth Advisory Council
Report from our Representatives – Allan and Navrose
When the opportunity to join the Kalkallo Youth Advisory Council appeared on teams, Navrose and I, Allan, didn't hesitate. We saw it as a meaningful chance to do something beyond the classroom, to have a real impact on the community we live in and contribute to the local area in a way that matters.
The process of joining straightforward yet structured. We began by filling out an expression of interest form, before moving into an online interview where we were asked about our motivations for joining and to reflect on our own strengths and weaknesses. It was a moment of self-awareness, and it set the tone for the kind of engaging and reflective thinking the council encourages.
Our first meeting took place during the second week of the Term 1 school holidays in April, and it was energising. We were welcomed into a room of around 20 like-minded young people, from schools across the Hume area such as Hume Anglican Grammar, Elevation Secondary, Wallan Secondary and many more young students determined to make a difference.
The meeting centred around identifying a focus project for the council to work towards, and it became clear that everyone had something valuable to contribute. Ideas were shared openly, and three strong proposals stood out from the discussion. The first, addressed the lack of adequate public transport across the Mickleham, Kalkallo, and Donnybrook areas. For many young people in these suburbs, getting around independently is a daily challenge. We made a compelling case for why this needed to be on the agenda.
The second idea tackled the issue of youth crime. Not through punishment, but through prevention and education. Ideas included programs designed to better inform parents and caregivers about the challenges young people face, as well as community campaigns aimed at shifting attitudes and fostering a greater sense of responsibility among youth. Both ideas reflected exactly the kind of forward-thinking, community-minded approach the council is built around.
A third idea that generated real enthusiasm was the creation of structured hobby groups for young people in the area, spaces for painting, photography, music and gardening. The goal would be to give youth a creative outlet, and in doing so, build connection and genuine sense of belonging both within the community and themselves.
Being part of the Kalkallo Youth Advisory Council has opened our eyes to the local issues that shape the lives of young people in our region. We came in hopes to make a difference, and what we found was a group of young people who are similarly passionate and driven. As we move forward and begin turning these ideas into action, we are excited by what lies ahead and reminded that when youth are given a platform, they use it.