SCHOOL NEWS

SOUTHERN DISTRICT INTERACT CLUB CONFERENCE

Recently, members of McKinnon Secondary College’s Interact Club had the privilege of attending the Southern District Interact Conference, hosted at Balwyn High School. The event was an incredible opportunity for our student leaders to connect with Interact Clubs from across the region, exchange ideas, and share the many achievements of our own club.

Representatives from both campuses attended, making the day a great success. Our members returned with innovative and exciting ideas that we look forward to bringing into our own community at McKinnon.

We are also extremely proud to report that McKinnon’s Interact Club has been recognised as the top-performing Interact Club across the entire Southern Metropolitan District - a truly outstanding achievement.

First and foremost, we would like to thank the students who attended the conference and contributed to such a positive and inspiring experience. Your enthusiasm and leadership made the day such a success. We would also like to extend our gratitude to the broader Interact Club members, the amazing staff at McKinnon, and, of course, our Principal Team, whose support allows us to continue achieving at such a high level.

The Interact Club is excited to build on this success and can’t wait to share even more impactful projects with our school community.

If there are any students interested in joining the Interact Club, it is open to all. It’s a fantastic way to engage with the community while also building leadership skills and gaining valuable experience. If you’re keen, please email Maleesha DHARMADASA - we would love to have you on board!

Maleesha Dharmadasa, Year 11

Interact Club President

YEAR 11 LEADERSHIP PROGRAM

A Year 11 Leadership program was provided to students in Term 3. This consisted of six workshops that provided our students with vital knowledge and skills about leadership. Please find below student reflection on the program.

Kate Jobson

Head of Years 11 & 12

Thank you to Ms Jobson and the Year 11 Student Managers for organising the optional Year 11 Leadership Program. This program has taught us a lot about ourselves and how we present to others. We learned to be self and socially aware, how to problem solve and how to present ourselves with confidence. One of the activities we participated in involved lining up in order of our birthdays without speaking. It was interesting to see how some people naturally took lead with clear hand gestures, while others became the first followers (which is an important role because the program teaches us that following is ok).

We also heard from several guest speakers, including Dr Jess Murphy, our School Captains, and a psychologist Dr Rearn Norman, who spoke about the importance of emotional intelligence.

We learnt that there are four main components of emotional intelligence: self-awareness, social awareness, self-management and relationship management. These lessons provided us with valuable information we can carry into the future, such as Year 12 presentations and job interviews. The School Captains also shared what Year 12 leadership roles involve and gave us advice on how to prepare for these roles. On our very last session, we split off into groups and developed elevator pitches and presented them to the principal team, who gave us feedback on areas such as eye contact and tone.

Overall, this has been extremely beneficial and helpful for those who are interested in leadership roles and for future job opportunities.

Madison Simpson

Year 11 Student

1st half of the Sessions

I personally went into the leadership program not really knowing what to expect and not knowing if it would be beneficial to me. After just completing my third session, I now cannot recommend this program enough for people wanting to learn, revise, and practice their leadership skills. The sessions aren’t just filled with useful information and ways to improve as a leader, but you’re able to form meaningful connections with like-minded people, share experiences, and grow together in a supportive environment.

While the first session was just an introduction to the program, the two sessions that followed brought in guest speakers, who taught us useful information and advice that we wouldn’t hear otherwise. The speaker for the second session, Dr Jess Murphy, taught us about how valuable presentation skills are and put an emphasis on why ‘people, purpose and impact’ are essential components of successful leadership. Meanwhile, the speaker for the third session, Dr Rearn Norman, highlighted the importance of emotional intelligence and the benefits of developing this skill, allowing leaders to communicate effectively and build stronger relationships within their teams.

Overall, this program so far has been an incredibly rewarding experience that has strengthened both my confidence and understanding of what effective leadership looks like - especially considering I didn’t know what to expect going into it. I can’t wait to see what the next three sessions hold!

Sabrina Vitiello

Year 11 Student

2nd half of the Sessions

With only three sessions left to go, many of us were eagerly anticipating the final stages of the leadership program. The fourth session, ‘What Makes a Leader a Leader at MCK’, was particularly valuable, as we had the opportunity to speak with our school, music, and sports captains. Hearing from students we admire offered genuine insight into what effective leadership at McKinnon looks like, and how integrity, empathy, and initiative shape a leader’s impact on the wider school community.

The following session, ‘Lead for Impact’, featured a guest speaker from IBM who challenged our perceptions of leadership. We learned that true leadership is not about being the loudest or most confident person in the room, but about collaboration - bringing people together to achieve a shared goal and creating change that endures beyond individual effort.

Our final session, ‘Leading Forward’, brought together all we had learned. In randomly assigned groups, we were tasked with delivering elevator pitches to the Principal Class on ways to improve school culture. The ideas were creative and impactful - from a Year 7 transition club to support students joining such a large cohort, to a Year 9 social at East Campus aimed at strengthening connections. The enthusiasm and teamwork within each group reflected just how much we had developed as leaders.

My greatest takeaway from this experience is that leadership thrives in collaboration. As Helen Keller once said, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” These six sessions truly captured that leadership is not about personal recognition but about uniting people through shared vision, respect, and purpose. It underscored the vitality of effective leaders listening, empowering others, and taking initiative to make their community better - even in small, unseen ways. This experience has not only prepared many of us to apply for leadership roles in 2026 but has also strengthened our collective identity as leaders within McKinnon.

I would also love to take this opportunity to sincerely thank Ms Jobson for creating and organising this exceptional program. It has been an invaluable experience that has inspired, challenged, and equipped us to lead with confidence, compassion, and collaboration. I highly recommend that next year’s Year 11 students take full advantage of this opportunity - it is truly transformative and a fantastic foundation for future leaders at McKinnon!

Maleesha Dharmadasa

Year 11 Student

TERM 3 ART COMPETITION WINNERS

Congratulations to our TERM 3 ART COMPETITION WINNERS:

1st place: Logan Chan, 7R
2nd Place: Kathy Wu, 8D
3rd Place: Ritanya Nigin, 10N
Honourable Mention: Asher D'Souza, 7E

SAVE THE DATE: SENIOR ART SHOW

Students and staff from the Visual Arts faculty invite you to the opening night of our Senior Art Show on Thursday 7 November. The award ceremony will commence at 5pm sharp in the Alan Lawrence Theatre and features guest speaker Angie Pai and honorary guest Uncle Mark Brown, Bunurong Elder and 2025 McKinnon Artist in Residence.

Angie Pai is an artist working between Naarm / Melbourne (Australia) and Taipei (Taiwan). Her interdisciplinary practice is underpinned by expanded research in affective neuroscience, Taoist philosophy, and social work, which converge to form meditations on diasporic embodiment. Through experimental film, relief sculptures, textiles, paintings, and public programming, Pai examines transformative potentials catalysed at the intersection of relational psychology, trans-generational memory, and ancestral lineage.

You can view recent works by Angie in LATENT TRACE, a group show under the guidance of Lindy Lee.

ANGIE PAI ‘To break down / to break through’ 2025

Keep a lookout for exhibition posters featuring Kapitolina KOZLOVA’s incredible painting ‘DISSOCIATION’ and graphic design by 2023 Visual Communication Design McKinnon alumni May Ding.

Jessica Rogosic

Visual Arts LAM

SMR ATHLETICS

I’d like to start by congratulating all the students who competed in the Kingston Athletics Carnival last term. We had an incredible 78 students proudly representing McKinnon across a wide range of events - a fantastic effort from everyone involved!

A special congratulations goes to our overall age group champions:

15 Years Girls: Kiara Malhotra (Year 10) and Jasmine Chilco-Burns (Year 9)
17 Years Girls:Christina Tan (Year 12)

Well done on your outstanding performances!

On Thursday 9 October, 22 of our athletes went on to represent McKinnon at the SMR Athletics Finals. Our students competed brilliantly across both track and field events, bringing home an impressive 17 gold medals for the day, an amazing achievement!

We’d also like to congratulate the following students who have now progressed through to the State Championships:

Flynn Walker (Year 7)

Zavier Madden (Year 8)

Elliot Mulholland Pyle (Year 8)

Jasmine Chilco-Burns (Year 9)

Luka Sideridis (Year 11)

Harry Robertson (Year 11)

Olin Buisman (Year 11)

Lucinda Ledger (Year 11)

Allegra Orso (Year 12)

Christina Tan (Year 12)

Hugh Du Toit (Year 12)

and the Year 12 Boys Relay Team (Hugh Du Toit, Finn Sharp, Dylan Galgut and Sam Markham).

Mrs Jen Pemberton

Head of Physical Education & Sport