Through the Eyes of Year 9 Students

Production: Disney's The Little Mermaid

Front of House:

What Front of House was like. My experience during Front of House was that we started off with setting up the tables for both upstairs and downstairs. How we did this was grabbing all the supplies needed from a room, these supplies included programs, roses, chips, popcorn, raffle tickets, drinks, cash registers and eftpos machines. Once we had set everything up, we waited for guests to arrive and as they did, we ushered them. We served people at either stations, before the doors opened. We told them where their seats were if they didn’t know where they were or where to go to get to them. Once the show started, we just quietly chatted to pass the time and when it was 10 minutes before intermission, we restocked the station at the top. Also, during intermission, we moved everything from the bottom station up to the top. Once intermission started we served the huge amount of customers and then once the rest of the show began we packed everything up and were allowed to go home. So that was my experience with Front of House. Also on a side note we had name tags.  ~ Courtney Malloy

Cast Member:

This year I had a featured role in the school production of The Little Mermaid. When I first joined the production I was a little thrown off by the amazing talent within the cast, but once I got to know everyone I began to form amazing friendships and gain more confidence in myself. Despite the hours spent and the endless nights of rehearsals when I stepped on stage it was all worth it.

Crew Members:

This year we were a part of the production of The Little Mermaid. Being a part of the tech crew is really cool because you get the opportunity to try new things such as lighting, sound, cameras and backstage crew. You also get to make long-lasting memories with the other members of tech crew and the cast. Being a part of tech crew gave us the opportunity to meet and work with people in different years levels and on your own. 

During production you are allocated a role and this year I (Leo) was selected as camera overview which means I record the show and I had a routine before each show I put in a memory disk to the camera port then I would format our video so its on the same settings and we get the same recording style, and after the show finished I would take out the memory disks and store it in our hard drive. Being the camera operator is really fun because in the first week you get to analyze the script and see if you require certain shots on scenes or if you leave it as is for the other scenes. I had a great time being a part of tech crew and I strongly recommend it!

During production I (Izzy) was a part of the backstage crew. Being a part of the backstage crew was really fun because the backstage crew all got along well and we would hang out backstage waiting for the show to start. It was also fun when we got to interact with the cast backstage. During the show we would move the set and props in between scene changes. It was a lot of fun getting to be a part of the backstage crew this year. 

~ Leo Beveridge & Izzy Antonopoulos

Gala Concert

In the weeks leading up to the Gala Concert, we had an extensive amount of rehearsal time during, before and after school.  We put in our all to make our songs as high standard as possible. We had extended rehearsals during class periods to further define our performance due to Music Camp being cancelled. Through these rehearsals we achieved a lot and improved our musicianship and our teamwork abilities. We have acquired many new friendships and have created long-lasting memories with our bandmates. Our teachers were very strict in making sure we persisted and were on time to every single rehearsal. In the past week we had two rehearsals where all ensembles who are partaking in the gala concert got together in the theatre to practise the finale piece called “Music Was My First Love”. We are all looking forward to Gala and to show off our skills and to summarise all we have learned in 2023.

~ Xavier Teo & Josh Reid

Early Start Audit

The Early Start Audit program allowed students the opportunity to receive a snapshot of the Year 11 class experience before choosing to apply to undertake a Year 11 subject as a part of their year 10 program. 65 Students opted for this experience and came out with their ability to make an informed choice about the subject they would end up applying for. Well done to everyone for their wonderful behaviour and respect during this exciting opportunity.

State Netball

This term, I had the incredible opportunity to participate in the state netball titles, it was a thrilling journey. The competition was tough with teams from all over the state showcasing their talent and determination on the court. Our team gave it our all, though we faced some tough challenges. even if luck wasn't on our side, we still had a great experience. I also want to thank Mrs Dougherty for her hard work as our coach.  I had loads of fun, hopefully so did the rest of the team, I look forward to competing for Wantirna next year. ~ Fletcher le Fevre 

‘Smashed’ Interactive Presentation on Underage Drinking

In Explore, Year 9 students recently attended a theatre production in the Theatre called ‘Smashed’ from Gibber. The focus of the engaging presentation was around the dangers and consequences of underage drinking, specifically around Alcohol, Wellbeing, Relationships, Sexual harassment, Consent and Safety. ‘Smashed’ was a really great way to learn about the dangers of alcohol. It was interactive and engaging which kept us all interested. So many people enjoyed it because it wasn’t just a normal presentation. The performers made jokes and we, the audience, were a part of the presentation. There was only positive feedback! Thank you to those that organised it! 

~ Ashley Robinson

Wear it Purple Day

On the 25th of August Wantirna College held a 'Wear it Purple' Day to raise awareness about having a safe, supportive environment and specifically to help students feel proud of who they are. During this day, there was a range of different activites going on around the school such as a bake sale, music, colouring and jewellery making! Plus a little bonus, students were welcomed to wear a pinch of purple to show their support. Money earned from the day is being donated to the Minus18 organisation. The Wear it Purple theme for us this year was "Write your own story." encouraging students to embrace who they are and share that amongst their peers. To really emphasise and celebrate this theme, we are also holding a writing competition in line with it. The day was a great opportunity for students to feel more comfortable in their own skin and enjoy expressing who they are with their fellow students. Along with that opportunity, and the fun activities we were able to participate in it was definitely a success and something students should look forward to in the years to come. 

~ Layla Gordon

Victorian State Schools Spectacular

This year, I participated in the Victorian State Schools Spectacular, as a part of the Lighting Team. Over the past few months we have had many training sessions leading up to our time at John Cain Arena. We were taught all of the skills that would be needed in the bump process so we could work efficiently when we were on a tight schedule at the Arena. We spent two weeks at JCA getting things prepared for the show. In the first week we spent our time hanging the lighting fixtures and getting them operational, ready for the rehearsal’s week.  During that second week we spent most of our time learning how and when to use the spotlight that we would be responsible for during the show. The actual performance day and night were a great success, so it was good to see how all of our hard work had paid off. There were many very early starts and late finishes, but it was definitely worth it as I really enjoyed the experience.

~ written by Cooper Rockstro and also attended by Deng Kuot

A Word from the Year Level Leaders

This term has been packed to the brim with exciting opportunities for the Year 9s to expand their skills both in and out of the classroom. With the introduction of Learning Boost for 7-10s and the myriad leadership opportunities, the students have been incredibly active within the school community.

One of the reasons we find ourselves proud to be the Leaders of this particular cohort of students is their willingness to put themselves out there, try new things and challenge the norms in order to grow as students and people.

We are grateful to see the growth each student has made over the term and had a chance to celebrate some big wins during an End of Term Celebration. 

Here, we awarded students who had 95% or greater in class this term as well as our top Green Post receivers with an afternoon tea. It was wonderful to give back to the students and recognise them for their hard work.

We are looking forward to an incredible end to the year in Term 4.

Leigh Webster and Michaela Piritidis

Year 9 Year Level Leaders