Student Achievements

Doncaster Students Shine in the 2025 Victorian State Schools Spectacular

We are thrilled to celebrate the incredible achievement of three of our talented students who have been selected to join the core performing company of this year’s Victorian State Schools Spectacular.

Congratulations to Eva Paolucci (Year 9), Izayah Khazour (Year 9), and Maeva Khazour (Year 7), who have all earned well-deserved roles in this prestigious production. Eva and Izayah have been cast as Principal Vocalists, a remarkable accomplishment showcasing their outstanding musical talents. Maeva will be lending her voice to the choir, contributing to the rich vocal landscape of the show.

The Spectacular is a major annual event that highlights the creative talents of more than 3,000 students from across Victorian government schools. This year’s performance will feature an exciting mix of music, song, dance, circus, and behind-the-scenes elements such as audio, lighting, vision, and stage management.

Rehearsals are already in full swing, with students preparing for two live performances at John Cain Arena on Saturday 13 September. These performances will be followed by a television broadcast in December, giving audiences across the state a chance to witness the brilliance and dedication of these young performers.

Eva, Izayah, and Maeva are commendable ambassadors for Doncaster Secondary College. Their commitment, passion, and talent exemplify the values of our school community, and we are incredibly proud to support them as they represent us on such a grand stage.

We look forward to cheering them on and sharing more updates as the event approaches!

Student Achievements in Kangourou sans Frontières (KSF) Mathematics Competition

We are proud to announce the outstanding achievements of our students in the prestigious Kangourou sans Frontières (KSF) mathematics competition.

• Aiden Thomas, Tina Cheng, Isobel Michael, and Chara Sklavenitis were each awarded a Distinction, placing them among the top 15% of Australian participants.
• Kaisen Lin achieved a High Distinction, placing among the top 3% of Australian participants and earning the title of best in school.

Inspired by the AMT’s Australian Mathematics Competition, the Kangourou sans Frontières (KSF) has grown to become the largest mathematics competition in the world, engaging over 6 million participants each year.

We congratulate all our students on these impressive accomplishments and celebrate their dedication to mathematical excellence!

Bebras Computational Thinking Challenge

Bebras is a fun and engaging international computational thinking challenge involving over 2.9 million students from 60 countries.

Four students received High Distinction: Chara Sklavenitis, Lena Cain, Owen Chen, and Tina Cheng.

Six students received Distinction: Aiden Thomas, Anthony Gambis, Isabelle Veevers, Isobel Michael, Kaisen Lin, and Paul Kyriakou.

A special congratulations to Taim Daher, who scored a perfect 135 out of 135, earning the award for Excellence.

Well done to all these clever thinking cookies!

DSC Celebrates World Champion Cheerleader, Georgia Rizk!

We are thrilled to share some exciting news from the world of cheerleading! Doncaster Secondary College is proud to announce that one of our very own students, Georgia Rizk (Year 11), is now a World Champion!

Georgia is a member of the Pure All Stars Prodigy Cheerleading Team, who recently took the top prize at the Cheerleading World Championships in Florida. The competition, which brought together the best cheerleading teams from around the globe, saw Georgia and her teammates display extraordinary talent, precision, and teamwork to secure the prestigious championship title.

This incredible achievement is a testament to Georgia’s dedication, hard work, and passion for cheerleading. From countless hours of practice to pushing herself beyond her limits, Georgia has truly earned her place as a world champion. We couldn’t be prouder of her accomplishments, and we are excited to see what the future holds for this talented young athlete.

You can watch Georgia and her team in action by clicking the link below to see their feature on The Project!

Watch the segment on The Project

Congratulations, Georgia! Your success is an inspiration to all of us at Doncaster Secondary College. We look forward to cheering you on as you continue to soar to new heights in your cheerleading journey!

Year 10 Debating Success in Round 3 of DAV Competition

We are proud to share the exciting news from Round 3 of the Debaters Association of Victoria (DAV) competition! Our talented Year 10 debating team secured a well-deserved win against Yarra Valley Grammar, arguing as the negative on the topic of school transport and environmental sustainability.

This round marked a significant milestone for our students—it was their very first secret topic debate. With only one hour to prepare their arguments and write their speeches, the team demonstrated outstanding critical thinking, teamwork, and public speaking skills.

 A special congratulations to Sienna, who was awarded Best Speaker for the debate—a fantastic recognition of her clarity, confidence, and persuasive delivery.

Their strong performance and confident delivery under pressure were a credit to their dedication and preparation, and they represented Doncaster Secondary College with pride and professionalism.

Congratulations to our Year 10 debaters on this impressive achievement!

My Taekwondo Journey

By Lachlan Martin-Vashenko, Year 7

Hi, my name is Lachlan Martin-Vashenko and I do Taekwondo as my sport. I started martial arts when I was five years old doing karate at a club called Dynamic Martial Arts. After a few years I left because it started to feel too easy and didn’t really challenge me anymore. When I was eight, I switched to a new club that specialised in taekwondo and that’s when I really got into it.

While I was training there, I went to a bunch of regional and state competitions and won most of them. One of the biggest things I achieved was winning a bronze medal at Nationals in Perth. That placed me 3rd in Australia in the 9 to 11 age group, in the 37 to 41kg weight division, and I was a blue belt at the time.

In April last year, after a state comp, we had a falling out with my coach at that club. So I moved to a new one called Royal Empire Martial Arts. They have a really good team and win a lot. I’ve been training there ever since, usually three to four times a week on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and either Friday or Saturday.

Training there has been awesome. It’s way more intense and we do heaps of sparring. At my old club we hardly did any, but now we do at least 45 minutes of sparring every session. In May, not long after joining Royal Empire, I competed in a qualifier for Nationals and won two fights, which got me a gold medal and a place at Nationals.

For the next seven months I trained really hard. Four weeks before Nationals I had another comp and won my fight in just 9 seconds. I gapped my opponent in both rounds, which means I got 12 points ahead and the match ended early.

Then it was time for Nationals in Brisbane. I had three fights. The first one was my hardest but I won. The second one I gapped both rounds in under 30 seconds. The last one was actually the very last fight of the whole day. I won and came out with a gold medal and a badge I could sew onto my uniform. I was in the 12 to 14 age group, 41 to 45kg division, and I was a red belt.

In March this year I had another comp on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland and I won both of my fights pretty easily, gapping both opponents. I was in the 45-49kg division 12-14 this time as a black belt. This happened to be my first competition as a black belt. The week after that I travelled to Canberra for a competition to qualify for the World Championships. I lost my first fight to a kid who was about 10 to 15cm taller than me, and I wasn’t feeling well that day either. My teammate, who was in the same division, ended up winning gold and got to go to the World Championships in Dubai, which was really cool.

That was my last competition so far, but this Sunday I’ve got another one where I’ll try to qualify for Nationals again. I’m in the same division as last time. Taekwondo is a

massive part of my life and it takes a lot of dedication. I love and enjoy the sport. My next competition is this week, so wish me luck!