Student News

Swimming & Athletics 2025

As Term 1 comes to close, we would like to take a moment to reflect and celebrate the outcomes of our Swimming (4th February) and Athletics (7th March) Carnivals. Like always, it was a tough fight for the top spot, which really led to a spotlight being shone on all our students' wonderful house spirit, enthusiasm and sportsmanship, as well as the unwavering support from peers regardless of their friends’ swimming or athletic prowess's. Our jobs as sport captains were made all the more rewarding as we got to witness all students embodying the core of our school values first-hand.

However, at the end of the day, there has to be a winner, and we would heartily congratulate Kororoit for asserting their dominance by defending both their Swimming and Athletics Carnival titles from last year.

We would also like to take this opportunity to appreciate and thank anyone that contributed to the success of these wonderful events, such as our Sport Coordinator Mr Luci, our staff, student helpers, athletes, as well as supporters cheering on from the sidelines. Without them, these events would have never been possible.

As we turn to look ahead, we eagerly anticipate the thrilling events that await us this year, and can't wait to witness and celebrate the continued spirit, dedication, and amazing sporting achievements that our wonderful community at Suzanne Cory has to offer.

Your Whole School Sports Captains,

Adi Atre (B1) & Priyanka Mehta (A1)

Debating

Term 1 has come to a blazing end, with many remarkable events and activities marking the start of the year for debating and student club expo successes!! 

The 18th March rounded up the last debating round, this was a fantastic success on all fronts! Six out of our seven teams participating in this round brought home the win, and overall, it was a fantastic show of talent from everyone who participated. This strong momentum puts us on track to take one team to finals on every level. A massive thank you to everyone who participates in and makes our debating culture richer in Suzanne Cory, and here's to hoping for the same success next round!!

Club Expo + Upcoming info

Another star event marking the end of term 1, was the annual club expo which is a showcase by student club leaders of colourful banners, decorations, brochures and posters hung up on boards out in the agora (with some candy on offer too!)  presenting the plethora of clubs, SCHS community has to offer! We would like to take this opportunity to thank every single club leader who put in so much effort into your club presentations, helping make me and Aaditya just beyond proud of how immensely successfully club expo ran with huge hits for most clubs gaining a colossal amount of student interest and providing opportunities for students to get involved in the school community or just find a hobby they are interested in!

Also want to give a huge shoutout to all the students who helped us move the tables and chairs out to the side in the agora as we truly wouldn’t have been able to do this without you guys! So thank you Stephanie F, Arthur, Riksel, Tiffany, Aaron, Christian, Jasmine T, Sumaira, Aleeza and everyone else who helped us set up all the boards for the expo!

We look forward to upcoming thrilling events in term 2 with more debating competitions, chess and more opportunities for students to get involved in the various aspects of the extracurricular domain!!

Your Whole School Extracurricular Captains,

Sanvi Thakur (B1) and Aaditya Thakur (K7)

Here our some snippets of the marvellous club expo! 

ECOCORE UPDATES!! 🌱 

Hey Cory Community!

After Club Expo we can safely say that Ecocore is back baby! 

We have had quite a few changes in our leadership team, so feel free to contact our new leaders of Ecocore for 2025, Adiba Khan (A4), Gurleen Jhajj (B4), and Justine Phan (B4)! Supporting the leaders we have Sybil Azim (Media Manager), Fatima Ajmal (Events Manager), and Momina Khan (Events Manager). 

We’re so excited to start this year off with a BANG, with our very first Bakesale running in Week 2 of the coming term! All earnings will be divided between the Wildlife Conservation and to fund our future projects. Ecocore’s near goals don’t stop there folks, we’re also currently in the middle of planning a pot plant sale, where you can gift yourself or someone you care about a personalised pot plant! We’ll have all sorts of beautiful flowers and delicious vegetables up for purchase.

We’re so excited to work with the Cory community on one of the most pressing matters of our times, and we look forward to what you’ll bring to Ecocore in 2025! 

Our meetings run in S8 every Thursday lunch, so you can join us anytime with your friends. We hope to see you there, stay green! 🌱💚

Adiba Khan (A4) and Sybil Azim (A4)

Be sure to follow us on Instagram at @schsecocore!!

Film Review-by Momina Khan

Year 10 student Momina has written a spoiler-free review of the anime film Attack on Titan: The Last Attack, published in the March edition of The Westsider. If you're wondering why this film is a must-watch, be sure to check out her review!

It's wonderful to see our students finding opportunities to publish their writing through their recreational interests. Keep up the amazing work, Momina!

Suzanne Cory’s First Ever Poetry Anthology! 

When Fire Meets Sky ✨

Where Fire Meets Sky is a celebration of our voices — a gathering of words, feelings, and stories from the heart of our school. Within these pages, you’ll find 46 poems, each one a spark that illuminates the depths of the human experience and the ways in which we each experience the world. Some voices are known; others are whispered in anonymity – but all are bound by the same passion: the power of poetry to capture what we cannot always say. 

From lighthearted musings on love to the fierce, burning truths of heartbreak; reflections on the human soul to the lives we yearn for; the warmth of nostalgia to the cold clarity of justice – these poems are windows into our souls. They speak of the beauty and pain that are core to what it means to be human. 

To every poet who shared their words with us – thank you. This anthology is only the beginning. May it inspire more voices to rise, and may the art of poetry continue to bloom in the years to come. 

We extend a warm welcome to our team that has made this project possible: 

Vanalika Puri (Anthology Assembly), Tim Nguyen (Anthology Assembly), Adiba Khan (Anthology Assembly), and Melany Nguyen (Cover Art) for bringing this vision to life.

A physical copy of Where Fire Meets Sky is now available in the school library for anyone who wants to explore its pages in person. You can also access the online version here: 📖 Read it now! 

(https://drive.google.com/file/d/1koSSXGBLCus4UI3eCNfBVAr8JtgO61SP/view?usp=sharing) 

To you, readers, we share one final note: Carpe diem – seize the day.

Adiba Khan (A4) 

Mentoring with Shelli Brunswick at Wyndham Tech School

On Friday 21 March, 25 Suzanne students studying Level 1 Robotics had an exciting opportunity to attend a mentoring workshop at Wyndham Tech School with Shelli Brunswick. Brunswick is a globally recognised speaker, author, and futurist who travels the world educating people about STEM careers, entrepreneurship, and leadership. As a former U.S. Air Force Officer and Chief Operating Officer of Space Foundation, she is now the founder and CEO of her own company, SB GLOBAL LLC. She uses her deep expertise in space innovation to inspire action and bridge the gap between the space sector and broader industries.

We met Shelli at Wyndham Tech School in the morning, where we were also greeted by Spot, WTS’s robotic dog. She invited us inside, letting us interact with Spot and Pepper, another robot, before sharing her journey with us. Despite being initially rejected by the Air Force, she emphasised the importance of resilience, risk-taking, adaptability, and networking. On her second attempt, she not only joined the Air Force but quickly rose through the ranks. Through proactive and meaningful contributions, she was rapidly promoted, eventually representing the Secretary and Chief of Staff to Members of Congress. We listened in awe, not only to her story but also to others—like astronaut Clayton Anderson, who was rejected 15 times before achieving his dream. She stressed the importance of continuous improvement and taking initiative, urging us to “Get out from behind your desk!” and “Go the extra mile!” She also introduced us to the vast opportunities within STEM careers and how they connect to the space industry, predicting that space will be commercialised within the next few decades.

After her inspiring talk, we had the chance to build and code our own LEGO robots to clean a mini Mars base. It was great to see everyone sharing parts and ideas to solve the challenge, and I was fully focused on figuring out the best solution. At the end of the workshop, we received special badges for our blazers, flyers on U.S. education, and a big group selfie to mark the occasion.

For me, Shelli’s personal story and journey to success were deeply motivational, and her insights into the space industry were eye-opening. I will always remember to take the initiative, and I am now seriously considering a future career in aerospace engineering or a related field.

This incredible event was made possible thanks to the support of the U.S. Consulate in Australia, and I look forward to more exciting robotics opportunities in the future! 

(God Bless America)

Simran Singh, R6

Schoolkits for Congo

Education is at the heart of our growth and shapes who we become throughout our lives. It grants us the power to engage with the world, chase our dreams, and create meaningful change. However, the unfortunate reality is that, even today, millions of children worldwide are not able to access a consistent education as a result of conflict and war. Every child has the right to learn in a safe environment, and so it becomes the responsibility of those of us who have the ability to help, to take action.

Schoolkits for Congo is an Australian-based initiative working to provide this opportunity within the Democratic Republic of Congo. Through fundraising efforts, the project is able to facilitate the delivery of Schoolkits containing uniforms and basic educational supplies to refugee children escaping armed violence in Goma. For the children, this means better hygiene and health, an opportunity to learn, and the dignity and hope that being a student entails. These kits are produced by a small team of local mothers who use this income to house and educate their own children, promoting their opportunity for employment and a degree of economic stability and creating a ripple effect of empowerment and support. 

I feel incredibly grateful to be part of this cause, and have found it incredibly fulfilling to be able to contribute to a project that extends benefit in the world beyond my immediate self.  I have been moved by the lasting impact that my small acts of kindness have been able to make to the lives of others, and this has only deepened my commitment to advocate for even greater impact. To fellow students; I encourage you to get involved in a cause that speaks to you, whether it’s this one or another that inspires you. To parents and guardians in our community: if you are in a position to donate, I kindly ask you to consider supporting this initiative. While no one person can change the world alone, together, our collective efforts can create lasting change.

More information about Schoolkits for Congo can be found here: https://www.bonvolo.net/

-Vanalika Puri

Below is a video sent from some of the children with their Schoolkits to Vanalika and our students. Looking at their smiling faces makes extremely proud of our community for  their passion and commitment to such worthwhile causes. Well done to everyone involved!

Cultural Celebrations Committee Term 1 UPDATE!!

The Cultural celebrations committee has started this year with a bang!

To celebrate the holy month of Ramadan, we worked with interested individuals in the school to create decorations, aimed at creating a more appreciative environment for all our Muslim peers observing the month, and to ensure they feel seen and appreciated during the long fasting hours!

A special thank you to everyone who contributed!!

Additionally, how could we forget one of the most delicious holidays out there? Easter! To celebrate this special day, we wanted to stir up the excitement and raise the stakes by holding our very own Easter raffle! With a massive prize of Cadbury chocolates worth $70, students were eager as ever to test their luck, making this an enjoyable experience for all! We wanted to make this experience even more special by adding a prize for a second draw, so more than one person got to enjoy a special prize. Not only that, but we wanted this event to be a reminder of how it’s important to ensure that we contribute what we can to ensure everyone gets to enjoy life and celebrate what’s important to them, hence why we carefully chose to donate all profits to the Good Friday Appeal, so this event could be bigger than just our SCHS community.

We have had a total of 229 entries from both students, staff members, and parents!! The raffle has been drawn and the winners are as follows:

Raffle Winner- Puneet Attwal

Runner Up- Mitchell Parks

Congratulations to the both of you!!

Lastly, in anticipation of the colourful celebration of Holi, our committee promoted, collected sign-ups and ran a colourful Holi event on the last day of term, allowing all students part of SCHS to immerse themselves in the fun celebrations that come along with Holi - throwing colourful, laughing with friends and learning to appreciate either your own culture, or an entirely different one.

[insert images from holi]

We’re so proud of what our committee has achieved so far, and even prouder of what the response from our SCHS community has been! We look forward to planning even more exciting events, and we can’t wait to see what everyone contributes! Until next term 😄

Your Year 11 SRCs

Year 9 Camp Roundup

Year 9 camp at Suzanne Cory has historically been a momentous event filled with laughter joy and exhilaration. This year was no different!

On Wednesday we made our way down the M1 to Phillip Island with a stopover at San Remo for lunch. Bathed in beautiful sunshine the students looked on in awe at the majestic pelicans, anticipation brimming to a fever-pitch. 

Over the coming days the students were exposed to the terrifying heights of the Giant Swing, harrowing winds and rain and some perfectly adequate and passable cuisine. But through it all, friendship is what truly reigned supreme.

A massive thank you to all the Year 9 students for their unwavering commitment and participation in the program and their buoyant attitude throughout. Thank you to all the staff who continually went above and beyond the call of duty to ensure the student were safe, satiated and supported. And, a final thank you to the parents for entrusting us with our entire Primus Program. We are all thrilled with the way the cohort has settled into the school. 

David Juricevich

Director of Proactive Wellbeing