Secondary School
National Boarding Week
It has been a fantastic start to this year’s National Boarding Week celebrations at Great Southern Grammar. With the theme 'Echoes of Home', the week has highlighted the many ways our boarding community creates a sense of belonging and connection for our students.
Monday’s assembly was a standout, showcasing the experiences of boarders across all age groups, along with videos and photos of life on the farm and a special musical performance by some of our senior students. It was a wonderful reflection of the diverse backgrounds that shape our community.
We also loved seeing day school students join the houses for afternoon tea, especially with the beautiful weather over the past few days. 'Dress as a Farmer' day was, as always, a favourite, and for many of our boarders, it really did look like just another day on the farm.
Looking ahead, we are excited for Family Day on Thursday and hope boarders take the chance to connect with loved ones. Friday’s Staff Day will be another meaningful opportunity to acknowledge the staff who make boarding such a supportive place.
Thank you for celebrating our boarders this week.
School Captains
Our School Captains have continued the tradition by becoming 'boarders' for the week, giving them the opportunity to experience first-hand what life is like as a boarding student.
For years I have wondered what life could have been like if I went to boarding, like my two older siblings, and this week has allowed me to answer that. Being able to spend time with the boys in boarding has been fun, a change up in routine is always interesting, and albeit a bit of a shock to the system after being so accustomed to my own day to day it has still been a welcomed one. Because if there is anything we can hope to do for everyone in our lives, it is to try and understand what it’s like in someone else’s shoes, to be kind and compassionate to everyone in our lives.
- Charlie Sprigg, Year Twelve
This week has definitely been a throwback to my younger years at GSG, where I was a boarder for over two years. Some of the things I loved and appreciated the most are still here – the helpful and hilarious gappies, the girls who would lend you a blazer at five o'clock in the morning, then chat with you late that night, the rec trips including many an IGA run (that unfortunately I won’t be in on the weekend for). Some things have changed for the better – I was in Breaksea this week, which I will say is a definite upgrade, and Liz is an incredible Head of House. It has been an incredible week for me to remember how our boarders go about their days like the day students while living the full-on (there are 30-girls in this house, after all) boarding lifestyle.
- Audrey Cherry, Year Twelve
Mr Brodie Sarre | Director of Boarding (Senior)
Budget Breakfast
School Captains Audrey Cherry and Charlie Sprigg recently attended the Great Southern 'Budget Breakfast' with Agribusiness Teacher Mr Ferg Inglis, joining business and community leaders to hear from Premier Roger Cook and Ministers following the release of the State Budget.
The event gave students valuable insight into how government decisions shape regional communities like the Great Southern, including discussions on our region's healthcare and infrastructure needs and initiatives to increase access to regional TAFE and universities. We are grateful for the opportunity to attend and for the chance for students to engage with leaders and ideas connected to the future of our region.
Da Vinci Decathlon – WA State Round
On Sunday afternoon, our Year Ten da Vinci Decathlon Team departed for Perth to compete in the WA State Round at Winthrop Hall, UWA.
This team earned its place after finishing first at the Regional Round in Bunbury in March. Stepping onto the competition floor at State level is a big deal, and of the highest academic challenges (and competitive pressures) students can take on.
Across approximately five hours, the team completed ten separate papers. To put that into perspective, many of these papers cover the sort of content and thinking that could easily sit across several weeks of classroom learning.
I am incredibly proud of what this group achieved, but also of how they carried themselves. They represented our school, region and community with pride. As the only regional team competing among metro schools, they faced unique and additional layers to their participation and preparation, and they handled them exceptionally well.
Their efforts were recognised with two outstanding results:
1st Place – Cartography and 2nd Place – English
Congratulations to – Leyton Bock, Ingrid Cherry, Edmund Toomey, Myla Griskonis, Louis Thompson, Hannah Hull, Lewis Bailey and Amali Nizam-Wood.
Specifically, I would like to acknowledge Amali (Year Eight), who stepped in to compete as part of the Year Ten team.
Mr Kyal Rose | Gifted and Talented Coordinator
Geography / Biology Camp
Nestled in the southwest of WA is the Dryandra Woodland National Park. And nestled within the Dryandra Woodlands are a number of Australia’s most vulnerable native animals. Last week, our Year Eleven Geography and Biology students were fortunate enough to have close encounters with many of them as part of their fieldwork experience.
Over the course of two nights and three days, the group got up close with chuditch, echidnas, bilbies, boodies, woylies, quendas and mala. We trapped and released animals early in the morning and went on a guided nighttime tour of the Barna Mia sanctuary. There were campfires under the stars late into the evening, meals cooked together as a group, and a couple of students even managed to fall asleep under the trees when they were meant to be observing evidence of biodiversity.
Taken together, the trip achieved exactly what we had hoped for academically and socially. Students deepened their understanding of biodiversity, conservation and fieldwork methods, while also building friendships and a connection to the unique natural environment surrounding us.
Mr Tone Ritchie | Head of Humanities and Dr Paul Mitrovski | Science Teacher