Around the School

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RESILIENCE, GRIT, AND SMILES: THE 2023 BHCS HOUSE CROSS COUNTRY

By Shane de Kretser ( Primary Sports Co-ordinator) 

The 2023 BHCS House Cross Country was held on a mild and drizzly Tuesday morning, but the participating students brought the energy and life! 

The Prep - Year 2 students began their run down the fire track at BHCS, and the students and staff showed great resilience and grit to participate and give their best to the run. An absolute highlight was seeing so many of these smiles remaining as students crossed the finish line and celebrated their achievements. This culture of fun and hard work continued through the day with the Year 3-4 students running at Birdsland, followed sequentially by the rest of the secondary school. 

Some incredible race times were achieved on the day, as represented on the results table below. Well done to these students, but also to all students who participated in the event, showed resilience, and made it over the finish line.

Cross Country is the only sporting event in which the whole school competes on the same day. This brings with it an atmosphere of joy and excitement, as well as an enormous amount of logistics to work through. 

What an incredible team of staff we have here at BHCS. This was a whole team effort, from bus drivers and administration, to teachers and learning assistants alike. Everyone joined in and rose to the challenge of fulfilling an array of different roles while maintaining student well-being and safety. 

We loved seeing so many supportive parents on the day, which created such a positive atmosphere for the students to participate in. Thank you all, for being a part of the day.

BHCS THEATRE SPORTS TEAM SHINES

By Courtney White  (Secondary Drama Teacher) 

A selection of passionate students had the opportunity to participate in CSEN Theatre Sports with the fabulous Allen Dickson. 20 students were invited to the workshop in February and 10 of those students were selected to compete for the CSEN Theatre Sports trophy last Friday.

The students had such a fun day mingling and improvising with many other students from across eastern Victoria. Showcasing their expressive skills and quick wit, our Junior and Senior teams worked together to secure a third place position. But most of all, they had so many of those deep belly laugh moments, expressing and sharing contagious joy.

Overall, I am so proud of the way our students conducted themselves with generosity, kindness, and playfulness. They all deserve recognition for their efforts on both days. 

Well done 2023 BHCS Theatre Sports team.

PARTNERSHIP IN CONSERVATION WITH PARKS VICTORIA 

By James Mathews (Head of Environmental Studies) 

Recently students from Year 10 Outdoor Education and Environmental Studies travelled to the 1000 Steps area of the Dandenong Ranges National Park. Here we met with rangers from Parks Victoria to begin a partnership of conservation. 

The students have been studying different environments and the various conservation issues related to those areas. The low forest of the lower Dandenongs provided a perfect setting to practically apply their knowledge. The Parks Victoria Rangers first set the students the task of weeding an area used by many walkers at the base of the steps then after lunch the students were involved in tree and shrub planting in a clearing close to one of the picnic areas. Parks Victoria and BHCS are looking to strengthen our partnership and make this clearing the BHCS planting area through future excursions. 

The students were thrilled to be playing a part in conserving the beauty of the Dandenong Ranges.

MUDDY MAYHEM: YEAR 9 TAKES ON CLIFFORD PARK OBSTACLE COURSE

By Ben White (Year 9 Program Coordinator) 

Our Year 9 Program ventured out to take on the "Tough Mudder" style obstacle course at Clifford Park. Our students demonstrated exceptional teamwork, determination, and a positive attitude throughout the challenging course.

The course included a range of obstacles designed to test the physical and mental endurance of our students. Some of the obstacles included crawling underground through tubes, navigating through mud pits, swinging over water hazards and scaling walls. Despite the difficult challenges, our students persevered and showed incredible resilience.

One of the key goals of this program was to promote teamwork and collaboration among our students. Through this challenging experience, our students learned the importance of supporting one another and working together to achieve a common goal. We were thrilled to see the students helping each other through the obstacles and cheering each other on.

In addition to teamwork, the program also aimed to promote determination and a positive attitude. Our students faced some challenging obstacles that required them to push beyond their comfort zones. However, they approached these challenges with a great attitude and a willingness to take on the obstacles head-on. It was fantastic to see their grit and determination.

YEAR 8 CAMP: CAMP COOLAMATONG 

Last week the Year 8 students have been challenged to build their strength and resilience through physical activities at Camp Coolamatong.  Canoeing, mountain bike riding and hiking have kept them all occupied and suitably weary. The capstone of the experience was the remote expedition. This saw students pack up everything they needed for two nights and head off to set up their camp, cook their own dinner and enjoy being well away from civilization for 48 hours. With a mixture of weather, the challenges have been great but the achievements of all (students and staff) has been even greater!