Year 10 Awards

Graduation Mass

On Monday 30 November,  we celebrated the Year 10 graduation.

Year Level Dux

Lewis Desmond

Academic Excellence

Aidan Wallace

Josh Dudley

Tim Mallidis

Dylan Kotsinadelis

Academic Achievement

Academic Effort

10.1

Kevin Chen

Rex Tippett

10.2

Matthew Hind

Matthew Lionakis

10.3

Von-Edwardo Herman

Noah Collins

10.4

Benjamin Kenny

Sam Ford

Year 10 Subject Awards

Lewis Desmond

Josh Dudley

Aidan Wallace

Lachlan Bolt

Dylan Kotsinadelis

Matthew Lionakis

Tim Mallidis

Tommy Tran

Year 10 Mathematics

Stefan Bentrovato

Year 10 Digital Technologies - Projects

Patrick Doukas

Visual Communication  Architecture

Caleb Heelis

Year 10 Outdoor Education 

Von-Edwardo Herman

Visual Communication Design

Ben Kenny

Foundation Mathematics

Callan May

Year 10 Materials Technology (Wood)

Khang Nguyen

Year 10 Media

Matthew Risos

Year 10 Certificate II Creative Industries

College Captains Graduation Speeches

I came across great difficulty when writing this, I cannot do my four years at St James college justice with only one speech. I wrote endless drafts, scrunching up paper after paper until I realised; A great speech is not meant to be read, It’s meant to be heard. So, then I thought, what do the graduating class of 2020 need to hear, what do young men facing the end of an era need to hear and most importantly what do my classmates need to hear. 

I thought about this for a long time, and every time I did, one quote plagued my mind. It’s a John Lennon quote, “In the end everything will be okay, and if it is not okay, It’s not the end.” I thought about why this quote was on my mind, and I think I figured out why.

This is not the end.

2020 has been twofold for this year level, it is both our last year at St James college and it is the last year of St James College. At the start of the year, Josh and I set out to instill a sense of pride and unity in amongst students, for we wanted us to be ready for anything that came our way, something we did not realise would be so important at the time. 

We attacked 2020 the same way we tackle any obstacle, we stuck at it, we never gave up and we saw it through. Despite this, being disappointed about how this year went is valid, I too wish it could have gone another way. 

However, I offer you this, the course of events that defined this year show us that this is not the end of St James, for St James is not a collection of buildings. It is a collection of stories, stories worth telling. While unique to every student, our stories share the same rhymes, rhythms and melodies. And the stories of Jimmies boys to come will follow suit.

I remember my first year at St James, I was a skinny, lanky nerd who spent all his time in the VPAC. Four years later today, I part my hair in the middle now. 

The point is that next year a new generation of Jimmies boys will enter those front gates, and yes, they will be Jimmies boys. Their blazers might be a different colour, but their journey will not differ. They will still fear the sweepy sweepy, moan and groan at the idea of doing the 1.6 and beep test and they will still be terrified at the sound of Shep’s whistle.

Because the St James spirit is something that is well known. From the schools we compete against in the SIS to the schools we collaborate with in the Arts, we have certainly made a name for ourselves as dedicated, resilient, hardworking young men who give everything their all. It is safe to say we are no strangers to a challenge. Whether it be beating a school of 1,000+ students in the SIS or raising the bar in the performing arts amongst dozens of large schools, we are used to punching above our weight. 

And whilst our campus name will change, who we are as people will not. Who we are will continue to follow us for the rest of our lives. The world needs more people like us, people that are honest, kind and hard working.

 And as I stand before you for the last time as one of your college captains, I have one thing to ask of you. Continue to grow and build on the foundation you have been given here. Continue to better yourself. Change the world in some way and leave your mark, just as St James has left it’s make on us and in history. 

For St James did not make us, Jimmies boys both past and present made this St James the college that it was.

Lewis Desmond

College Captain

As Lewis has said, the foundations of our school have been built on 50 years of memories. Many people have had the privilege of being a Jimmie’s boy, to create their own memories to carry with them through life. Over the past 4 years, it’s been our turn to face challenges and triumphs, to create memories of this school that we call our own. But it has not been the buildings nor the classes that have created these memories, it has been the people. The students, the teachers, and everybody else that has walked through those front gates that stand outside our college.

When we started Year 10, 2020, none of us were expecting events to unfold like they did. As school leaders, we entered this year thinking that we would be a strong leadership team that would represent the college he best way possible. Although this year came with many challenges, you set an outstanding example as role models for the younger students. I feel so fortunate to have had such reliable leaders to help not only Lewis and I, but the whole St James community. The limited time we had to work together during term one showed everyone that we were a hardworking group of individuals, and I am grateful for having you guys alongside me as we made our way through the year.

To our fellow Year 10 students, we would like to thank you for the years of excitement, the years of companionship and the years of memories. Over our time at St James, we have all formed close mateships with others that will no doubt continue to grow in the future. Some of us have known each other for a few years now while others have only just been lucky enough to get to know this cohort in the last year or two. Either way, we all walk out of this school for the final time as one group. The sense of comradery we share as a year level is the envy of all schools. We wish all of you the best of luck for your future endeavours, on whichever path you choose to take.

However, it has not just been the students that have made these 4 years special. Our time here at St James could not have been possible without the incredible work that the staff here do every week. Teachers always have an influence on the lives of their students, and help us to better ourselves. Their guidance will always stay with us, because the influence of a good teacher can never be erased. I would like to say a massive thank you to all the teachers, support staff, administration workers and everyone else that has helped our school to run as well as it has for the past 4 years. A big thank you especially to our year level coordinators: Mr Nats, Ms O’Neill, Mr Riley and of course Mr Shepherd. 

Lastly, to our very own Mr Pooley. Your guidance and leadership have remained strong in such a trying time and it has set the precedent that we strive for. Everybody involved in our St James community is extremely grateful for the support you give to each of us. St James is lucky to have such an inspiring principal.

As the graduating class of 2020, we are lucky enough to be the ones that say goodbye to our school in such a monumental year. I cannot think of a more well-rounded year level fitting enough to farewell St James in our 50th and last jubilee year. As school captains, Lewis and I feel nothing but lucky to have led such a fine collection of young men through this year. The spirit shown by the Jimmies boys is truly admirable, and we should all feel lucky enough to have been apart of this journey.

Josh Dudley

College Captain