Avenues Exchange

What a week!

I think Paul and I have said this every year, What a week and what an awesome bunch of kids!. The students who make the squad each year continue to impress us with their energy and enthusiasm for all things Exchange week. Although it never starts out this way. At the beginning of Term 2, there are always some students who feel too shy and awkward to participate in the chants practice and are yet to feel comfortable or find their place in the squad, but once they do, there is no holding them back.  We hope that each and every one of you enjoyed this experience and will long retain wonderful memories. Thank you to the outstanding Leadership team, Tilly, Lachie, Lauren and Abbey, who constantly led the squad by example and with encouragement.

Thank you to the outstanding support from the Chelt.Sec community. Our Facilities Manager, Peter Florence, and his army of helpers who had equipment and resources exactly where we needed them. Thank you to our Squad Mum's, Petrina and Janelle, for the lunch delivery and Jenny for keeping the staff caffeinated. Thank you Squad Dad Danny, for the fantastic photos. To former student and squad member Charlie, who took on any role that was thrown at him, you are Chelt.Sec Exchange through and through, thanks mate.  To all of our former students and Exchange squad members who returned to support teams or coach teams, we are extremely grateful and enjoyed the catch-up.

Here follows the farewell speeches from the final assembly. See you next year, we are off to South Australia!

Karly Hargreaves and Paul Sanders

Coordinators of the 58th Exchange

Farewell Assembly Speeches...

From Ms Hargreaves and Mr Sanders

Both Avenues and Cheltenham squads should walk away from Exchange week, being extremely proud of yourselves. The length it takes to get into the squad and maintain your position is extraordinary and a challenge in itself. It takes effort, hard work and true commitment. To both squads, please know that your Exchange coordinators, coaches and our spectators appreciate all that you have done to put on a wonderful display of talent and sportsmanship.

Avenues College should be very proud of its squad. All of the billet families that I have spoken to sing very high praises of the Avenues students and have commented that it has been a joy to have them in their homes. Thank you to all of the Chelt.Sec families who opened their doors.

The Avenues and Cheltenham Exchange is not just about numbers on a scoreboard or a tally of wins and losses. The Exchange has a much greater significance than a big trophy. While the trophies themselves have a lot of history, they also have a lot of dust, and it's unlikely that they will play a part in the memories that you have created…However, you will always have the memory of a goal scored, a comeback point or a standout performance that had the crowd on their feet. You will remember effort, the jubilation and possibly the utter exhaustion. If not any of those, then perhaps the fact that you have found comfort in a home away from home. 

On behalf of Mr Sanders and myself, it has been a pleasure to coordinate the Cheltenham Squad of 58, led by an outstanding leadership team. We thank you all for giving this week everything you had. We say farewell to our Year 12 students, sadly, in their final Exchange, but we are impressed with many of our younger team members, and we can’t wait to see what their Exchange experience will be like in the future.

Thank you to the extraordinary coaching staff. Your time and effort does not go unnoticed. You are truly appreciated for everything that you have done, not only this week but in the lead-up to Exchange. 

We would love to accept the invitation from Avenues College to compete in the 59th Exchange in Adelaide. We hope that our community have been inspired to try out for the 2026 squad. 

Ross Smith Medal

Mr. Sanders and I once asked Ross for his interpretation of The Spirit of the Exchange. He simply said, “You don’t need to look any further than the signs in your gym”. So while here at Chelt we call them our school values, perhaps we should just think of them as rules to live by. Respect for others can come easily, but to be respected by your peers is something greater. Since the squad was announced, this person consistently displayed their personal best, they always took responsibility for their actions and encouraged other squad members to do the same. Always leading by example and sharing their passion for The Exchange, their community spirit knows no bounds and lives by the rule "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."

The Winner of the 2025 Ross Smith Medal is Lauren Hermann.

Captains' Farewell Assembly (both schools)

Cheltenham: Good morning everyone!

Welcome to the final assembly of the 58th Exchange. It is time for us to celebrate the week, relive the events, share some of our highlights and memories and say goodbye to our visitors. 

Today, we stand here together as the captains of our respective schools. In case you have forgotten, I am Tilly, this is Lachie, this is Belle, and this is Cooper.

On behalf of all of us, we are honoured to have been your captains and we are proud to have shared this incredible experience with all of you during the 58th Exchange.

Lachie 

These past three days have been massive! We’ve battled it out over 28 events with both colleges experiencing triumphs as well as defeats. The experience has tested our abilities, but has also further strengthened the bond between the two colleges.

We would now like to share some of our highlights and memories from the past three days with you all:

• Our 3-1 comeback in boys soccer led by Finn with 2 goals and a ripping assist 
• Ayden with his 12-3 comeback in boys' badminton to win us the event
• Clean sweep in music for the 2nd year in a row 
• Our Year 7s, Henry and Olive, with their masterclasses in volleyball and basketball 
• James’ awesome debate speech
• Finn's dramatic games performance 

On behalf of the Cheltenham squad, we would like to thank Avenues for travelling to Victoria for the 58th Exchange, and we look forward to travelling across the border next year. 

Avenues: On behalf of the Avenues squad, we would like to thank the Cheltenham billeting families for welcoming us into their homes and looking after us for the week. We really appreciate everything that you did for us because we all know that without families willing to billet, there would be no Exchange – so thank you.

We would all like to extend our deepest gratitude to the organisers, teachers, staff, and volunteers who have made this exchange possible. Your hard work and dedication ensured the event ran smoothly and that we all felt welcomed and valued. 

To our fellow squad members, we thank you for all of your hard work, enthusiasm, spirit and unwavering support for one another. It has been an incredible experience that has reminded us that the Exchange is not just about the competition. It is about the friendships formed, the values of respect and cooperation, which embody the spirit of the Exchange and echo the beliefs of the Exchange’s co-founders. We have been honoured to be your 2025 captains, and we could not be more proud. 

Photos and Wrap-Up Video

Photos from the Exchange can be viewed on our Facebook page (you don't have to have Facebook to see them!)