ENGLISH

BOOK WEEK - AUGUST 2025

Last week McKinnon celebrated the literary highlight of the year: Book Week! We had a terrific celebration of everything wonderful about books: their power to inspire, to engage, to challenge and to comfort. Below are highlights of the week, which were made possible by the organisational dedication of our McKinnon teachers and the enthusiasm of students to embrace the fun of the week. 

50 WORD STORY COMPETITION

Lucy and the Lost Story

Lucy wandered grey streets, aimlessly. Her foot struck a red rectangle “Once upon a time” she read. Curious, she opened the worn book, watching childhood memories spill out colours and wonder. Words danced off pages, wrapping her in a forgotten magic. She had regained what she had once lost, her imagination.

Tess Ashton, Year 7

Another day as a servant…for only to be treated like dirt for the lowly 20 shillings. If only I could break free. The tears dripped down my eyes, I stared at the cup of “British tea” and thought about my life. If only I had become something more. If only.

Solai Sharavanan, Year 7

In Waiting

They are ensconced behind fragile glass windows; fine china brush lips; petite cake spoons raised, and soft napkins dabbed with. But us commuters ache in the cold – trek aboard grubby buses – sit in eerie silence – hunch ourselves over tedious work. We can only long for a cup of tea.

Bianka Covelli, Year 11

STUDENT BOOK RECOMMENDATION

"It was love at first sight"

Out of all possible opening lines for a novel, few would expect a war novel. Yet Catch-22 isn't like any other war novel. A brutal satire on the utter idiocy of war, Catch-22 follows Captain Yossarian as he tries as best as he can to get out of the war alive, but is forced to keep fighting due to both the ego of the Colonel in charge as well as the brutal logic of the titular Catch-22. 

Deemed a book that "gives the impression of [the words] having been shouted onto paper" by The New Yorker, Joseph Heller's novel is bound to be one of the most memorable novels that you will ever read, for better or worse.

Finn Steven, Year 11

TEACHER AMBIENT READING

What a happy accident that we had such an amazing selection of passages for the students to hear from a range of subject teachers! From poetry (spanning from gothic to postmodern), non-fiction (interestingly enough, both connected to footy and how we perceive ourselves), to sci-fi (complete with robot voice), to a children's story and a translated work which both taught us something about empathy. 

Lauren Maserow

English Teacher

STAFF VS STUDENTS DEBATE

On Friday 22 August, the annual Staff vs Students Debates across both campuses drew a lively crowd to tackle the big questions of our modern era. At McKinnon Rd, the conundrum was that social media has more academic merit than reading, whilst East campus struggled over whether books are better than films. In a twist that surprised many, both student teams stood united in their defence of traditional reading.

At East the atmosphere was electric, and the competitiveness was off the charts! The Year 9 student team, consisting of Sacha Rose, Daniel Chen, and Patrick Rule, came armed with razor-sharp arguments, slick rebuttals, and the unshakable confidence of a crew who had actually done their homework.

The staff, on the other hand, including Ms Hooper-Duffy, Mr Cukierman, and Ms Douglas, attempted an alternative strategy. They rolled up dressed as Willy Wonka, Little Red Riding Hood, and (of course) Bluey. Iconic, yes, but also a little hard to take seriously when passionately arguing against books while wearing floppy blue dog ears.

Despite the staff’s dramatic hand gestures, booming voices, and even the odd flying book, the students’ case was simply unbeatable. With their matter, manner, and method ticking all the boxes, they claimed a well-deserved victory.

Meanwhile at the McKinnon Rd Campus, the teacher team of Ms Portelli, Mr Stevenson, and Mr Hunt, armed with quick wit and plenty of tongue-in-cheek humour, contended that social media platforms offer unparalleled access to information, concise expression, and a range of opinions.

However, the senior student team of Shauri Pedavalli (Year 12), Maleesha Dharmadasa (Year 11), Amelie Ciddor (Year 11), countered with poise and passion, emphasising the depth, rigour, and sustained concentration developed through traditional reading. Their rebuttals were sharp, well-researched, and often cheekily directed back at their own teachers. Ultimately, they won the day with their overall coherence and eloquence.

Both audiences were treated to a spirited back-and-forth, with blows landing on both sides and plenty of banter in between. The debates were action-packed, hilarious, and easily one of the highlights of Book Week. 

We learned much from these debates, but one thing’s for sure: when it comes to debating, the staff may have costumes - but the students have the final chapter!

Brendan Williams

English Teacher

BOOK WEEK BAKING COMPETITION

What a huge turnout this year for our annual book week baking competition! We were blown away with this year's entries and had a tough job on our hands to judge the winners. From Harry Potter sorting hat cupcakes to Sally Jackon’s blue cookies, the creativity and presentation of all the entries this year were incredibly impressive. 

In first place with a perfect score was Senuly Silva (Year 11) with her outstanding Harry Potter “Book” cake. We really admired the precision and skill required to make this cake. Thank you for also being so generous with offering everyone a taste! 

In second place with an “Alice in Wonderland” inspired cake was Madeleine McKay (Year 7). The icing was especially delicious!

In third place we had Caasha Mallawaarachchi and Clementine Allen (Year 7) with their “Hunger Games” cake. We loved the addition of berries and the detail in the fondant. 

A big thank you to everyone who got involved, your delicious contributions made the event such a success! 

Chloe Dredge

English Teacher

DRESS-UP PARADE

The culmination of the week’s fun was Friday’s dress-up parade, which saw appearances from Willy Wonka, Snow White, Paddington Bear, Where’s Wally, Anne of Green Gables, several characters from The Wizard Of Oz and Cruella De Vil and her (almost) 101 Dalmatians.

Congratulations to everyone who got involved and reminded us of the fun and importance of books!

Sam Florence

English Learning Area Manager