Preston Life

School for Student Leadership 

by Sidney Welton, Wednesday Mckenzie, Zoe Murdoch and Mason Mitchell

At the School for Student Leadership (SSL), we did many activities both outdoor and indoor ranging from canoeing, caving, abseiling and surfing, to dances, and themed food nights. SSL gave us the opportunity to step up as leaders in an environment that allowed us to grow and develop our skills through hands on work, not only indoors but outdoors too, allowing us to connect to our environment, fostering a deeper appreciation of the nature around us. 

A big part of our SSL experience was CLP or our ‘Community Learning Project’, where each school group planned something they could do to improve a problem in their local community. Our group chose to focus on mental health in aged care facilities. Whilst in Marlo on the camp, we went on two expos (overnight camping trips). For the first expo we did a 10km hike which challenged both our minds and bodies, however it was not as challenging as expo 2 where we canoed and then hiked Mount Raymond. These challenges helped us to adapt to different environments while collaborating effectively with our peers. Overall, this was a great experience that will stay with us for the rest of our lives, thank you to Ms Mia for coming along and sharing the CLP day with us.  

Ged Kearney Scholars 

by Olive Deery, Acacia House and Jessica Clark, Glider House 

Each term the Ged Kearney scholars run one main event focused on gender equality. Our focus for Term 2 each year is women in sports. After meetings and lots of planning, the Ged Kearney scholars decided to choose women’s AFL as the sport that would be promoted in Term Two. To promote this cause, we had Chloe Kodagoda come from the Darebin Falcons football club to run a clinic. Students played fun games, learned skills, built teamwork and everyone for sure had a blast. 

The clinic was designed to support women in sport and help them feel confident trying new activities. Some of the participants had never played footy before or weren’t particularly fond of it but we all ended up having a wonderful time. We hope this inspires young people, particularly girls to take a step outside of their comfort zones and try things you normally wouldn’t, it always pays off! There was a great turnout of people looking to improve their footy skills and have a great time. Overall, it was a huge success and enjoyed by all that took part. Thanks to the Darebin Falcons for their awesome clinic, we loved having them here. 

Preston Mob 

by Muraany Andy-Harrison, Tawny House 

In Term 2 the Preston Mob had some amazing opportunities, including attending the Dreamtime AFL match between Richmond and Essendon at the MCG, with the Richmond Tigers securing the win. Preston Mob students attended a workshop with people from the Hawthorn footy club. It was an amazing opportunity to be able to visit the football club. Thank you to Ms McConville and Mr Lawlor for organising it for us!