Significant Events and Student Achievements

Official Videos of the 2026 Victorian Global Learning Awards (VGLA) Winners

Dear DSC Community,

Doncaster Secondary College is proud to share the official videos celebrating the achievements of our 2026 Victorian Global Learning Awards (VGLA) winners.

These inspiring videos not only recognise the dedication, resilience, leadership, and academic excellence of our students, but also reflect the strength of our inclusive and supportive learning environment.

The Victorian Global Learning Awards provide an opportunity to celebrate the collective efforts of students, teachers, coordinators, homestay families, schools, and the broader education community in fostering global citizenship and intercultural understanding—values that remain at the heart of our work at DSC.

We extend our sincere thanks to all students and staff who contributed to the creation of these videos, including those working behind the scenes. Your enthusiasm, creativity, and commitment have helped bring these stories to life and enabled us to share our students' remarkable achievements with the wider community.

Congratulations to our outstanding award winners:

• VGLA 2026 Year 12 Global Citizen Award Winner – Meyly (Elly) Tehttps://youtu.be/NvP_r16utcE
• VGLA 2026 Year 11 Global Citizen Award Winner – Kuysing (Kyle) Tehttps://youtu.be/P4Vr9EXWqZs
• VGLA 2026 Junior High School Student Leadership Award Winner – Junyu (William) Yanhttps://youtu.be/z6gIXUj9Idc
•  

We invite our school community to watch these inspiring videos and join us in celebrating the exceptional achievements of Elly, Kyle, and William.

We are immensely proud of your accomplishments and the positive contributions you continue to make to our school and the broader community.

Warm regards,

Sally Huang,

Director of International Student Program

2026 Victorian State Schools Spectacular

We’re proud to have eight of our talented students representing us in the 2026 Victorian State Schools Spectacular–This Is Me.

Congratulations to: 

• Eva P
• Lilla Baker
• Callum Dudgeon
• Izayah Khazour
• Maeva Khazour
• Zack Poole
• James Chong
• Joshua Chong

Who have all earned well-deserved roles in this prestigious production.

Students from across the state will take to the stage at John Cain Arena on Saturday 29 August (1pm and 6:30pm), performing to an audience of around 12,000. Talented students will feature on stage, while many other students will work behind the scenes, gaining professional experience under the mentorship of Creative Director Neill Gladwin, Musical Director Chong Lim AM, and Dance Director Yvette Lee. 

Get ready to be amazed by the powerful pop anthems, moving ballads, high-energychoreography, awe-inspiring aerialists and circus performers. For a wonderful, family entertainment experience, and to cheer on our students from the audience, be quick to secure tickets when they go on sale at 11 am on Thursday, 16 July.

Via: www.ticketek.com.au/spectacular

Ticket prices:

Adult: $40

Child (under 15): $20

Concession: $30

Group Offer: Buy 10 tickets and get one adult ticket for free.

Group Bookings can be made by calling 1300 364 001

We look forward to cheering them on and sharing more updates as the event approaches!

“Your Safety, Your Voice” Poster Contest Award Ceremony

Doncaster Secondary College was delighted to host the “Your Safety, Your Voice” Poster Contest Award Ceremony, a special event celebrating creativity, community engagement, and student leadership. Delivered in partnership with Neighbourhood Watch Manningham, the competition encouraged students and staff to explore important themes of community safety and crime prevention through artistic expression.

The award ceremony brought together award recipients, members of the College Principal Team, representatives from Neighbourhood Watch Manningham, and our 2026 Global Learning Student Ambassadors to recognise and celebrate the outstanding contributions of participants. The event provided a valuable opportunity to acknowledge the talent, creativity, and thoughtful messages reflected in the winning artworks, while reinforcing the importance of creating safe and connected communities.

A highlight of the ceremony was the outstanding contribution of three of our student leaders—Guqin (Grace) Xu, Chenxinyi (Celine) Zhao, and Zian (Mia) Gao—who proudly served as Masters of Ceremony (MCs). Demonstrating confidence, professionalism, and maturity, they warmly welcomed guests, introduced speakers, and presented awards throughout the event.

Their leadership and poise played an important role in the success of the ceremony and reflected the values of Doncaster Secondary College. Through this experience, they further developed their public speaking, communication, and leadership skills while contributing to a meaningful community initiative.

The reflections shared by Grace, Celine, and Mia provide valuable insights into their experiences as MCs and highlight the sense of pride, responsibility, and personal growth that came from helping to deliver such a significant event.

“It’s truly an honour to be MCs for ‘Your Safety, Your Voice’ Poster Contest Award Ceremony and also got award from this contest. We are delighted to celebrate winners’ outstanding achievement and contribution to our community. Representing our school was also a valuable and memorable opportunity for all of our 3 MCs. Our major responsibilities were creating warm and welcomed atmosphere, cooperating with each other to make sure this ceremony runs smoothly and sending sincere congratulations to all the winners. Therefore, in preparation, we scheduled rehearsal from 3 days ahead to familiarize with the process and improve our speaking. We selected eight wonderful and thoughtful artworks to display as the background allowing presenters to learn from. This experience strengthened our adaptability, oral speaking skills and confidence under pressure. Throughout the competition ceremony, it was an absolute pleasure to reinforce the importance of community safety and crime prevention again as well as viewing artworks which also presented diversity. This special event offered both our participants and MCs a rewarding experience from learning outstanding thoughts from artworks. We’re incredibly proud of the impact this competition has had and honour the standout entries. Finally, we took a group photo to mark this memorable occasion with joy. Great appreciation to all the winners and presenters for this special, memorable event”.

Members of the 2026 Global Learning Student Ambassadors shared their thoughts and reflections on being part of this special event: 

“Participating in the “Your Safety, Your Voice” poster contest was an incredibly meaningful and rewarding experience. Organised in collaboration with Manningham Neighbourhood Watch, it encouraged students to raise awareness of community safety and crime prevention in a creative and artistic way. I was glad to receive second place in the competition. It gave me insights on how a safe and supportive community should be, and how individuals can take small actions to make our community safer. 

 

Beyond competing in the contest, I was also involved in planning and hosting the activity. I worked together with members of the Neighbourhood Watch Committee and the international student voice team, aiming to make the competition more engaging and meaningful for students. Working behind the scenes allowed me to see the dedication and teamwork required to bring the event to life. It was wonderful to see all the creative ideas and different perspectives displayed through each poster. It was inspiring to see everyone’s creative and meaningful pieces. 

 

I would like to express my gratitude to Manningham Neighbourhood Watch, the organisers, teachers, all participants who made this event possible, and Ms Huang who encouraged me to participate in this competition. Winning second place made me very proud, but more importantly, this experience reminded me that every voice matters and that creativity can be a powerful tool for inspiring positive change within our community.”

Award-winning student William K. also reflected on his journey through the competition, sharing the inspiration behind his artwork and what the experience meant to him:

"Your safety, your voice poster competition’’ was important to help me understand the importance of feeling free from harm and speaking up. My poster reflects making smart choices, including friends who will look out for you and speak up if you are feeling unsafe. This poster is also about Neighbourhood Watch, focusing on a strong community and remembering to lock, hide, and keep it safe. I felt honoured to be selected as the winner of this competition. It was a privilege to share my messages with the community and the school. I appreciate that they held a presentation to acknowledge all the participants and their efforts.”

DSC Assistant Principal, Ms Belinda McGee, also delivered inspiring speeches during the ceremony. Belinda has kindly agreed to share her speech with our DSC community:

“Good afternoon, everyone, 

 

It is a great pleasure to be here today to celebrate the winners of the “Your Safety, Your Voice Poster Contest” — a wonderful initiative that has brought together creativity, student voice, community connection, and an important message around safety and crime prevention.

 

This meaningful project, proudly led by our International Student Program in partnership with Neighbourhood Watch Manningham, has provided students and staff with a valuable opportunity to express their ideas, perspectives, and community awareness through creative poster design.

 

The outstanding posters submitted throughout this competition not only showcased impressive artistic talent and originality but also demonstrated thoughtful reflections on the importance of safety, inclusion, respect, and community responsibility. It has been incredibly encouraging to see so many members of our school community actively engage with such an important topic.

 

To all of our winners — congratulations. Your work stood out for its creativity, clarity of message, and strong connection to the theme of community safety. You should all be extremely proud of your achievements and the positive impact your work has made.

 

I would also like to sincerely thank our judging panel for generously contributing their time, expertise, and thoughtful consideration throughout the judging process. Your support and involvement are greatly appreciated.

 

A very special acknowledgement must go to our outstanding 2026 Global Learning Student Voice Project Team:

 

Kuysing (Kyle) Te,

Nelly Carol (Nelly) Lim,

Zian (Mia) Gao,

Guqin (Grace) Xu,

Elyse Van Der Mei,

Madison Nguyen,

Tsz Wai (Josephine) Kung,

Boxuan (Danny) Wang,

Junyu (William) Yan, 

and Chenxinyi (Celine) Zhao.

 

Thank you for your leadership, teamwork, professionalism, and dedication in bringing this initiative to life. From organising the competition, promoting participation, checking submissions, and supporting the judging process, your efforts have been outstanding. You have represented our school community exceptionally well.

 

I would also like to acknowledge and thank our International Student Team for their ongoing support and commitment to creating meaningful opportunities for student leadership and global learning.

 

Finally, thank you to everyone who participated in the competition and supported this initiative. Together, we have shown that when creativity is combined with purpose and community spirit, we can raise awareness, strengthen connections, and make a positive difference.

Congratulations once again to all of our winners and participants and thank you everyone for being here today.”

Science Insights Series Inspires Future STEM Professionals

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to 2011 alumnus and Dux Jonathan Tiong, now a surgeon at Royal Melbourne Hospital and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, and Germaine Yong, a radiation therapist at Westmead Hospital, for generously volunteering their time to speak with our students as part of our Science Insights Series.

Throughout their presentations, students gained a valuable understanding of the different pathways from secondary school through to tertiary study and specialised careers in healthcare. Both speakers shared their personal journeys, highlighting how different educational and training pathways can lead to rewarding careers in science and medicine.

Importantly, students also learnt that success in science-related careers involves far more than technical knowledge. Jonathan and Germaine spoke about the critical and ethical decision-making required in their professions, the importance of effective communication when working with patients and colleagues, and the need to balance scientific knowledge with empathy and professionalism.

Students were also interested to learn about other aspects of their careers, including work-life balance, the physical demands of their roles, and the realities of working in busy healthcare environments. The level of engagement was exceptional, with students asking thoughtful questions throughout both sessions and attendance so strong that classrooms were filled to capacity.

Due to the overwhelming popularity of the program, the Science Insights Series will return in Term 3. Students will have the opportunity to hear from a range of additional health and science professionals, including a dentist, registered nurse, chiropractor and physiotherapist, with several more guest speakers currently being confirmed.

We thank Jonathan and Germaine for inspiring the next generation of scientists, healthcare professionals and problem-solvers.