CLUB NEWS

INTERACT CLUB

On Saturday, 3rd May, Election Day brought more than just votes—it brought the delicious smell of sausages at McKinnon thanks to the Interact Club’s Election Day Sausage Sizzle!

Held for the public and local voters, the event was a huge success, with plenty of smiles, sizzling sausages, and community spirit. All funds raised from the day are being donated to Launch Housing Charity, supporting young people experiencing homelessness.

Just a few days later, on Thursday, 9th May, the Interact Club kept the momentum going with a Lunchtime Sizzle for the school community. Funds raised from school-based events, including the lunchtime sizzle, will be donated to selected causes. These will be decided by the Interact Club leadership team at the end of the year, once all fundraising activities are complete.

I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to the incredible students who volunteered their time and energy to make both events possible. Giving up their lunchtime and even their weekend to support the Interact Club and raise funds is no small effort—and your dedication does not go unnoticed.

We’d also like to extend our gratitude to Mr Noble, the Facilities team and Teachers for their ongoing support in making these events happen.

Thank you to everyone who's supported us—your contribution helps us raise money for great causes! We are looking forward to another great year of service, leadership, and positive community impact!

Maleesha Dharmadasa

Interact Club President

PRIDE CLUB

On May 16, the McKinnon Pride Club held a bake sale at lunch for IDAHOBIT Day. IDAHOBIT is the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexism and Transphobia. IDAHOBIT is set on May 17 to commemorate the day when the World Health Organisation took homosexuality off the list of mental disorders. 

Many of the members of Pride Club from both campuses brought in baked goods to sell. Over both campuses, McKinnon managed to raise over $600! All our proceeds went to Minus18. 

We also had the second 'all gender' race event as part of the Cross Country Carnival. We had members of the principal team walk with us at both events, with Mr Kan and Mr Noble walking with the McKinnon Road crew, and Dr Long and Mr Quinn with the East crew. 

We had a great time walking together, despite the wet weather!

Ava Carter, Year 7

MCK CHESS CLUB

2025 McK CHESS GRAND PRIX RESULTS 

After two terms of intense competitions and countless exciting moments, the 2025 McK Chess Grand Prix tournament concluded last week. This year, participants from East and McKinnon Road Campuses played a combined of more than 100 games over 8 weeks of competition spanning March to May. Congratulations to all placegetters and award recipients. They will receive their trophies or medals in the next General Assembly.

McK Rd Master Division:

🥇WINNER: Stanley Luo (Year 11)

🥈RUNNER-UP: Aaron Todes (Year 11)

🥉3RD PLACE: Jonathan Hunag (Year 10)

4th Place: Lucas Huang (Year 10)

5th Place: Alex Do (Year 11)

6th Place: Aarush Panuganti (Year 10)

East Campus Division:

🥇WINNER: Jason Yang (Year 8)

🥈RUNNER-UP: Arnav Chitnis (Year 9)

🥉3RD PLACE: Konstantinos Dimitrakopoulos  (Year 9)

Other awards recipients:

• Angie Quach (Year 7) - Best Year 7 Player
• Shrish Kumaran (Year 12) - Best performance by a player rated below 1050
• Joe Kee (Year 11) - Honorable mention (player rated below 1050)

For the full results, visit the official Chess GP website.

McK CHESS RATING/TITLE UPDATE 

Congratulations to Stanley Luo (Year 11), for obtaining a King Class Player Title (& badge) − the highest possible title awarded by the McK Chess Club − after his recent winning performance at the Chess Grand Prix and reaching 1450+ McK rating. 

Meanwhile Alex Do (Year 11) and Maria Kabakova (Year 10) have been awarded the Queen and Pawn Class player badge respectively for their achievements in the last 12 months. Well done.

The current top 10 McK Rated Chess Players at McKinnon:

1. Aaron Todes (Year 11) 1512 [KG]
2. Stanley Luo (Year 11)   1450 [KG]
3. Alex Do (Year 11)           1384 [QN]
4. Howie Nguyen (Year 12) 1384 [QN]
5. Jonathan Huang (Year 10) 1262
6. Vibhan Jivanjee (Year 11) 1247
7. Lucas Huang (Year 10) 1200
8. Rohan Baker (Year 12)  1194 [BP]
9. Sivanesh Veerappan (Year 8) 1187
10. Mariia Kabakova (Year 10) 1172 [PN]

McK PLAYER'S TITLES ARE IN [...]

All students who have played in any tournament organized by the McK Chess Club in the past will be in the McK Chess Rating database. Rating is used for competition seeding, school team’s selection, as well as determining player’s titles. The updated rating list for 2025 can be accessed via this link.

Sandy Law

McK Chess Club