Enhancement Program

Year 9 Humanities Enhancement Students bring Parliament to life

A huge congratulations to our Year 9.6 Enhancement class, who brought democracy into the classroom recently by running a mock Australian Parliament debate.

Every student played an important role in the process - from the Sergeant-at-Arms leading the Speaker into the chamber, to passionate debates between parties, and even a bit of light-hearted hollering as the final decisions were made!

The live debate was a fantastic hands-on way for students to deepen their understanding of parliamentary procedures and see how formal debate works in practice.

Throughout the session, all students spoke clearly and confidently, demonstrating excellent public speaking skills, teamwork, and a strong grasp of the democratic process.

Well done to the entire class for your hard work, enthusiasm and amazing confidence! You should be very proud of what you achieved!

Enhancement students present at Antarctica Conference

Congratulations to four of our Year 9 Enhancement Science students who recently presented at the Online Kids' Conference Antarctica 2025, hosted by The Royal Society of Victoria.

Pakenham Secondary College was proud to be one of only six schools invited to present at this international event, alongside participants from as far away as the Life Skills University in Alexandria, Egypt.

Our students delivered a compelling 12-minute presentation titled “The Rising Problems in Antarctica”, exploring key topics such as human impact, environmental challenges, ecosystems and climate, the effects of melting glaciers on wildlife, and the often-overlooked risks facing the region.

Following their presentation, they took part in a live Q&A session with a panel of scientists and Antarctic researchers. The group responded with confidence and clarity, demonstrating both deep understanding and thoughtful insight.

In his closing remarks, Dr Stephen Spain said, “We all learned so much today, particularly about the volcanoes in Antarctica,” highlighting a standout response from Nadia Howard, one of our presenters.

A huge congratulations to Nadia Howard, Sophie Fullerton, Mia Inness and Kim Kaur for their exceptional research, teamwork and communication. Their passion and knowledge are a credit to both themselves and Pakenham Secondary College.

A shorter version of their presentation will be available soon on our College website.