Around the College 

Year 10 Food Studies

In a bustling kitchen filled with the aroma of freshly baked goods, students recently delved into the art of bagel-making from scratch. Under the expert guidance of former baker extraordinaire, Mrs Curcio, they embarked on a flavourful journey, blending flour, yeast, and water into perfect dough.

But this wasn't just any baking session; it was a competition of culinary creativity. The challenge? Crafting the ultimate bagel with a twist: each creation had to incorporate at least one protein and a minimum of three vegetables, all within the constraint of not exceeding eight ingredients.

With aprons tied and sleeves rolled up, the students embraced the challenge with gusto. Some opted for classic combinations like sesame seeds and poppy seeds, while others experimented with innovative pairings like smoked salmon with avocado and cucumber.

As the bagels boiled and baked to golden perfection, the kitchen buzzed with anticipation. Presentation and food photography were integral parts of the brief, adding an artistic flair to the culinary showdown.

Finally, the moment of truth arrived as each student proudly presented their masterpiece and each bagel told a unique story of flavour and flair. As the judges deliberated, the air was thick with excitement.

In the end, while there could only be one winner, the real triumph was in the joy of creation and the camaraderie shared among students bonded by their love for good food and friendly competition.

Congratulations to Ananya, Varsha and Santos in Ms Goodwin's class for coming first, second and third respectively.

Congratulations to Jasmina, Maria and Parker in Ms Reynold's class for coming first, second and third respectively.

Ms Jerry Penny

Marketing Manager

Year 8 Visual Communication Design

A key skill that modern designers need to possess is an ability to translate, and enhance, freehand drawings in a digital environment. As part of their studies this term, Year 8 Visual Communication Design students have learnt how to use the program, Adobe Illustrator, to do this. For their task, each student was required to freehand draw at least four characters from their own imagination or use an existing character as inspiration. They were then to select one of their drawings and recreate and enhance it using the tools and techniques taught in class for the program. Please take a look at the excellent work below and see how the design idea has evolved from a pencil drawing to a digital recreation.

Mr Rosario Ripper

Instructional Leader Visual Arts

2024 Year 9 Business Expo

On Wednesday 24 April 2024 our Year 9 students participated in the annual Year 9 Business Expo. The Expo is a culmination of a full term of work- where the students worked in chosen groups to create their own faux business, including a business concept and subsequent marketing campaigns. Throughout the process, the students learned about the required skills of an entrepreneur, the importance of teamwork and the many requirements of creating a successful business.   

It was a very busy evening here at the College, where we had hundreds of visitors come in throughout the night. We thank our many visitors for supporting our students as it is such an important night for our community. On the evening we witnessed some amazing teamwork, and we were really proud of all the students' hard work. Their business stall displays, their commitment to working together and then pitching their business ideas certainly included some challenges along the way, but the manner in which the students conducted themselves on the night was very impressive. It was inspiring to witness the way in which they marketed their businesses as well as the way they spoke to our visitors with such enthusiasm and commitment. 

The Expo included live voting, where our visitors could vote for their favourite business. The winner of the Popular Vote was Team Cocoa - and they are be congratulated for their appealing stall display, their enthusiastic conduct with our visitors and excellence in collaboration. 

I take the opportunity the opportunity to thank our amazing Year 9 Humanities teachers - Ms Heyam Dell’Aquila, Miss Tessa Houlihan, Mrs Deirdre Hughes and Mr Rod Diaz, who supported and guided the students throughout the Business Expo project. Without them, the night would not have been a success. 

Each of the Year 9 Humanities teachers awarded a Class Prize, focusing on how well each group worked as a team, innovation and including a point of difference within their business. The Class Prize recipients are:

Miss Houlihan’s Class Prize Group C - awarded to Team King Cookies - congratulations to Tyler Bastain and Tre Cossigny. 

Miss Houlihan’s Class Prize Group F - awarded to Team Cupcake and Co - congratulations to Aretha Lang and Milla Palermo. 

Mrs Hughes Class Prize Group D - awarded to team Calm Creations - congratulations to Mariam Kaginyan, Shreya Annex, Thalia Balaba, and Hayley Marembo. 

Mrs Hughes Class Prize Group G -  Pink Lane Co - congratulations to Tessa Di Pilla, Makayla Sanguine, Shanaya Patel and Nhi Tu Pham. 

Mrs Dell’Aquila’s Class Prize Group B - awarded to team Buddy Bag - congratulations to Benjamin Smith, Elisha Mac, Quinn Cozis and Shania Alwis. 

Mr Diaz’s Class Prize Group A - awarded to  The Ultra Sole - congratulations to Kuba Drogo, Aariyan Singh, Norbet Benko and Jaxson Bernard-Ruiz. 

Mr Diaz’s Class Prize Group E - Co-Solina – congratulations to Sophie McKinlay, Angelina Toeng, and Constance Quach. 

Well done to all recipients of the Class Prizes for 2024.

This year, the overall winner on the night was based on the feedback from our panel of secret judges - Mr Chris Brown, Mr Josh Cowan and Ms Olivia Giblin. I thank our judges for their attendance on the night, their careful analysis of each group and their commitment to the scoring process. The judges were watching the way the students were marketing their businesses, listening to the business pitches and evaluating teamwork and collaboration. 

It was very close, with the overall winner winning by only 1 point. We congratulate the 2024 Year 9 Business Expo overall winner - Team Wilter’s Water - congratulations to William Nelson, Christian Zarifopoulos, Alex Soe, and Ishan Perera. 

Well done Year 9 students of 2024 - it was a fun night for our community and you are to be congratulated on your commitment to this Project Based Learning opportunity. An amazing effort. 

Until next year.

Ms Donna Watts

Instructional Leader Humanities

Year 11 Outdoor & Environmental Studies Camp

Mount Arapiles, widely regarded as the premier climbing destination in Australia, offers an unparalleled array of climbing opportunities for anyone who participates. For our Year 11 Outdoor & Environmental Studies students – it was time to see whether they were up to the challenge of conquering Arapiles. Students attended a three-day rock-climbing camp to experience why Mount Arapiles is a quintessential destination for climbers! I have documented our journey below…

Day 1: Students arrived at Nazareth College at 6.00 am, keen to head to Western Victoria to see this place that I had been talking about so much in the classroom. Many photos had been shared during class of some of my previous journeys and adventures, but photographs cannot do this amazing destination justice. When we finally arrived at Mount Arapiles State Park, we set up camp, and got organised for an afternoon of climbing. We all quickly sorted out our newly purchased climbing equipment, so that the students were ready to climb! We headed to a place called Mitre Rock for the afternoon, and climbed until the sun had set. Students were buzzing from the experience of something new, exciting, and adventurous. We walked away from the rock with torches in hand, and headed back to camp, hungry, and ready to make our delicious meals – albeit in the dark. We didn’t care though, as we’d had such a brilliant time climbing on real rock. After dinner, we played games, laughed, learnt more about each other, and stared at the stars. The feedback from the students was that they had never seen this many stars in their lives – breathtaking! After the fun, we were all exhausted, and went to bed!

Day 2: Multi-Pitch Guide Day – this was a day to remember for all. On the second day of camp, students were put into small groups, and were sent off with climbing guides for the duration of the day. Some students focused on improving the skills learnt on Day 1, while other students were really pushed to their limits – scaling massive 140m climbs! Putting that into perspective, if you go to an indoor-climbing gym the wall heights are about 12m, and if you go to the MCG, the highest point is 85m – so these students really have a story to tell! When every group came back to camp, they shared stories of their adventures, what they’d learnt, and bragged about how many metres they’d climbed – and that 'their' climb was more challenging than any other groups. After the chat, and a feed (dinner), we headed into the small town of Natimuk to meet up with Simon Mentz. Simon wrote the Arapiles Rock-Climbing Guide Book, and he presents a slide show (yep – you read correct, old-school slides) of his amazing rock-climbing adventures and stories from all around the world. Students listened with interest, and ask many questions of his world travel climbs – possibly asking questions with the intention of following in Simon’s footsteps?

Day 3: The home stretch: On the third day of camp, I offered students, who were interested, an opportunity to get up in the dark, pack some climbing gear, and hike (a short distance from camp) to a climbing spot within Arapiles – this I call the 'First-Light Climb'. By the time we had set up, we were climbing as the sun rose, and watched the sun as it shone brightly on the orange rock of Arapiles – it really was incredibly beautiful! The students that got up early and participated were so keen to make the most of the experience, and didn’t want to miss out on any possible climbing time. After we finished climbing, we headed back for a quick breakfast, and packed up camp. Climbing wasn’t finished… every student then got their climbing shoes, helmet, and harness ready for the final climbing session of the camp. We climbed in an area of Arapiles called Bushranger Bluff, which allowed students to choose something easy or difficult to climb on the final day – with some students really pushing themselves to the limit of difficulty! After a couple of hours climbing, it was finally time to head towards home. Arriving back at Nazareth at 6.30 pm, it was fair to say that students had really made the most of every experience offered on camp! And I, too, always have such an amazing time at Arapiles – it is one of my favourite places in Victoria.

Overall, the climbing camp at Mount Arapiles was an exhilarating and enriching experience, leaving our Year 11 students with lasting memories and newfound confidence. The students not only conquered physical challenges on the rock face but also forged stronger friendships and developed essential life skills such as teamwork, perseverance, and problem-solving. The awe-inspiring landscape and the shared sense of accomplishment created memories that will be cherished for years to come. We look forward to more adventures in the future!

Mr Adam Cooper

Outdoor Education Teacher