Boarding

Dance – Sarah Crowle

As someone who has been dancing for 14 years, four to five days a week, dance is one of the most important parts of my life. Boarding has made it much easier to pursue this passion. With late finishes and occasional weekend rehearsals, it’s comforting to know that I’m only a five-minute drive from my bed rather than facing an hour-long trip home. I’m especially grateful for the little things, like having dinner set aside for me. As soon as I return from dance, all I need to do is warm it up.

Hamilton Dance Company offers four different styles: Classical Ballet, Contemporary, Acro, and Jazz. Dance is not just an art form—it’s also a sport that demands strength, stamina, and discipline. Each week, we focus on building these qualities to grow stronger and improve our technique.

Throughout the year, we have a number of performance opportunities. In the middle of the year, we take part in troupe and solo competitions where we compete against schools from across Victoria. In Term 4, we present our end-of-year performance, which features a classical ballet production such as Swan Lake or The Nutcracker, alongside contemporary, jazz, and acro sections.

We are lucky to be taught by incredible instructors, including a former principal dancer from The Australian Ballet Company. Last year, thanks to my training, I was accepted into the Joffrey Ballet School’s Musical Theatre Program in New York City. I spent five weeks working with Broadway professionals and taking another step toward achieving my goals.

There are currently six girls from Mac House taking part in the demanding schedule of weekly training. A big congratulations to Nathalie Wallingford, Ruby Rudge, Isla Oldfield Man, Mackenzie Ker, and Holly McGuigan for your dedication and commitment. It takes a great deal of energy and focus to succeed in this sport, and your hard work is truly paying off.

One common misconception is that dance is only for girls. This is far from true. Many professional athletes, including footballers and soccer players, practice ballet to improve their strength, coordination, balance, and flexibility.

If you are interested in joining the dance program, no matter your level of experience or your gender, please feel free to speak to Nathalie or me. We would love to have you join us!

Sarah Crowle

Macdonald House

Netball House competition - Mac versus Speirs

A spirited netball match took place at the Boarding House between Macdonald House and Speirs House, drawing an enthusiastic crowd of supporters. Both teams showed exceptional teamwork, agility, and determination throughout the game. Macdonald House displayed quick passing and strong defence, while Speirs House countered with sharp shooting and swift transitions. The girls kept their composure with Gapper, Honor Gibbons organising the girls on and off the court. The boys played with mighty spirit and eagerness but the transition from footy to netball may have been a little tough at first! 

The game remained closely contested, finishing in an exciting 10–10 draw. A special thank you to Henrietta and Henry, our dedicated Boarding House Captains, for organising the match, and to Pepper Bowes and Lily Giles for their excellent officiating as umpires, ensuring a fair and enjoyable game.

Ice-bucket challenge accepted!

The Ice-bucket challenge is back on the agenda and rightly so. 

Raising awareness for MND research and for adolescent mental health is an important agenda we all can be aware of. In the context of boarding, mental fitness is as important as physical, emotional and social fitness. Creating healthy habits in your daily life is good for your mental health and something we promote in boarding everyday. 

Having students collectively engaged in House activities and meetings, keeping to a daily routine, involvement in committees, taking up positions of responsibility, promoting sport and physical involvement, encouraging healthy food choices, and ensuring good sleep patterns are all part of structuring a good wellbeing plan that promotes positive mental health.

If the ice-bucket challenge promotes our awareness of the importance of mental health in adolescents, then we might all take up the challenge. 

Thank you Jack Jarvis and Sophie Merrin for the nomination!

International student activity

This week some of our international students met after school to cook together at the Hospitality Centre. We cooked a variety of dishes and had some expert assistance from Miss Li. 

There was much debate about the two versions of the egg and tomato dish we prepared – one slightly sweet, the other more savoury. Both were delicious!

After lots of fun and laughter as we cooked our meal, we sat down together to a tasty banquet. This will hopefully be the first of many opportunities to get together and cook some special tastes of home for our international students.

Penny Callinan

International Student Coordinator