Whole School Achievement

Melbourne Writer’s Festival Excursion

On Wednesday May 6th, a small but mighty group of our most committed readers from Year 8 to 11 attended the Melbourne Writer’s Festival at the State Library on Swanston Street. 

Across the four sessions of the day, award-winning authors engaged students in a broad range of topics including the writing process, how to generate creative ideas, technology and representation. Our students participated in panel-type presentations from a variety of young adult authors including Tigest Girma and Jasmin McGaughey, Amy Doak, Karen Comer, and illustrator First Dog on the Moon. 

We were so very proud of our students and how they represented our college at this event, when they were surrounded by students from Melbourne’s top elite schools. They asked provocative questions, listened with intent, and took advantage of the opportunity of being at the State Library to check our the famous Ned Kelly armour and spectacular reading dome in the centre of the library. 

We thank the Melbourne Writer’s Festival for awarding us complimentary tickets to this exclusive event that sells out faster than a Taylor Swift concert, our Assistant Principal Donna Geritz for joining us, and the parents and carers who had to get our students to school at 7.20am for a 7.30am departure. 

Please find below a selection of photos from the day, many of which were taken by our students.

Vanessa Dennis – English Domain Leader

MND Fundraiser - CARE Captains

On Monday the 22nd of June the CARE Captains ran a fundraising day for MND. All funds donated went to the Clifford Family.

The day started off at the front gate with the CARE Captains starting kicked the day off positively with an overwhelming amount of donations to start. Kicking off our Lunchtime event, Lily Cook spoke about the importance of community and connection in relation to the Clifford Foundation. Bobbi Hawthorne shared a touching story on how MND has affected her family. This brought a real sense of community and connection to the place with all WPSC students gathered in our courtyard prior to the ice bucket challenge. 

Thank you to all 16 dunkees with our Year 12 students & staff leading the way taking on the freezing cold ice bucket challenge! Whilst the Ice bucket challenge was on, we had our Care captains and lovely staff on the BBQ with a line going back nearly 50 meters!! Huge shoutout to Woolworths for donating some money towards the BBQ for the day! 

CARE captains took charge Period 5 running activities involving the Year 7 & 8 students - Kicking Goals activity, kicking footy in the bin, arts & crafts poster activity & documentary on MND. Roaming around the activities there was a buzzing energy flowing through the school. Huge shout out to all the CARE captains that helped plan, set up and run the activities on the day! A special mention to a few students, Anzac Drapelidis, Banjo Stewart, Izzy Price, Maddie Forecast, Jayden Greve & Lexi Bidgood. They demonstrated exceptional leadership skills and were heavily involved in the planning, setting up & leading the activities!

Thank you to everyone that supported this event and for the generous donations to the Clifford Foundation. In total we raised $1439.60!

VCE English Update

As semester one comes to a close, our VCE English students have already completed four of their six SACs they will complete this year – a colossal achievement for our hard-working students. 

These semester one assessments culminated in a presentation incursion on Wednesday June 10th where our Year 11 and 12 English students joined together for their oral presentation assessments.  The day involved seventeen of our WPSC teachers and education support staff joining assessment panels of two to four staff across the five periods of the day. Each session saw up to six students present their speech (presentation of an argument) to the panel. Panelists were met with presentations that were conceptually sophisticated, thoroughly prepared, and professionally delivered. 

Congratulations to our VCE English students for their achievements and thank you to all staff who were involved in supporting the day, with an extra thank you to our four VCE teachers Anthea Mackenzie, Georgia Skilton, Pippa Campbell, and Rachael McCracken for their excellent quality educating of our senior students.

Continuing our recognition of Senior VCE English, I would like to showcase the writing of three of our Year 12 students by sharing their pieces with our community. Please find below the link to ‘Creating Texts – Framework of Ideas’ SACs produced in response to writing about Protest by the following students: 

• Piece one: Alex Davis 

• Piece two: Kayne Fakira

• Piece three: Liam Ricard

Thank you,

Vanessa Dennis – English Domain Leader

Legally Blonde the Musical!

Get ready to Bend and Snap, Hastings! The incredible students of Western Port Secondary College are bringing Legally Blonde JR to life with dazzling performances, fabulous costumes, and unstoppable energy. Legally Blonde JR. follows the transformation of Elle Woods as she tackles stereotypes, snobbery and scandal in pursuit of her dreams. When Elle's boyfriend, Warner, dumps her and heads to Harvard claiming she's not "serious" enough, Elle takes matters into her own hands to earn a place at the prestigious university. As Elle begins outsmarting her peers, she realises that law may be her natural calling after all, defying the limitations that had once defined her.

Join us for a feel-good night of theatre celebrating local talent, community spirit, and multiple shades of fabulous pink. Seriously. So. Much. Pink. Please note that flashing lights, haze effects, and live dogs may be used during the performance.

Foyer doors open at 6:30pm, with theatre doors opening at 6:50pm. Due to the nature of the production, late arrivals will be admitted during a suitable break between scenes. The performance runs for approximately 90 minutes, including a 20-minute interval. A kiosk will be open before the show and during the interval, offering light refreshments for purchase.

Due to demand tickets have been limited to 4 per booking.

DATES

Thursday 6 August 2026 - Saturday 8 August 2026

LINK to Tickets:

https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1583975?qr=true&qr=true 

A little bit from the cast...

Hayley Greensmith (Year 10)

My role in legally blonde is Elle Woods! The best thing about Legally Blonde is that I get to perform with my friends and get to dance and sing at school. My favourite moment in the show is when Elle Woods finally realises that she loves Law - it shows how smart Elle really is and that she's more than the blonde stereotype. If I had to describe Legally Blonde in two words, it would be teamwork and passion; shows like this don't happen by themselves. We've had to work together to create big routines and perfect things as a group. We also have incredible passion towards this show, and it's been so lovely to see people show up and give it their all for something they love.

Rocky Puglisi (Year 12)

Hi! My role in Legally Blonde is the all great and amazing, Warner Huntington the III. I also help to direct a few scenes within the show to better help those who are a bit stuck! This ensures that no one feels left behind and just makes the process feel a lot smoother.  The best part about being in the production for Legally Blonde would easily be the experience, if you always start off small in these sorts of productions you will have the knowledge and confidence to be able to continue in such field and move onto even bigger productions in Melbourne or even around the world! My favourite moments are the larger scenes where I myself look very confused on what the main character 'Elle Woods' is doing. Can't say any spoilers but look out for some of my reactions or even improv! Two words to describe Legally Blonde can be summed down to the very best words imaginable, chaotic and uplifting. Really due to how much happens in each scene chaotic is the only word I can think of, and there are lots of heartfelt moments where bringing someone help, can help them a lot. Hence the word 'uplifting'!

John Vincent Juan (Year 12)

My role in Legally blonde is Emmett Forrest, a Harvard law student who acts as Elle Wood’s Mentor. He is kind and intelligent who helps Elle Woods gain confidence and helps her with the challenges she faces. The best thing about being in a school production is the fun of working with people, the opportunity to work with friends, the excitement of performing, the chance to express yourself and try new things beyond what you’re used to.  One of my favourite moments in the show is, “Chip on My Shoulder”. I enjoy performing that scene because it is both humorous and meaningful, it really shows the energy and the personality of the characters. If I had to describe Legally Blonde in two words it would be fun and encouraging because the show is positive and full of energy, it encourages everyone to believe in themselves.

Sylas Barker (Year 9)

My role in Legally Blonde is the arrogant, pompous professor Callahan. The best part of the production is the acting; I get to have fun with this character and monologue. I think the best part is the whole "What you Want” scene. If I was to describe Legally Blonde in two words, they are awesome and fun because drama is the best.

Continue to read on about our cast in the link here...

Whole School Sport

Sport has had an exciting and energetic Term 2, with strong student participation and a wide range of opportunities across year levels.

Firstly, a special congratulations to Mr Yuan and the Year 8 Badminton team for achieving an incredible milestone: Back to back champions at the Southern Peninsula Division – a historic first for our school!

Lunchtimes have come alive with the introduction of our whole school House Colour Competition. With netball, volleyball and dodgeball on offer, students across all year levels have been getting involved, building house spirit and enjoying some friendly competition.

We have also celebrated some impressive achievements beyond the school gates:

• Our Aerobics team competed at the State Championships and have now qualified for Nationals, an outstanding result that reflects their hard work and dedication

• 38 students represented the College at District Cross Country, showing great commitment, resilience and pride

Students have also benefited from a range of engaging learning experiences:

• A Dance incursion added energy and creativity to the Year 7 Sport Education program

• Year 9 Outdoor Education students challenged themselves through a Rock Climbing excursion, building confidence and teamwork

• VCE Physical Education students participated in a VO₂ max testing incursion, giving them valuable real-world insights into fitness and performance

Overall, it has been a fantastic term of participation, achievement and opportunity in sport. It has been great to see so many students getting involved, trying new experiences and representing the College with pride.