College News
A Visit by Daniel Principe
Trinity Old Boy, Daniel Principe is a youth advocate and ambassador who champions boys and young men to fulfil their potential as meaningful and compassionate members of society. He has spoken to tens of thousands of teens and young adults across the country with the purpose of challenging culture and inspiring them to stay true to their values rather than allowing the outside noise of mainstream and social media to adversely affect their actions and behaviours. His work in this field resulted in him being a finalist for the NSW Australian of the Year award earlier this year.
On Monday evening, Daniel facilitated a workshop – “Towards Manhood” – with over 50 fathers and mentors of our Year 9 students as part of our Becoming Men program. Daniel shared with the attendees the context that our teenage boys are growing up in 2025, including an exploration of the toxic influences which can often confuse their values. The men in the room were honest in their discussions as they explored questions which opened our minds to the reality of growing up surrounded by an online world, and the often poisonous expectations that come along with that.
This workshop was followed up on Tuesday with Daniel hosting a workshop with each of our Year 9, 10 and 11 students. Daniel’s expertise in the field challenged our students’ core sources of influence, channelling their energies towards an understanding that they are inherently good – despite what they may otherwise hear from the manosphere – and inspiring them to uphold their integrity, empathy and respect for all others.
Daniel’s presentations are inspiring because he holds his audience to a high standard – a standard which he knows they are all capable of meeting. His message is loud and clear – you are capable of leading courageous, empathetic and respectful lives which can have a profound positive influence on all those around you. Through all four of his presentations, he didn’t shy away from the serious issues facing the youth of today and provided a safe space for attendees to examine the negative influences which can derail an otherwise positive vision for boys and young men.
Daniel Principe is a wonderful representation of the value Trinity College places on character formation for all of our students, and with this being the second year partnering with him, we look forward to a long and influential working relationship in helping to continue the growth and development of all our students.
Mr Clint Testa
Coordinator of Student Formation and Leadership
3 Wins from 3 Debates!
The last week of Term 2 saw two very successful nights of debating with our Junior and Senior teams clinching wins in their debates.
On Tuesday night, Senior debaters Zach McLean (12.7), Luke Chapman (12.3), Finn Stenning Alexander (12.1) and Westlee Terrell (12.5) enjoyed their first impromptu debate against Mount Lawley SHS for the season. The boys gathered at 5.15pm to receive their topic which was: This house regrets the prevalence of technopessimism.
[Technopessimism is a worldview that sees future milestone technological achievements as likely to be harmful in aggregate. Fictional worlds like Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, Arcane and Black Mirror have technopessimist themes, and a number of real-world movements (certain environmentalist groups advocating degrowth, some AI safetyists who are worried about mass unemployment) subscribe to technopessimism.]
Despite this somewhat challenging topic, students were able to brainstorm, plan and pull together some strong and engaging arguments during their hour of preparation and emerged ready to take on their opposition as the Negative side.
What ensued was a riveting and engaging debate, with some rather intense Points of Information being offered and received on both sides. This was a close debate, with the adjudicator taking slightly longer than usual to deliberate on the final result, but Trinity ultimately emerged victorious, winning by 2 points.
Buoyed by their win, the Senior debaters fronted up again to Hale School on Wednesday night to debate opponents from Leeming SHS on the topic: This house prefers a world where every human’s innate intelligence is identically average. [‘Innate intelligence’ is one’s inherent capacity to adapt, learn, and respond to stimuli in their environment based on their genetic predisposition, neurological development, and instinctual behaviours.]
Back-to-back debaters Westlee Terrell (12.5), Zach McLean (12.7) and Finn Stenning Alexander (12.1) were joined by newcomer and Year 11 student Daniel Poli (11.3) whose enthusiasm saw him debating as 1st speaker on the Affirmative side. With some well-developed points and arguments revolving around education, politics, human diversity and one’s individuality, the Senior team showcased some strong rebuttal skills and were able to establish themselves as the stronger team as the debate progressed. All speakers spoke with conviction and personal flair which no doubt contributed to their win – making it their 4th win in as many debates.
On the same night and at the same time, our Junior debaters, comprising of Sean Shanahan (9.7), Lucas Hall (9.4) and Frederick Brockett (9.1), were debating in the Affirmative against the team from Methodist Ladies’ College on the topic This house would introduce duty to rescue. [Duty to rescue is a legal requirement for citizens to assist people in distress or danger, unless doing so would put themselves or others in harm’s way]. While the topic itself seemed to favour the affirmative, the boys still had to work hard to craft compelling arguments that would convince the adjudicator their case was better and stronger than that of their opposition.
They prevailed in the end, securing the win for Trinity – a testament to their teamwork and skills.
What’s next? We await the tallying of points across the WADL Debating Competition and the announcement of which teams have made it to the Finals rounds. With four wins in the bag, our Senior team is a strong contender to be selected, and, should they be successful, it would mark the first time in many years that Trinity College has reached this stage in the Schools Debating Competition. It is certainly exciting times ahead!
I would like to thank ALL our stalwart debaters who have faithfully attended every meeting and worked hard to support, encourage and debate alongside their teammates over the last few months. Every debate won or lost is a stepping stone to a better and stronger one, so I hope that the students have all gained something over their time in the WADL Debating Competition and look forward to continued support and enthusiasm in the upcoming AHISA Debating Competition as well.
Mrs Su-fen Chung
(Debating Coordinator)
Winter Sports Photos
Winter Sports photos will take place early in Term 3. While the specific schedules will be sent to families over the holiday period, please note the dates below.
Middle School (Years 7-9): Friday, 25 July (week 3.1)
Junior (Years 4-6) & Senior School (Years 10-12): Thursday, 31 July (week 3.2)
Auxiliary News
The most anticipated event of the year, Auxiliary Long Lunch, was another enjoyable affair. Thank you to the 180 women who joined in celebrating community and friendship, we hope that you had and pleasant and fun afternoon/evening!
The annual Auxiliary Morning Tea has been rescheduled, and will now be held on Friday 12 September– mark your diaries now with details to be forwarded in due course.
Volunteers requested
We are seeking a couple of helpers to support the TOBA Golden Heritage “Back to the Classroom” event. Our Year 6 classes will welcome Old Boys who graduated 50 or more years ago into their classrooms, and will then lunch with guests in Gibney Hall. We require support for set-up, service and pack-up.
Date: Friday 25 July
Volunteer times: 11.30am – 2.30pm
Venue: Gibney Hall
Register to help: email melday6014@gmail.com (Auxiliary President, Melanie Day)
Our next meeting will be held at 8.30am on Monday 28 July, in the Staff Lounge. We welcome any parent to attend to participate in our discussions.
As we come to the end of Term 2, we wish all our families an enjoyable and relaxing break!
Mrs Melanie Day
Auxiliary President
melday6014@gmail.com
Upcoming Tours/Open Days
30 July - Junior School Open Day
29 October - Group Tours
Bookings are essential and can be made through the College website.
For all enrolment related questions please don’t hesitate to reach out to our College Registrar Brooke Hornbuckle on 9219 1121 or at registrar@trinity.wa.edu.au.
Uniform Shop hours
- Closed: During the school holidays.
- Re-open (normal trade): Tuesday, July 22 at 7.30am
Trinity College Building Fund
Donations Welcome
We are always striving to improve the Trinity College campus, and the generosity of our supportive Trinity College community has defined what our College is today. The College has and is undertaking a number of projects to improve the College’s facilities. These include:
Refurbishment of the ground floor B Block classrooms.
Paving outside B Block – the paving next to the lockers was replaced, making it considerably safer when wet.
Pool relining – the Trinity pool, arguably the best pool in the PSA, now looks even better. The pool’s vinyl liner, tiling, gutters and lane markings were completely replaced.
The Virtual Reality room, next to the Senior School Library, was fully sound proofed.
D&T air-conditioning – the Design & Technology workshops and saw room were fully airconditioned.
Waterbank – 2024 saw Trinity Ave reinstated and the Waterbank area graded flat. This will be used by the College from Term 3 for Phys Ed classes and PSA sport training, reducing bus trips to Waterford and enabling longer training sessions.
New tractor – Kubota LH5740 and has the following features
Whether big or small and through continued support, we can preserve the Trinity traditions and create a Trinity for Tomorrow… ready for the next generation of Men for Others.
Contributions and Donations
All contributions to the Trinity College Building Fund (Deductible Gift Recipient – DGR) – ABN 49 717 506 377, are tax deductible and a deductible gift receipt will be issued by the College.
We thank you in advance for your generous donation. A receipt will be sent to you upon confirmation of payment.