Secondary Happenings
Have You Met Cassie??
Name: Cassie van Veen
Role: IT Administrator
What do you enjoy most about working at DCC?
Being part of a community of like-minded people who share a love for the Lord is something I truly treasure! While I have worked in jobs where I've found other Christians and we've had our little moments of excitement over something we share, it's a million times more intense here. We have the opportunity to pray and praise God in all we do, knowing that faith is woven throughout the whole school. My team here in IT has also been a huge support, and I think I've found lifelong friends here!
What do you love most about your role, and why?
I started at DCC four years ago in Technical Support, and moving into an administrative role at the start of this year, while still working in technology, has created an opportunity for me to widen my skills and connect with more vendors outside the school.
This has allowed me to learn so much, from processing invoices and purchases to helping the team find what we need for the school and ensuring we get the best outcomes for the College. I also feel that I'm able to support my team in IT by taking care of those little tasks that aren't always quick but are definitely needed.
How does your faith shape the way you approach your role?
My goal in life has always been to show the love of God. It's something I've seen modelled by my parents and grandparents growing up. The verse that's always stuck with me is Philippians 4:6: "Don't worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."
It's the "with thanksgiving" part that particularly reminds me that everything I do, including my work, is because of God's grace. No matter how big or small my role is here, I want to approach it through that grace and with a thankful heart.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
I love creating things, whether it's baking a fun new recipe I've found while scrolling social media (which happens a lot, and my friends and family probably wish I'd stop for the sake of their waistlines!) or sketching out an idea that I just can't get out of my head.
It's such a relaxing time where I can tune out the worries and stresses of life. I'm also a sucker for finding cute cafés and fun new drinks - I often enjoy recreating them at home. Because of that, I try to grab a friend and check out a new place at least once a month.
What are you looking forward to for the rest of 2026?
A long-time dream of mine has been to create and sell my own designs, and Christmas gives me a great opportunity to test out lots of ideas while making presents for family and friends. My goal for the rest of this year is to work on a range of T-shirts that I might be able to sell one day. And if not, I'll still have the satisfaction of creating the best handmade presents I can!
Music Highlights
Peter Sheridan, IBP Coordinator and Head of Woodwinds
Senior Concert Band at VSMF
On Monday 24 August the spectacular Senior Concert Band competed in the Annual Victorian Schools Music Festival at Hawthorn Town Hall. The band, which consists of 46 students from years 8-12, performed an exciting and expressive program, directed by Head of Instrumental Music, Phil Reichman and Woodwind specialist, Peter Sheridan. The ensemble performed three works, in a high-level performance setting, competing against some of Melbourne’s finest music schools. Through their dedication, commitment and musical passion, the ensemble performed and presented themselves as young professionals. They were awarded gold placement for their outstanding artistic efforts. Congratulations to this fine team of musicians.
Musical Success at Prestigious Competition
On Sunday 30 August, our Year 10 student Rebecca Gao, won an 'honourable mention’ at the 53rd Annual Leslie Barklamb Flute Competition. With 21 competitors in the '15 and Under section,' this year's competition was certainly intense, with many of the flutists performing challenging pieces with fast tempos. Rebecca performed two works beautifully and held her composure very well on stage.
Ms. Gao has plans to take VCE MUSIC (Unit 1/2) in year 11. Congratulations Rebecca! We are so proud of your musical accomplishments.
VCE VM Literacy Excursion
Nicky Joiner, VCE Vocational Major Coordinator
On Tuesday 1 September, our Year 12 VCE Vocational Major students enjoyed their final excursion together as a class.
The day began with an interactive workshop that directly related to our current literacy studies, which has focused on advocacy texts and persuasive communication. Students explored the evolution of TAC advertising campaigns and discussed the key elements of effective advertising. Working collaboratively in teams, they then designed their own road safety advertisements. The students demonstrated excellent teamwork and creativity, producing thoughtful campaigns aimed at raising awareness of road distractions among young people.
Following the workshop, students visited the Road to Zero exhibition, an engaging experience that encouraged them to think critically about road safety and the impact of their choices. As many Year 12 students are already driving or preparing to get their licence, the exhibition's messages were particularly relevant. Interactive features, including virtual reality experiences, were a highlight and helped bring the learning to life.
Overall, it was a valuable day of learning, reflection, and connection. As their final excursion together, it provided an opportunity not only to engage with important real-world issues but also to enjoy one last shared experience as a class.
EISM Chess Tournament
Callum Healey, Secondary Teacher & Chess Coordinator
On August 28, Donvale hosted the 9th EISM chess tournament for the second year running with more than 320 students in attendance. Since 2021, Huntingtower School has been the school to beat, winning the last 5 junior and senior competitions and last 10 top player prizes, often with perfect winning scores. In addition, they also won the Chess Victoria state championships in 2024 and placed 4th at the national championships.
Since the chess club was founded in 2021, our goal has been to compete strongly against Huntingtower and “close the gap”. After 5 years, our team finally broke through for a win in the junior division – by ½ a point! In the same category, Matthew Zheng went undefeated to win all 6 games and be the first non-Huntingtower student to win the junior top player prize. Our senior team, led by Evan Ng (5 wins), also led the tournament heading to the final round before being overtaken by Huntingtower, so a big shout out to those students for their efforts.
In other chess news, Year 10 student Tahlia Strybosch has qualified for the Secondary Girls State Finals, while 14 other DCC students will compete at Viewbank College next week for a place in the Northern Star State Championships.
A special thank you to Mr. Chris Turner for hosting and organising the event, our students for setting up the boards and packing up the tables, and the tech and maintenance teams for doing a superb job of making everything run smoothly. The increase from 206 entrants in 2025, to 320 players in 2026, has been mainly due to the positive word of mouth from other schools about last year’s enjoyable event. The main purpose moving forward is to continue to build a lively chess-playing culture at Donvale which focuses on processes over results, with fun and personal improvement at the forefront of that experience.
Victorian Interschools Snowsports Championship
Han Yu Ong, Primary Teacher
Our athletes performed commendably at this year’s Victorian Interschools Snowsports Championship, with several competitors achieving results within the top 30–50% of their respective fields.
Competing in snowsports presents unique challenges, and our athletes demonstrated excellent resilience and determination throughout the event. The competition was held in harsh and demanding weather conditions, requiring athletes to adapt quickly to changing snow, visibility and course conditions. Despite these challenges, our students remained focused, composed and committed to producing their best performances.
The standard of competition was particularly high, with the event attracting strong and highly skilled skiers and snowboarders from schools and colleges across the state. Finishing within the top 30–50% in such a competitive field is a positive achievement and reflects the athletes’ developing skills, preparation and commitment to their sport.
Jeremy Pang in Year 4 competed in Alpine GS, Ski Cross and Moguls and came top 30% for all his events.
Alyssa Kang in Year 7 participated in Interschools for the first time and did two solid runs in her Snowboard GS and Snowboard Cross events.
Benji Goh in Year 9 was also a first timer in Interschools and came top 30% in his Alpine GS race under poor weather conditions.
Chiara Sonsini in Year 11 returned to skiing following her ACL injury two years ago and performed very well.
Overall, the athletes should be extremely proud of their performances!
