Student Voice
Pakenham Secondary College
Whole School Assembly
On Tuesday, 18th February we held our first Whole School Assembly of the year. A massive thank you to Dante Trott from 8.1, who provided outstanding entrance music to start off the Assembly. We were honoured to welcome Ashley Dargan, a Larrakia artist, storyteller and educator, who works with organisations to build cultural understanding and create better opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. He delivered a powerful Acknowledgement of Country and an incredible didgeridoo performance.
We also welcomed back Grace Groves, our 2024 College Vice Captain and High Achiever, who shared valuable insights with our Year 12 students about the year ahead. Additionally, we were fortunate to have Peter Dye, our Koorie Engagement Support Officer, with us to make some important announcements.
The assembly also provided the opportunity to award the 2025 leadership positions to an exceptional group of students who have demonstrated academic and sporting excellence, a commitment to our College’s SOAR values, a strong sense of community spirit and a passion for improving our school. We look forward to all they will achieve this year.
Thank you to our College Captains, Gurleen Kaur and Katie Brooks and our College Vice Captain, Dylan Purvis, on leading the assembly with such enthusiasm.
Swimming Carnival
At the swimming carnival, I helped out at the Student Representative Council-run BBQ and was thrilled to see so many people eager to lend a hand and take part in the event. It was fantastic to witness the generosity of our community, with all funds raised from both the swimming carnival and the upcoming athletics carnival in April going to the Good Friday Appeal. We look forward to sharing our final totals after the Athletics Carnival.
The energy throughout the day was incredible, with everyone cheering passionately for their house. It was great to see students from all year levels getting involved in not just the standard races, but also the relay and novelty events, which included a hungry hippo-style challenge and a pool noodle horse race. Congratulations to Betts on their victory! We heard that the scores were extremely close before the final event and Betts secured the win thanks to students who went the extra mile—cheering on their peers, helping clean up, and taking part in land activities.
The swimming carnival was a huge success and I can’t wait to see you all at the athletics carnival!
Rebecca Watson 9.6 - Student Representative Council Member
