History Hub
In our 70th year our resident historian Ms Anne Gamble shares the history and development of programs MGSC students enjoy today.
Aerobics at MGSC
There is a long history of aerobics at MGSC which builds upon the platform for gymnastics established in the mid-1960s under an Olympian Val Roberts, which was made more prominent when those aspiring for Commonwealth and Olympic Games in this sport studied at our college. Aerobics itself also gained traction under a series of teachers whose speciality was this area prior to 2012. The arrival of Courtney Anderson in 2013 was the catalyst for a boom in it though, as she came with a wealth of experience in aerobics and cheerleading which expedited the growth in a program now sporting five teams.
When Courtney left in 2016 to establish her own academy of Dance, Aerobics and Cheer, Tess Molina stepped up to the plate and she has been at the forefront of this very popular program ever since. Under her tutelage the number of teams expanded which was accompanied by a similar growth in the number of student coaches. In 2018 this group of coaches and participants celebrated having two teams qualify for the National Championships on the Gold Coast which was the first time in quite awhile.
In 2019, we employed the first additional coach and introduced solos for the first time which was an exciting time for the program. Several soloists and teams qualified for the nationals which was such a seminal time for the squad. 2020 and 2021 saw training sessions go online or outside during the height of the pandemic, yet the students continued to work hard to achieve their goals and maintain their connection. Online competitions and choreography allowed the students to show creativity and challenge themselves while achieving great feats.
From 2022 and beyond, the program has further expanded to employ seven former students as coaches and have over 120 students and alumni compete in solos, duos, auditions and teams. We routinely have over forty entries at regional, state and national competitions and have been expanding and developing the dance program to include solos, duos and teams in jazz, lyrical and tap sections.
The strength of the Aerobics and Dance program at Mentone Girls is the connection between the former students who coach and inspire the current students to ensure this wonderful tradition is upheld. They have assisted in developing the program into its current excellent state and it would not be the same without the effort of these young people over the last six years. Much energy is expended behind the scenes to create routines, training programs, music and leotards to ensure that the students can achieve their personal best and look the part in doing so.
The Aerobics and Dance Squad is one of the largest public school programs in the area and allows students to connect between year levels and learn the value of hard work, team spirit, resilience and empowerment.
The college is immensely proud of all past and present students who still contribute to and participate in this program and look forward to the maintenance of our high standards and more glowing achievements. None of this could be possible without the enduring encouragement, expertise, support and enthusiasm of Tess Molina who has been the mainstay of this program for a decade now. She has made a lot of sacrifices with her early morning training regimens and forgoing of weekends to attend the various events at which our students have excelled. Their success is testament to her enormous investment over the years and she promotes the students’ success stories with great pride.
Drama & Performing Arts
Drama has always been a feature of this school and today we have productions in alternate years which showcase the broad range of dramatic talent within Mentone Girls’ Secondary College. We’ve been lucky enough to have a succession of talented teachers who have worked hard to identify and nurture the acting skills and promote the staging of well known plays and musicals which have attracted large audiences and bolstered our reputation as a school which appreciates the performance of our students in theatrical settings. In the very early years, drama was often promoted through the teaching of Literature and in mainstream English classrooms as well as spawning productions through its Drama Club. For example in 1962 alone, various year levels staged the following: St Joan, Toad of Toad Hall, The Perfect Holiday and Archibald.
A further indication of the value placed on Drama was that there were no fewer than six excursions to view plays at venues in the city, South Yarra, Malvern and the University of Melbourne. Students wrote reviews of these performances which were published in Draco - the official school magazine. The plays attended included: Macbeth, Death of a Salesman, A Doll’s House and Julius Caesar.
Today our VCE students can enrol in Theatre Studies which supports their active participation in plays which are performed to family and fellow students as a requirement of the course.
Ms Anne Gamble
English Teacher / Local & School Historian