HEALTH

WELCOME TO THE HEALTH FACULTY - 2025!

Welcome back to another year of excitement and all things ‘health’. A particular welcome is extended to our Year 7 students and new students joining McKinnon Secondary College for the first time. 

The ‘Health’ faculty consists of the following subjects: Year 7 Food Technology, Year 9 Food Technology, Year 10 Food Technology, Year 10 Health, VCE Food Studies and VCE Health and Human Development. The dedicated and dynamic teachers and ES staff within the ‘Health’ faculty, are enthusiastic to provide students with broad understandings of health and wellbeing that reach far beyond the individual. Students will continue to learn how important health and wellbeing is to themselves and to families, local communities and on a global scale. 

The ‘Health’ faculty is extremely excited to celebrate outstanding 2024 VCE results. These results are a true reflection of the dedication and diligence of students and teachers from Year 7 through to Year 12. Congratulations to all students and staff for achieving such amazing outcomes.

Ms Penny Nevill - The ‘Health’ faculty teaching team has once again grown. We would like to formally welcome a new VCE Health teacher to our McKinnon community. 

Penny is an experienced senior school teacher who has a range of expert knowledge in Health and Human Development, as well as Physical Education. McKinnon Secondary College is extremely fortunate to have yet another inspirational role model guiding students to be their best! Penny kindly answered a few ‘get to know you’ questions:

1. What's your favourite way to spend a weekend?

My ideal way to spend the weekend is by the beach, where I can ride my bike along the shoreline and take a refreshing swim in the ocean. If I’m lucky enough to have some extra time, I love to dive and explore the underwater world or grab my fishing gear and try my luck out on the water.

2. What's something you're planning on doing within the next year that you've never done before? This year, I’m determined to finally break my personal best in the marathon - something I’ve been working towards and trying to beat for the past two years. I’ve put in a lot of training, and each race has taught me something new, so I’m more focused than ever on pushing my limits and achieving that goal. I’m excited to see all my hard work pay off and hopefully hit that milestone I’ve been chasing!

3. If you could hang out with any cartoon character, who would you choose and why?

Would love to hang out with the “Road Runner”. I'm sure he would make me run fast eventually.

4. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?

One of my biggest dreams is to travel to Africa and experience a safari firsthand. I’ve always been captivated by the incredible. It would be amazing to see these animals in their natural habitat.

5. What's your favourite childhood memory?

My favourite childhood memory is spending summers by the beach and going on “special adventures” with my family.

6. What is something that makes you feel unstoppable?

When I’m competing in triathlons, I feel like nothing can stand in my way. There’s a sense of strength and determination that takes over, and it’s an incredible feeling to push my body to its limits. Triathlons are more than just a sport to me - they’re a chance to challenge myself both physically and mentally. I love the combination of swimming, cycling, and running, and the sense of accomplishment that comes with finishing each race.

7. What three words would you use to describe yourself?

Determined, focused and caring. 

A friendly reminder to all students enrolled in Food Technology / Food Studies at McKinnon Secondary College:

To reduce waste, help the environment and use safer materials, we encourage you to bring a clean large reusable container to school each week for production lessons. This means that your amazing productions can arrive home safely for family members to observe and perhaps also enjoy. 

This small request also means that you can help fight pollution, reduce waste and reduce energy consumption typically required when creating new materials. 

On behalf of all members of the outstanding ‘Health’ team, we are thrilled to share another successful year with you all in 2025. 

Ms Carmen Moloney

Health Learning Area Manager