AROUND THE COLLEGE

Celebrating Creativity: 2026 Art and Design Exhibition

From Wednesday 14 October to Friday 16 October, the Performing Arts Facility (PAF) was transformed into a vibrant celebration of creativity for our 2026 Art and Design Exhibition. Featuring work from Year 7 through to VCE across Visual Art, Design and Media, the exhibition showcased the talent, imagination and dedication of our creative WHC students.

The diverse display included individual student projects, work by our First Nations students, and collaborative artworks developed through guest artist visits and workshops throughout the year. It was wonderful to celebrate the achievements of our students and share the excellent work they have created. They should all be incredibly proud of what they have accomplished this year.

Exhibition Opening and Awards

Our exhibition officially opened on Wednesday evening, with students, families, staff and members of the wider school community joining us to celebrate student creativity and recognise outstanding achievements through our annual art and design awards. Thank you to everyone who attended and supported our students. A special thank you to the Year 11 VM team and Miss Carracher for providing the wonderful catering for the evening.

This year's awards celebrate not only artistic and design excellence, but also the values and creative qualities that help our students grow.

Frida Kahlo Creative Courage Award – CourageRecognising students who take creative risks, experiment with new ideas and develop their own creative voice.

Recipients: Lee Herring (Year 9), Rani Shawcross (Year 10) and Jett Black (Year 7).

Keith Haring Creative Community Award – InclusivityCelebrating students who support others, embrace different perspectives and contribute positively to our creative community.

Recipients: Ivy Plumb (Year 7) and Liv Rousseaux (Year 9).

Yayoi Kusama Award for Creative Responsibility – ResponsibilityRecognising persistence, dedication and students who take ownership of their learning and creative development.

Recipients: Sienna Jorgensen (Year 9), Madison Fletcher (Year 9) and Mia Cherry (Year 7).

Tim Burton Visual Storytelling AwardCelebrating imaginative storytelling, distinctive visual styles and students who communicate ideas in creative and unexpected ways.

Recipients: Amelia McHenry (Year 8), Finley Kilbride (Year 9) and Navreet Kaur (Year 9).

Dieter Rams Design Thinking AwardRecognising thoughtful problem-solving, purposeful design decisions and students who refine their ideas to develop effective design solutions.

Recipients: Oakley Hodge (Year 8) and Kobe Collins (Year 10).

Congratulations to all our award recipients and to every student who contributed work to the exhibition. Each piece represented the time, thought and creativity invested in developing their skills and ideas.

On Thursday, we welcomed Grade 3 and 4 students from Hamlyn Banks Primary School to explore the exhibition. Our Year 7 Visual Art students stepped up as tour guides, sharing the work on display and helping our younger visitors engage with the creative achievements of WHC students. A big thank you to our Year 7 students for demonstrating leadership and enthusiasm, and a shout-out to our friends at Hamlyn Banks Primary School for visiting and being part of the celebration!

The 2026 Art and Design Exhibition was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the creativity, growth and achievements of our students, while sharing the value of Visual Art, Design and Media within our school community.

A sincere thank you to all students, families, staff and community members who contributed to, supported or stopped in to experience the exhibition. Your support means a great deal to our students and helps us continue to grow and celebrate the creative culture at Western Heights College.

Geelong Performing Arts Centre

Geelong Performing Arts Centre is kindly offering 10 students the opportunity to experience a performance of Macbeth by the Bell Shakespeare Company. The performance details are: Friday the 6th of November at 7pm at Geelong Performing Arts Centre – Ryrie Street, Geelong. If you are interested in a complimentary ticket or two, please contact Ms Doak at Vicki.Doak@education.gov.vic.au. First in, best dressed!

Victory Passes!

2026 sees the introduction of Victory Passes into our WHC community! Students who display exceptional levels of our College Values; Responsibility, Inclusion & Courage will be granted a Victory Pass! Victory Passes are to be delivered by students to the front Administration office, where they will be entered into a fortnightly draw.

Prizes:

Each Fortnight 2 x passes will be drawn out of each sub-school, with canteen prizes for the winners.

Each Month, the Homegroup with the highest number of passes will receive a special lunch.

Each Term, students with the highest number of passes will be entered into a Major Draw!

Keep up the great work WHC! Keep collecting those VICTORY PASSES! 🏆

Fortnightly Winners:

Year 7-8: Tylah P

Year 9-10: Oliver H

Year 11-12: N/A