Wellbeing
Year 7 Ambassador 2024
It is my pleasure to announce the Year 7 Ambassadors for 2024: Camilio Chelala, Anthony D’Arrigo, William Gotsis and Jack Ronzini.
Undoubtedly these students have the confidence of their whole cohort to be strong representatives and support the group through an important year of transition in Year 7. They are excited to work with the Year 7 Prefect, Patrick Doolin through the rest of 2023 and 2024. I thank all the applicants for their dedication to the process, as well as the teachers and Mr Stephenson for their support.
Romina Fisicaro
Acting Student Wellbeing Coordinator
Year Prefects
In this week’s edition we are introduced to our Year Prefects and our Student Wellbeing Prefect. Each of the Year Prefects work closely with a particular year group and has the potential to be an excellent resource for the students in the respective year group as well as the relevant Year Coordinator. Our Student Wellbeing Prefect works across the whole school to encourage and promote a healthy approach to life and learning.
Luke Bromfield
What is your leadership portfolio?
Student Wellbeing Prefect for 2024.
What are you most excited about in your leadership portfolio?
The one aspect about the Student Wellbeing Portfolio that I am most excited about is its broad scope. I feel as if it allows me to engage in many areas in college life, from working closing with year prefects, to organising schoolwide initiatives to improve the wellbeing of the students of SPC. I am looking forward to getting to know as many boys as possible over the next year, and with a particular focus on starting positive conversations surrounding men's mental health.
What is something about you that others may be surprised to know?
Despite coming from a Lebanese background, not many people know that I actually grew up in New Zealand. I moved there when I was about 2, and returned to Sydney for my last year of pre-school. I have very fond memories of my childhood living there, and I’ll certainly never forget the countless bushwalks I went on with my mum and dad, attending Auckland Zoo, and going golf ball hunting with our family friends.
What is your preferred way to unwind?
To relax and clear my head, I find peace and serenity on the golf course. Even if it's just for an hour after school, I have found that getting out into the sun and hitting some balls gives me clarity and reliefs copious amounts of stress. It is something I always look forward to in my week.
What would be a good theme song for your life? Why?
A good theme song to sum up my life would be “Where you are” by John Summit. The euphoric house track, for me, sums up my life as one which is goal oriented. I see the positions and accomplishments of various people, and align my life so that, one day, I can be where they are.
Gianni Cotroneo
What is your leadership portfolio?
Year 5 Prefect for 2024.
What are you most excited about in your leadership portfolio?
Throughout 2024, I am looking forward to working with the Year 5 cohort, making new connections, leading by example and being around for the boys who ask questions about what the school is like and what to expect. I am looking forward to launching activities for the boys to participate in, to create collaboration and new bonds between the Year 5 students as most of them will not know each other from their previous school. I look forward to incorporating both sports and academic activities that the students can participate in and collaborate as groups.
What is something about you that others may be surprised to know?
I am creative, I have a passion for old school cars, and I can speak and understand fluent Greek without having attended any language school. I started speaking when I was 7 months old and by 11 months, I was having full conversations in both Greek and English.
What is your preferred way to unwind?
I enjoy spending time with family and friends. I also like to stay active by going to the gym after school. On weekends when I’m not working at my part time job, I enjoy going to car meets with my dad and bonding over our mutual love of cars.
What would be a good theme song for your life? Why?
"Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey would be the perfect theme song for my life because its lyrics capture the essence of resilience, optimism, and the unwavering belief in one's journey. The song resonates with the challenges and aspirations I face, serving as a constant reminder to stay hopeful, push through obstacles, and maintain faith in the pursuit of my goals. It encapsulates the spirit of my life's narrative, making it a fitting anthem for my unique journey.
Elie Badran
What is your leadership portfolio?
Year 6 Prefect for 2024.
What are you most excited about in your leadership portfolio?
As Year 6 prefect, I am excited to work closely with the newly elected Junior School Captain, and Vice Captains, the Junior School teachers, Our Student Leadership Team, and the College Executive, to allow provide a sense of guidance towards the students in Year 6. This will allow both the Leadership team and myself to lead, and be role models for all students, allowing them to have the best schooling experience. Therefore, sparking and continuing to grow the SPC sprit amongst the collective and ultimately, let their light shine.
What is something about you that others may be surprised to know?
Something that most people don’t know about me is that I have three siblings, not just my younger brother in Year 10.
What is your preferred way to unwind?
I have many ways to unwind. Firstly, by praying. This method allows me to put my trust in my faith, allowing me to unwind and put my mind at rest. Secondly, going to the gym, allows me to use up my energy and ending up unwinding from long days. The third way, is to go out with my friends or family, either going to the park, or going to get something to eat, etc, allows me to unwind and relax.
What would be a good theme song for your life? Why?
A theme song for my life is ‘Do for Love’ by 2Pac, as it depicts the loyalty which an individual must have to their friends and family, growing the relationships of the individuals around myself. Therefore, allowing me to be the best friend, person, student, and family member for everyone around me.
Patrick Doolin
What is your leadership portfolio?
Year 7 Prefect for 2024.
What are you most excited about in your leadership portfolio?
In the often-challenging experience that is the beginning of high school, it is essential that you develop a sense of brotherhood and mateship with your peers, and the people around you to act as support networks, sources of trust and inspiration, or simply a distraction from the everyday cycle of school life. In 2024, I am excited to aid in the establishment of this camaraderie for the class of 2029, and to simply ‘be a mate.’
What is something about you that others may be surprised to know?
I have been fortunate enough to live in Plymouth, England for three years, where I began my schooling.
What is your preferred way to unwind?
Personally, my preferred way to unwind would be through some sort of physical exertion, or listening to music. I enjoy the sense of accomplishment you receive from doing something that is physically challenging, and this (for me) is often in the form of basketball or a long run.
What would be a good theme song for your life? Why?
‘Life is a highway’ is a song which (aside from making up much of my childhood with cars), encapsulates my life philosophy whereby I am always along for the ride, always up for a challenge, and just as the song teaches us, always chasing my best self through the highways of life, rather than the destinations.
Xavier Caristo
What is your leadership portfolio?
Year 8 Prefect for 2024.
What are you most excited about in your leadership portfolio?
I am most excited about making an impact on the lives and experience of both the boys of year 8 and other years. I’m also looking forward to consolidating the connections between all boys within year 8 and really solidify a sense of belonging to this school in them. Also I would like to provide the boys with opportunities to make memories with each other and simply help them enjoy their year 8 experience at school the most that they can.
What is something about you that others may be surprised to know?
Others may be surprised to know that ive visited 12 countries all over the world including the continents of Africa, Europe, Asia and North America.
What is your preferred way to unwind?
My preferred way to unwind is usually to go the gym after school as I need to do something that isn’t school related. This allows me to break up my day and ensure that I’m balancing what I need to do and not overloaded by one part of my life.
What would be a good theme song for your life? Why?
A good theme song for my life would be “It Was A Good Day” by Ice Cube as the song highlights how its important to appreciate the simple things in life and live in the moment as well as always finding the positives in any situation.
Christopher Gittani
What is your leadership Portfolio?
I’m proud to say that I’m the Year 9 Prefect for 2024.
What are you most excited about in your leadership portfolio?
The most exciting part of my leadership portfolio is sharing my advice, my experiences, my wisdom, and making memories with the year group. I'm passionate about working with the Year Group and ensuring everyone makes the most of their journeys, because Year 9 is an important year in high school. I want to make it a year they'll never forget.
What is something about you that others may be surprised to know?
I have had many pets come and go in my life, and right now I have 3 birds named Billy, Paulie, and an exotic bird Mickey, and they're great pets. One day, we got a call from Samsung asking for Mickey to be in their new fridge commercial! We had Mickey groomed, clipped, and drove him 2 hours away to a Samsung Studio where everything was set up (it was tropical themed), and he got all the treats in the world after he was done performing.
What is your preferred way to unwind?
Walking. Walking is my go-to solution whenever I'm feeling stressed, nervous, or bored. A great man once said, "A walk in nature walks the soul back home", because walking helps me clear my mind and re-organize my thoughts, helping me stay productive and relaxed.
What would be a good theme song for your life? Why?
If I had to wake up to the same song every day, I would wake up to Billy Joel's "Piano Man", a song about lonely people who struggle and seek comfort. The theme of this song is unity and community, where all people from all places can come together to relax and be themselves. I aim to extend this philosophy to my own life, being a "piano man" to people who need help and being a friend to everyone.
William Hanna
What is your leadership portfolio?
Year 10 Prefect for 2024.
What are you most excited about in your leadership portfolio?
I most looking forward to working with a solid and genuine group of boys and working with the Year 10 cohort to make their senior years of school enjoyable and something to cherish. I also look forward to meeting the boys and creating connections of both friend and role model. In particular, being able to build a connection between the cohort, bringing boys from across the grade together to unite as one year group. At the end of my year, I hope to have brought together a community of boys with a culture that is understanding and compassionate to people from any situation.
What is something about you that others may be surprised to know?
I’m French and I actually spent my first year of school out in countryside in the south of France. I lived in a small village called Cotignac, about an hour from the coast with a population of about 2000 people. My first connections with school mates, sleepovers, and even learning to read and write was all done in French. I was pretty fluent too, I guess good enough for a 6-year-old.
What is your preferred way to unwind?
Music. I’m a huge fan of it and it’s a pretty big part of my life and my taste or like general appreciation goes across a lot of genres. Just coming home from your game feeling exhausted, or after a long day of school, and being able to lie down and put on your playlist really helps to bring you down and unwind.
What would be a good theme song for your life? Why?
‘Solo’ by Frank Ocean. The message and just the good music of the song as well as the whole of blond really speaks to me. Solo is just a really beautiful song that captures the necessity of appreciating the beauty in every moment. I’m so grateful of the opportunities I’ve been given in my life but going through those intense downs in your life is when its crucial to really be thankful for the things you still have. The line “Inhale, in hell there’s heaven” really sticks out. No matter what situation you’re in, no matter how lonely or down you feel, there is always the beauty of life that is waiting for you to see it. Within these moments of ‘hell’ you can find the ‘heaven’ if you slow down, ‘inhale’, relax to really appreciate and look for it.