Principal's News
I had been forewarned by staff of what to expect from the annual BHS Art Exhibition, but nothing truly prepared me for the sheer volume and quality of student pieces and portfolios showcased this week. Covering the whole human experience and expressing their ideas using a wide range of mediums including film, print, photography, sculpture, metal work, drawing, painting, product design and conceptual art, our students turned the Sedgwick Centre into an art space to rival any metropolitan gallery.
In every student piece, from the weighty to the whimsical, there was a real honesty that was captivating and thought provoking. I mentioned on the evening that a number of the pieces spoke of isolation or touched upon elements of mental health, but, through their Art, our students sought to connect with others and offer hope. It is a powerful gift to be able to speak your own truth and I know the staff and guests who have passed through the exhibition this week will be in awe of our talented students.
On the night, we were lucky to have our Art Captains Jett Leduc, Keira Canfield Culley, Molly Harris and Zoe Hebbard in charge of proceedings and they did an amazing job. They reminded us that what we saw on the walls and on TV screens was the representation of two years of hard work; of trial and error; and of frustration leading to success. They did a brilliant job engaging our special guest, and graduating BHS student of 2000, Eleanor Voterakis (who is an artist and educator at the National Gallery of Victoria) about her journey so far. Eleanor encouraged our students to stay true to their vision, to keep connected and to network with like minds to ensure their work is seen. Along with Kate Gorman (acclaimed sculptor and Art Educator) she had the unenviable task of judging the artwork on display.
The following students were acknowledged as the best in each of their categories - which is all the more impressive when considering the talent on show.
• Art Creative Practice: Jett Leduc
• Art Making and Exhibiting: Abby Cubitt
• Media: Naomi Ross
• Visual Communication and Design: Dylan Barclay
Massive thanks to Louisa West (Faculty Leader) and the team for the hours of support, encouragement and belief that they have provided to our students across their time at BHS. I hope that this is only the beginning of their life as artists and that they continue to produce work that moves others.
Term 4 Sports is well and truly underway, as all our rowing families will know from the early morning alarms! There is still a long way to go in the season, but thanks to our coaching team and our crews for starting off so positively. With rising participation rates, we are back to our pre-Covid numbers which is really encouraging. Earlier this year I met with our rowers to discuss how we might improve our rowing program: as expected, they were on the money with their ideas and suggestions and were willing to run assemblies to promote this program. They spoke about focusing on connection and culture in order to keep our numbers up. I feel really confident that we can go from strength to strength in the coming seasons if we listen to our students and continue to grow their leadership through this program.
We also had a number of students competing at the Greater Western Region Athletics championships last Thursday. As a school, we came runners up and we had 16 students qualify for State Championships next week (Oct 21st). Good luck to them all and I hope I can report back next time on some podium placings.
Today (at the time of writing) saw the Australian Treasurer, Jim Chalmers, visit Ballarat High School to chat with our VCE Business Management and VM students, along with members of our student leadership team. Our students took full advantage of this unique opportunity to quiz the Treasurer and, as Jim commented, present him with questions that were a lot more challenging than those posed by seasoned journalists! In topics that covered the cost-of-living crisis for families, lack of rental opportunities, the financial implications of HECS debt, better funding for state schools and the need for improved long-term planning regarding the spending of taxpayers money, BHS students were able to voice the concerns of their generation and their community.
Our students certainly felt heard and valued by the Treasurer’s openness and I know that he will be returning to Canberra having met students from Ballarat High School who epitomize the Barrack Obama quote he shared with us at the start of his visit: ‘We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek”.
Stephan Fields
Principal