Australian Catholic Youth Festival

This year the Australian Catholic Youth Festival was held in Perth on the 8 - 10 December. Youth from across the country flew in to attend the festival with a cohort from John XXIII College also attending. 'Listen to what the Spirit is saying' was the theme for 2019.

Across the three days there were numerous inspirational speakers. We were enlightened by presentations from Fr Rob Galea (2015 X-Factor contestant), Joe Melendrez, Grace Forrest and of course the Archbishop of Perth, Most Rev Timothy Costelloe.

Archbishop Costelloe opened the festival using the analogy of ‘passing the football to the youth of Australia’ blessing us with the Holy Spirit as our guide. It was great to hear him embrace the youthful culture in the large venue and help us understand how we can use the gift of the Holy Spirit in whatever we do and also ‘handball it on’ to others whom we encounter.

Grace Forrest, Co-founder and Director of Walk Free, spoke about modern-day slavery. Her eye-opening speech was very confronting, but it also provided inspiration by highlighting the many ways available to us all to still offer help. Grace’s lifelong mission is to eliminate modern slavery, in much the same way, we are all called to a mission in life and the Holy Spirit will guide us to discover exactly what that mission is.

The presentation from The Centre for Life, Marriage and Family explored the issues young faithful people may have with peers. One part that really stood out was the use of the Greek word Kerygma, meaning the first-time experiencing God, knowing that God knows you and loves you. Essentially it was teaching us how to preach and proclaim the Kerygma, for people to love God they will look at how you love God - 'Therefore go and make disciples of all nations' Matthew 28:19, this means we must lead by example.

Archbishop Costelloe referred to St Francis of Assisi, and about pairs of disciples. The road is not always easy but surrounded by faithful friends, we can make a difference. In the closing of the festival, he said ‘come follow me, live life to the full as Jesus called, don’t walk away sad from Jesus, he’s our truth and way, he’s alive with us and calling us’.

The three day festival was spiritual, uplifting and insightful. It was encouraging to be amongst 5,500 faithful youth, learning how we can turn to the Holy Spirit to lead us forward into the future.

Listen to what the Spirit is saying!

Madison Gunasekera

Year 10

Year 10 ‘MICAH’ Week

Last week was the final week of school for Year 10 students and this week is known as 'MICAH' week. During this week, students have a combination of exams and preparation for Year 11 and adulthood. The name ‘MICAH’ has its origin in the following quotation from the book of Micah: 'to act justly, and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God'.

On Tuesday students took part in ‘a day in the life of a University student’ hosted at UWA. Students were given an informative presentation on the courses, facilities and clubs offered at the University, followed by a campus tour and activities which were ran by University students. The day really helped students engage in areas they might like to pursue after school.

On Thursday 5 December, the Year 10 cohort took part in the Rotary WA Driver Education Day. This is a program to provide driver education to a secondary students, who are about to embark on obtaining a driver’s license. The program provides forthright information, to influence a student’s attitude towards and knowledge of road safety, before they become a young driver or are a passenger of a young driver. This day was extremely beneficial and informative for all students. In particular the story from a crash survivor had a lasting impression on the students. I would like to thank Frank Nathan a current grandfather at the College for making this day happen and for all staff who were involved on the day.

On Friday, the final mass for the Year group was celebrated, followed by a house competition known as ‘MICAH Cup’. Students had to demonstrate teamwork and problem-solving skills in order to get through each obstacle they faced. Well done to Campion House, who were the winning house, on the day. I would like to thank all staff involved in making this day so enjoyable for the students. The day finished with the Year 10 group displaying their talents in a variety concert, followed by farewells. We wish Isabel Smith and Finn Lawson all the best as they leave the College. They will be missed by the year group.

Joanne McLoughlin

Assistant Deputy Principal Year 10

Year 8 Zoo Excursion

Year 8 students enjoyed an excursion this week run by Science to the Perth Zoo on Tuesday. Although a hot summer’s day, many were able to stay cool by remaining in the shade whilst exploring the Asian Rainforest, African Savannah, and Australian Bushwalk. Students learned about various animal adaptations in a session run by the zoo staff and they even created their very own animal adapted to our current changing environment. A highlight was the opportunity students had to touch a live snake!

Thank you to all staff who accompanied the Year 8s on the excursion and, in particular, Ms Tripi for her organisation of the day.

Kalo Bell

Assistant Deputy Principal Year 8

JACSA Student Leaders Conference

Four of our 2020 Student Leaders recently attended the Jesuit and Companion Schools Association (JACSA) Student Leaders Conference at St Aloysius in Sydney. The theme of the conference, “Hearts on Fire”, gave the students the opportunity to reflect deeply on Ignatian leadership and how they might use fire as a metaphor to ignite their own personal leadership.

The students were joined by student leaders from Jesuit and Jesuit Companion schools from around the Australia and they participated in a range of activities starting with a Mass and moving through the Spiritual Exercises. A highlight of the trip was a visit to the Cardoner Project; a social enterprise run largely by volunteers from ex-students from Jesuit schools in Sydney. The Cardoner project runs a range of programs including overseas Immersions and leadership programs for young people. A key function of the project is the running of the Two Wolves Mexican Cantina which the students dined out. The John XXIII students were inspired by the ongoing commitment of the volunteer’s post-school and were able to see a genuine example of faith in action.

The students were also able to take in some sightseeing and spent valuable time mixing with other student leaders. The students had a wonderful time and have returned home full of energy and ideas for the year ahead. The students gained a rich understanding of Jesuit culture and are looking forward to sharing this with the rest of the College community.

Luke Bostelman

Assistant Deputy Principal - Year 12

It HASS been an amazing final week!

As part of the College’s final week program, Years 7 to 9 students took part in a range of engaging activities that provided students with a beneficial learning experience in HASS.

For the Year 7’s, it was all about creation and innovation. In groups, students were challenged with designing and constructing a model tower out of newspaper and tape – with the aim of building the tallest and most stable tower. There were a lot of sighs when towers collapsed and cheers when the winners were announced. In the second session, students were tasked with recreating a period in history using Lego. Historical scenes included a Viking village, the Roman Colosseum, a factory from Industrial Britain, a Neolithic hut, the Tsar’s Winter Palace and Ramsey’s tomb – to name but a few. These sets were amazingly detailed and accurate – and showcased the creative talents of Year 7 students.

Year 8 students took part in a number of Indigenous incursions. In the first session, students learnt about the local Wadjuk People and listened to Dreamtime stories. Students developed a greater understanding of the connection between Indigenous people and the land by viewing various bush tools and implements – learning how they were made in a hands on artefact presentation. The second session provided students with the opportunity to immerse themselves in Aboriginal Australia using Virtual Reality (VR) headsets. Students engaged in interactive education games about bush tucker and hunting, and watched an incredible CGI video about the Dreamtime. The third session was run by the Language Department. In this session, students learned the derivation of place names and trees as well as a range of conversational Noongar words and phrases. Students nih (listened) and kaartdijin (learnt) how to incorporate and use Noongar words within basic conversational sentences – for example, kaya is Noongar for hello. The session finished with students singing ‘Twinkle, twinkle little star’ in Noongar. What an amazingly informative and rewarding day for the Year 8’s!

Last Friday, Year 9 students took part in a Kite flying demonstration and kitemaking workshop. Students learnt about the mythology, aerodynamics and cultural history of kites and viewed kites from different cultures around the world. Students were lucky enough to create their own kites and tested them out on the College oval. With a cool north westerly wind setting in during the afternoon, the sky was filled with colourful kites. Perfect weather for kite flying!

Daisy Farley

HASS Department

French Study Tour

A group of Year 10 and ATAR French students are extending their knowledge of the French culture and language in France. They have been welcomed into their host families and have been attending French lessons in Marseille. The students have seen monuments such as the Notre Dame de la Garde, Notre Dame la Major and the beautiful harbour in Marseille. They will soon be adventuring on to Paris where they will see The Eiffel Tower, Les Champs Elysées, L’Arc de Triomphe and many other more beautiful sights.

John XXIII College Newsletter

In the spirit of John XXIII, Mary Ward and Ignatius Loyola, we seek to be people of competence, conscience and compassion who are committed to God and the service of others.

Issue 38 · 12 Dec 2019

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