Student activities  

Koonung students visit Melbourne Indigenous Transition School

Upon entering the Melbourne Indigenous Transition School (MITS)* the first thing one notices is the intricate artwork enveloping a school boarding house that, not four years ago, was a dilapidated building frequented by squatters. On Tuesday the 16 October, five Year 12 students and Mrs Faithfull were invited to have dinner with the students of MITS in order to meet the students, create a personal relationship between our schools, understand the school’s program and what exactly the role of a partner school is. MITS currently has 22 Year 7 Indigenous students who will spend a year building literacy and numeracy skills alongside resilience and overall well-being. They walk to the Richmond Football Club, where classroom space has been provided. In the following year the students will be taken in by ‘Partner Schools’ who have agreed to work with MITS and ensure the student is well looked after and able to access opportunities that may not otherwise have been available.

As soon as we arrived, we were welcomed warmly by Michelle and other staff members who, it was clear to see, have created incredibly strong bonds with the students. Almost immediately we were invited to join a modified version of footy and while I have absolutely zero skill in that area Tom Shelley and Isaac Doblin joined in and were soon pulling students off them in order to reach the ball (horrifying me, but apparently that’s how footy works). While Tom and Isaac were playing footy, Michelle led Alexandra Forman, Isabel Kos, Mrs Faithfull and I to the girls dormitory where we were able to meet some students and learn more about their story and the sacrifices they’ve made to attend MITS. Most of the students are from remote areas in Northern Australia and have to travel monumental distances away from their homes and families in order to complete their high school education. At dinner we were able to interact more with each student and learned that many speak several languages. When talking about school we found that the most preferred subject among students was either maths or science which, as you can imagine, made Mrs Faithfull very pleased.

Meeting the students made all of us understand the sacrifices made by those much younger than ourselves for something we’ve unwittingly treated as a given. Education is not so easily obtained by some and the lengths that these students have gone to do so is truly inspiring and taught us to appreciate things that come easily to us because accessible necessities is not everybody’s reality. The tireless work of all the staff and volunteers helps remind us that in a world where it might seem like people have become self-centred and greedy, the smallest acts of charity and goodwill can change the course of another’s life. Thereby bringing the world back, just a little, to a place of kindness and empathy. We’d like to thank the students and volunteers for receiving us so warmly and look forward to a future relationship between Koonung Secondary college and the Melbourne Indigenous Transition School.

Dana Kirimof, 12B

*Visit the MITS website for more information about the school and its programs

Indigenous reconciliation badge 

If you would like to show your support for improving respect for and understanding of Indigenous people, for $4 you can purchase a badge (designed by Blair, Dana and Isabel)  - available at the General Office, Sub-School Offices and Library.  This is not a fundraiser.

Primary school student leadership workshop 

On the 25 October, the 2019 Leadership Team and the Middle School Leaders took initiative in a Primary School Leadership Training Day that involved twenty-four Grade 5s from the local primary schools, Box Hill North Primary and Mont Albert Primary.

It was a great day full of many opportunities for the kids to gain confidence and really take a look at different ways problems can be solved. New friendships were made amongst the primary school children but also the Leadership Team too. New ideas were brought to mind and shared amongst the group.

The day consisted of 8 activities which allowed the primary school children to learn about student leadership and what it takes to be a leader. From discussions about student agency and student voice, to games such as speed dating and bingo, the primary school children were able to learn and understand new or more knowledge about student leadership from the different activities.

The training program was a success thanks to the 2019 Leadership Team, all cooperatively helping out on the day and having our 8 leaders directing each activity. It would be awesome to see these grade 5 kids, that we mentored,  grow to be  leaders themselves one day.

Jessica Jana 11B