Schools Access Monash (SAM’s) Update

Frankston High School has once again been included in this wonderful program offered by Monash University. Throughout the year, a large number of students from the school will have the opportunity to participate in a range of different activities to introduce them to and understand university life.

Monash Mentoring Program

This year, 21 of our Year 11 students will be mentored by Monash University students as part of the Access Monash Mentoring Program.

The program provides intensive support to selected Year 11 and 12 students who aspire to university study.  It aims to support their decision making and preparation for university and careers by matching them with successful Monash University students to work in one-to-one mentoring relationships.

Our selected students attended an induction day at the Monash University Peninsula Campus on 13 February and met their mentors for the first time at our school launch of the program on Wednesday, 26 March.

Students will meet with their mentors regularly, usually at the school, and will also have opportunities to attend the university and other events together.  They will explore tertiary study options and career pathways, gain great academic advice and study tips, and learn how to get the most out of their VCE experience.

Monash Champions Leadership Day

Access Monash Champions is a leadership program offered to four nominated students from Year 9 at Frankston High School. The program concentrates on building the leadership skills and capacity of the students through a range of activities and an exclusive training program. Below is a reflection of their first leadership day.

On Friday, 28 March, four young Year 9 Leadership students embarked on a journey to Monash University Clayton.  Three speakers were invited to talk to us about leadership; they spoke about fundraising, leadership styles and our personal “Funnel of Greatness”.  Their stories inspired us to become better leaders ourselves.  In our lunch break we were encouraged to explore the extremely large facilities and shops at Monash University.  For people who had never been to a university before, this was quite a shock.  We were astounded with the size and the lifestyle that the students had at the university.  It is so big it has its own postcode, no seriously.  It was like nothing we had ever seen and it personally made us excited for the future.

During the afternoon session we decided to use our experience to educate other students on higher education possibilities, not only at Monash but around Australia.  Through the program we will be inviting speakers to our school throughout the year, including ex-students from Frankston High School.  We hope this will inspire other students to feel the same way that we do about university.   We have the privilege to be able to seek advice from our mentor from Monash University to guide us on our way.   This excursion that the four of us embarked on changed our perceptions and we believe we are better leaders for it.

Sam Cox, Krista Fulton, 

Jordan Thomson, Emily Smith