COLLEGE NEWS

IMPORTANT DATES

Read upcoming important dates here.

CENTENARY SCULPTURES

THE STORY OF THE CENTENARY SCULPTURES

The centenary sculptures attempt to capture the rich history of the Sisters of Mercy in Mildura as well as the contribution they have made to Catholic education in the local area and outlying districts. Read more about these beautiful bronze roundels below.

SEEDS OF JUSTICE

Theme Together in Mercy Welcoming the Stranger

On Thursday May 19, more than ten schools came together across all states in Australia to gain an understanding of ‘welcoming the stranger’. Mrs Nella O’Brien and Miss Paula Cox supervised six students from Years 9 and 12 to attend the online Seeds of Justice Program. Ms Brenda Keenan from Mercy Education and special guest speaker Ms Zahra Ahsani and her sister told their story about their experience coming from Pakistan and seeking asylum.

Ms Angela Scarafilo, Co-ordinator of Young Mercy Links informed us about what Young Mercy Links is and aims to do. Young Mercy Links is a group of young people who wish to continue to be connected in Mercy, maintain an involvement in community service and become more involved in justice and advocacy in areas such as sustainability, women and poverty and people seeking asylum.

In the afternoon, the students attend one of three workshops to do some activities. I went into workshop three, exploring social justice in the wider world of Mercy with Jo Casamento and Sr Sally Bradley RSM with Catherine Glenister. Sr Sally Bradley RSM shared one of her favourite bible verses with us for this theme. 'For I was hungry, and you gave me food, I was thirsty, and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.'– Matthew 25:35 This verse is significant because it explains that we should always be welcoming to a stranger and not judge someone at first sight.

We finished the Seeds of Justice program with a closing prayer. Every year, I get so much out of participating in the Seeds of Justice program. I get to explore ways I can make a positive impact in the world. By hearing the personal stories of people's challenges and struggles, I realise how grateful I am to have stability in my own life. I would encourage and recommend everyone to participate in the Seeds of Justice Programs that are offered by Mercy Education. I promise you will not regret it and will get so much out of it.

Georgia Phillips - Year 12

During The Seeds of Justice Online Program, I was able to listen and learn from two amazing women who built their lives after going through so much as refugees from Pakistan. I have a lot of respect for them.

When listening to their stories it reminded me of what my father went through when he was younger, as he had to flee his country because of the government. Getting to attend this presentation helped me to understand not just how difficult it would have been for them, but also the policies and laws for immigrants and asylum seekers. It really made me think about what I could do to help raise awareness and what I could take part in to contribute in helping refugees.

Sarina Chun - Year 9

VCE ART TRIP

Seven very excited Year 12 Studio Arts students headed off on their cultural and gallery excursion on Monday May 30, lasting until Friday June 3, to Bendigo, Melbourne and Castlemaine.

As part of their VCE studies, students must experience a range of galleries, art industry contexts, artwork preservation and presentation, and exhibition styles for their Unit 3 Outcome 3, Unit 4 Outcome 3 and their end-of-year exam.

Students started with a tour at Andre Sardone’s (Bendigo artist)Steel Sculpture Workshop and then completed a fantastic graffiti workshop with Nacho Station. Tuesday was spent at the Bendigo Art Gallery experiencing the Elvis – Direct from Graceland Exhibition and general gallery tours covering exhibition design, curatorial expectations, and presenting and preserving artworks. The exhibition was very worthwhile and such an amazing experience for the students.

On Wednesday, an early start saw the students arriving in chilly Melbourne at 9:00am to walk the laneways to experience 'Street Art Melbourne'. At 10:00am, students arrived at the National Gallery of Victoria, Australia, ready for their Top Arts Exhibition tour and folio viewing. A general look around the impressive NGV and Federation square inspired our country kids. After lunch, students made their way to LUME – the Van Gogh immersion experience at Docklands after calling in at various commercial galleries along Flinders Lane. On Wednesday night, the students were very excited as they were fortunate enough to secure tickets to see the hit Broadway musical – Hamilton!

Thursday, students spent the day touring the once sleepy hollow of Castlemaine – now a bustling arts hub. Whilst in the area, the group visited The Old Mill, the Castlemaine Art Gallery and local op shops for ideas and inspiration. The anticipated highlight of the day was a studio tour and a talk from the renowned Australian Printmaker David Frazer.

On Friday morning, we went to the classic Bendigo Pottery, where the students had a tour of the historic kilns, gift shop and the best hot chocolate Bendigo has to offer, before heading home to apply all the knowledge and inspiration they had picked up whilst away.

Even though it was the coldest week of the year so far, our St Joseph’s College students were very fortunate to get back to seeing artwork in galleries and visit some of Australia’s best artists’ studios whilst on this jam-packed cultural tour.

Miss Andy Higgins

Studio Arts Teacher

HUMAN POWERED VEHICLE (HPV)

AMAZING EFFORT BY HUMAN POWERED VEHICLE STUDENTS AT TAILEM BEND

After a long layoff of nearly two years the St Joseph’s College Human Powered Vehicle team were out to prove something. Our one race last year must have primed the team consisting of eight new riders and five team members returning for their second race.

The weekend didn’t start off the best with our marquees nearly blowing away and the gusty winds making sleeping difficult. Race morning dawned and the weather improved considerably. A fantastic breakfast cooked by the HPV team chefs had us all fuelled up.

At trackside it was 'all-go' with the allocation of riding equipment, shoes, glasses, gloves and helmet and the much-awaited team riding shirt. Whilst this was going on the cars were being prepared: lights, GPS speedos and tires were all checked.

Staff members and parents attended the race director and race marshal briefings.

Amongst all this, grid-up commenced at 9:30am for a 10:00am start. We had some very nervous riders trying to memorise our pit garage, grid positions and the team duties they had to implement on the fly. Our limited training sessions at the kart track must have paid off because it didn’t take long for everyone to pitch in and get into the swing of things.

The senior riders were a great help with all the newbies. By the time the race commenced, staff members, although keeping a watchful eye on proceedings, stepped back and let the race evolve. A surprise visit by ex-racer Levi Cesarello and team coach Airlie Arnold proved to be inspirational to the team.

The senior boys team in the Mallee Missile raced from where they left off last year, progressing up the leader board during the day to finish 9th in their division.

The remaining three cars made up of mostly Year 7 and 8 students and a sprinkling of Year 9 students were more than competitive in the junior category. This age group goes from Year 7 to Year 10.

Sunraysia Star crossed the line in 18th position, Virtuous in 27th and Genesis in 29th only 1min 20 seconds behind Virtuous.

From a staff member viewpoint, our students were nothing short of amazing. You just have to be there to appreciate how fantastic they really are.

These events do not happen without support, thanks to Jennifer Gibson, Damian Gibson, Sam De Luca, Neil Bradford (grandparent) and Grant Watts for giving up their weekend to support our riders.

Thanks to the parents who turned up to watch their children race, most of all I need to thank our amazing chefs, parents Rob and Jade Zudetich and Jeremy and Rose Burns who turned up at 5:30am on race morning to cook breakfast, then took care of all the other meals as well.

The next race is August 6, ample accommodation is available for parents trackside or at the caravan park.

Mr John Fleming

Sports Coordinator