General News

A Bird’s View - City Week 2018

As the day came to a gradual end, I lay in my hammock and eased into a state of comfort. I sipped some water and sighed as I thought back on the day. My legs ached and groaned from the burden I had placed upon them during my 8-hour adventure today. I whispered my apologies and assisted the pain with a pillow and some Tiger Balm. I gave the hammock a gentle nudge and rocked from side to side. It creaked under my weight as I swayed in the darkness of the living room; only slightly illuminated by a parting in the curtain. I began to wonder what the day had looked like from high above. 208 students moving through the City seemed an interesting concept to delve into for the night. With another sip of water, I entered the vast volumes of my imagination. 

From a bird’s perspective, I recreated the Hoddle Grid from memory. Trains and trams circulating the city; momentarily pausing to allow passengers to board and leave. An assortment of motor vehicles helped illustrate the hustle and bustle of the grid. Small cramped bursts of lush trees and beds of plant life were overshadowed by towers of enormous proportions.

In the peace of the night, I heard the sounds of Melbourne echoing in the distance of my thoughts. Composed of the footsteps of hardworking men and women; the mechanical tinkering of Melbourne’s public transport; the squawks and bawks of various avian species fighting over scraps; the erupting cacophony of power tools from construction sites; the honks of cars; the bustle of the pedestrian crossings and the occasional gap of deafening silence; I relished the City’s orchestral nature. This eventful soundtrack filled the background as I viewed the grid from above.

I watched as groups of Year 9 Nossalonions made their way from Southern Cross to CYC at regular intervals. I sensed vibes of excitement and thrill blossoming from their gleaming smiles and humble laughter. Some were having breakfast as they walked whilst others wished they had had breakfast. Many were shuffling along, deprived of sleep and morning caffeine, and were too tired to joke; still trying to gather enough energy for the day ahead. This mixture of moods reminded me of the mornings at Nossal.

Once the students were accounted for, they spread quickly throughout the city. 208 Nossalonions making their way around the Hoddle Grid; all smartly outfitted in the Winter uniform. Each one as curious and enthralled as the next. Discovery was at the forefront of their priorities; whether it was the discovery of Melbourne’s rich history or the discovery of a cheap food outlet. All of them were chattering passionately and suppressing raucous laughter into courteous giggles; although it would be honest to say that some failed at the latter from time to time. Eager discussions where to go next filled the air as they travelled through the grid. Some groups were so excited, they had run out of places to go for the day and instead revisited familiar sites.

I watched as they wandered around the centre of Melbourne; exploring each and every inch. Some enjoying the extraordinary talent painted across the walls and buildings, others admiring the creative products of art made for their indulgence. Some were listening to the satisfying musical splendours that the grid had to offer. Buskers with such artistic flair, they were able to draw crowds of students from all kinds of schools. There were instrumentalists, singers and even rappers entertaining the students.

I watched as they captured moments with their phones whilst also documenting the day for their videos. Cementing these moments into memories with a single photo. Selfies and groupies would be treasured forever. Both aesthetic and random shots filled camera rolls. Students were posing in front of popular landmarks and breathtaking views as their friends found the perfect angle and lighting. Pictures of food items were the most commonly taken. From fast food to trending feeds to restaurant meals to cheap deals. Their palates expanding as they discovered the carnival of delights. Bubble tea, 7-11 Slurpees and coffee helping satisfy their appetites.

I watched as they investigated and questioned their Big Questions. Numerous onlookers politely spared their time for them and helped the students in their learning. The time slowly crawled by as the day transitioned from morning to afternoon. By the end of lunchtime, I saw the extent to which the students’ understanding of their Big Questions had grown from the day’s worth of adventure.

As the 208 students gathered again at CYC, I sensed their feelings of exhaustion and desires of their beds. Their taste buds craving the energetic sugary drinks to help fuel the commute home. For some of the Year 9s, the day had been a new experience, an experience they had to take a step out of the comfort zone to enjoy. Nevertheless, everyone was fulfilled in one way or another. By the end of the day, friendships grew stronger; memories were made; new foods were tasted; exciting places were found; a deeper understanding of the city was grown and hopefully, they learnt something new as well.

I slowly grew a smile. What I had seen would never be accurately transcribed into words. I looked back at the surreal experience I had just woken from. It had given me a broad sense of appreciation for City Week which I am sure majority of the Year 9s would have taken for granted. Many schools don’t give the opportunity for students to explore Melbourne with as much depth and freedom as Nossal has allowed us. The hard work of staff, especially Ms Loel and Ms Banaag, made this marvelous experience all possible for us.

‘The adventures in the Hoddle Grid will never be forgotten by the Class of 2021.’ I think to myself.

‘...probably not.’

Nam Nguyen

Year 9 - 0S3

MHS Talent Show Represent!

On Thursday 16 August, Nossal High School competed in the inaugural Melbourne High School Talent Show. Representing us were the amazing Akila Bandulage (Year 10) and Eldrick Abunda (Year 11). Kicking off the night, performances from MHS and MGHS set the mood with soloist guitar and singing ensembles. However, the crowd was wowed at Eldrick’s energetic dance performance on ‘Pick It Up’ by Famous Dex. His stylish moves lifted the evening, setting the bar high for the other performers.

Between Eldrick and Akila’s performance was Tue Nguyen, the first prize winner representing SCHS, singing a beautiful rendition of Sia’s ‘Chandelier’. Akila was once again able to place the crowd in awe as he performed ‘Phoenix Rising’ by Calum Graham, originally performed at a previous assembly. This performance was enough to win Nossal 3rd prize for the night, with the 2nd  prize going to another act from SCHS performing ‘Finesse’ by Bruno Mars and Cardi B.

Overall, it was a great night, with the event sure to happen again next year!

Aditya Gadgil

Year 12

Melbourne High Earth Summit

Following a steady stream of Melbourne High Students we entered the gates of the school for the Melbourne High Earth Summit. . The massive oval piqued our interest; their oval is bigger than our school. At 8.30am we entered the foyer, feeling the gaze of the past principals of the school.

The day began with a Melbourne High alumnus, Keith, talking to us about his work at Downer, a large non-government organisation that manages most of Australia's roads. Keith explained how, as an engineer, he was able to bring his ideas to life. He has worked on recycling glass and printer toners into asphalt, increasing sustainability. He discussed economic, ethical, physical and social problems associated with increasing sustainability. The speech was so good, we have invited him to Nossal for our own summit!

Each of the four selective schools (Nossal, Melbourne High, Mac.Rob and Suzanne Cory) were invited to host activities to teach the attendees about sustainability. We learned about carbon footprint and how many planets we would require if everyone on Earth lived a certain way. It was quite sobering to realise that if everyone lived a life like mine, we would need 2.4 Earths.

Nossal's environmental group NEST, is also holding a summit on the 14 September where we will invite local and selective schools to learn about sustainability. We will have a range of speakers and panel discussions.

Melbourne High's summit has allowed us the opportunity to learn more about ourselves and sustainability.

Hasna Kazi

Year 10

Kerala Fundraiser

The South Indian State of Kerala has suffered insurmountable loss this monsoon season after experiencing unusually high rainfalls and consequent flooding. Reports indicate that the severe floods displaced almost 200 000 families; 490 lives were lost and more than $2 billion worth of infrastructure has been destroyed or damaged.

In the face of this calamity, a group of Nossal students took on an initiative in order to do our part in helping, what is for a lot of us our home town, and where a lot of our family members reside. What began as a small project soon expanded, with support coming in all forms, from the group of thirty students that came to help bake, to all the teachers, canteen staff and office staff who gave us approval on such a short notice. We transcended state and national barriers and worked together to raise $870 for Kerala. This amounts to 44,587 Indian Rupees, a substantial amount that will go towards purchasing immediate necessities for families in the state-wide rehabilitation programs now underway. The amount was transferred through the Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund and has been received successfully. We’d like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the efforts of Ms Ravi and Mr Butler, without whom the bake sale would not have been possible. We also thank the Nossal community in coming together and donating generously.

Nanditha Hareesh and Rithika Sana

Silent De-Stress

Now that it’s getting to the pointy end of the year, many Year 12s were waiting for a way to release their stress.  Recently I was fortunate to be given the opportunity to organise a Year 12 Silent Disco, an event that definitely put a spring in the step of a few Year 12 students.

The silent disco offered an hour of relaxation in a week that was already filled with SACs. Many favourites were played and everyone who participated enjoyed the disco throughly with groups forming in the lecture theatre comprised of both individual and partner dances. The teachers and students were able to put a smile on their faces. I would like to thank Ms Vanstan for organising the disco for the day and also everyone who participated. I hope the Year 12s enjoyed it!

Aditya Gadgil

Year 12

CBHP activities at Nossal

CBHP stands for Community-Based Health Project.  It is a non-profit organisation, founded by Dr Moses Kharat, based in Maharashtra, India. CBHP’s mission is to use a community-based approach to counter health and social injustices in rural India whilst creating awareness of such issues within the Australian community. CBHP uses a 3-tiered approach to health which “aims to enable and empower people to identify areas of need, and then self-determine how health promotion and disease prevention can be integrated into the community.”

At Nossal, the CBHP group holds fundraisers to raise money for the communities in Buldhana, India. The ChariTea House event which runs during the Cross Country is a CBHP event and has done so for the past few years with great levels of success. Another event, which CBHP was responsible for this year was the ever popular Nossal’s Got Talent. A common theme for these events is to bring our school communities closer by celebrating each other and serving one another while having fun.

The next event which CBHP is the Wheel of Fortune and will run in Term 4, so make sure to look out for posters and advertisements around the school and on Teams!

Rebekah Anthony

Year 11

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