Co-curricular

Public Speaking – CSDA Finals

Last Friday evening saw Jeremy Simonetto (Year 11) and Maxwell Zanic (Year 8) take part in the CSDA Public Speaking Finals at St Scholastica’s at Glebe. This event brought the cream of Catholic School student public speakers together and highlighted the wealth of talent that exists within this fraternity.

While Jeremy did not place, it is important to note that in qualifying for the Final, Jeremy was placed in the top 12 of both Years 11 and 12 students from over 80 Catholic schools.  This in itself is a marvelous achievement and Jeremy deserves all the credit he gets.

As for Max, he went a few places better and was announced the Year 8 Champion. Those that witnessed Max’s speech spoke glowingly of his manner and the fact that he was both engaging and at times, humorous. Well done Max. The wider SPC community is very proud of yours and Jeremy’s achievements. Congratulations and thanks are also extended to Mrs Lombardo, MIC Debating and Public Speaking, coaches and all other SPC speakers.

Bring on the Debating season!

Summer Sports Finals

Over the weekend, I had the good fortune to witness two compelling Summer Sports Finals that resulted in St Patrick’s College being declared Premiers. 

Saturday saw the First IX Baseball team, led by Michael De Meio, beat their opponent, Five Dock Falcons by 7 runs to 2. Simply put, it was an enthralling contest that saw our boys slowly but gradually creep ahead until it was out of the Falcons’ grasp. Samuel Avvenevole’s pitching was simply superb, his performance earning him MVP on the day and Rocco Sicari who played catcher in his first season of Baseball, was both courageous and unflappable They and their teammates were thoroughly deserving of the victory. Congratulations are also extended to Mr Dino Vaccher and Mark Vaccher (Coaches) along with Mrs Warsop (MIC Baseball and Softball) for their role in guiding the boys over a long and enjoyable season. 

Saturday also saw the 14 Black Cricket Team take to the pitch in their NDJCA Final. Led by Captain Lachlan Wodson (73) and Jack Edwards (44), SPC piled on a most respectful score of 7 for 241 runs. The opposition then went in to bat on Sunday and struggled to score quickly enough. The bowling and fielding I witnessed left me quite assured that Cricket at SPC would continue to flourish in the near future. By the end of the 50 overs, Carlingford could only muster 7 for 177 and our 14 Black team were declared Premiers. Congratulations and thanks are extended to the boys, Mr Simone (coach), Mr Dunne (MIC Cricket), Mr O’Neil, Mr Rochester and the numerous parents/carers that helped the team throughout the season. 

I would also like to take this opportunity to commend all teams, (both SPC and their opponents) on their excellent sportsmanship and presentation. Both Finals were played in great spirit, and they were a pleasure to watch. 

Senior School Summer Sports Presentation Evenings 

Parents/carers and boys are advised that the Senior School Summer Sports Presentation Evenings are scheduled to take place at the following venues and times:

Monday 3 April

Secondary Baseball Presentation Evening – 7:15 PM – Robson Auditorium

Secondary Basketball Presentation Evening – 7:15 PM – College Gymnasium

Tuesday 4 April

Secondary Swimming Presentation Evening – 7:15 PM – Robson Auditorium  

Secondary Cricket Presentation Evening – 7:15 PM – College Gymnasium.

Please arrive by 7:00 PM for a 7:15 PM start and note that there is a clear expectation that all students involved in these activities will be in attendance and dressed in their full College summer uniform. Members of the ‘Firsts’ are to wear their Blazers.

The College requests that no car park in Hydebrae Street (which runs at ninety degrees from Francis Street and the Senior Library) at any time. Its narrowness makes resident parking difficult and non-resident parking can present a safety risk by preventing the access of emergency vehicles.

Co-curricular Selections

This time of year is always busy given the transition of Summer into Winter sport along with the Debating and Mock Trial fraternities preparing for their commencement.

Given the above, it would be remiss of me not to inform the SPC community that Mr Calavassy and I have been inundated with requests for boys to either change their activities or join an activity that had not been selected previously. While I am always open to requests, the reality is that they cannot always be approved. At this point in the College calendar, the number of teams have been determined and as such, so too are the number of coaches required, fields hired, training venues decided and opposing schools notified.

Please remember that once parents/carers and boys make a selection on the Co-curricular Choices Form, they are making a binding commitment.

Steven Fochesato 

Director of Co-curricular