What have students been up to?

French Exchange 2017

An excited group of seven CSC students and their families met with exchange leaders Jane Sanderson and Stephen Samuel at Melbourne Airport on the 16th Sept. We were about to embark on the long awaited 3 week French Exchange. We had met with co-ordinator and French teacher Jane Macdonald every week prior to the trip, practising our French and familiarising ourselves with the social and cultural differences between France and Australia.

We began our trip in Paris, with four days of sightseeing, shopping and eating. We spent a morning in Le Louvre, wondered at Notre Dame and fell in love with the enchanting Sainte Chapelle. Students were excited for the Eiffel Tower and were fortunate to experience the world underneath the tower, with a tour of the bunker, used during WWII. That evening we watched the sun set and the twinkling lights of Paris from the very top. We walked along the Seine, ate crepes in Le Marais and explored the Catacombs. The students became confident Metro travellers and were enjoying hearing the French language being spoken around them at all times. They were busy deciphering signs and all the written French they came across in shops and on our walks.

Wednesday afternoon it was time to catch the train to Arras, 1 ½ hours north- east of Paris, where our host families were waiting for us. Students were feeling ready to experience life in a French family and their days in a French school. School is very different in France; classes begin at 8:00am and many classes don’t finish until 5 or 6pm. Each school day, students met with the exchange leaders in the morning for one hour, and we were all able to share our experiences of family life and raise any concerns. These morning sessions were always insightful and often very humorous. Days at school alternated with excursion days; we had a walking tour of Arras and visited the amazing Wellington tunnels, where we learned about the role Australian and New Zealand soldiers played in the area in WWI. It was bizarre to cross the border into Belgium for the day; we spent the day in Bruges, and rode the canals in a boat, explored the chocolate museum and spent some time and money in the amazing chocolate shops. We had a bicycle tour of the magnificent city Lille on bikes decorated with flowers and streamers, and an interesting tour of the Lille Art Gallery. Near the end of our visit we visited Amiens, where the students caught up on some last minute shopping. In addition to these activities, each weekend the students were taken on a variety of different excursions and local trips with their families.

After a very long flight, students arrived back in Australia with unique memories of a spectacular experience, as well as a much stronger grasp of the French language.

Thanks to all who participated, and to Jane Macdonald for organising this exchange for the students.

Jane Sanderson

Chess at the Old Gaol 2017

Once again the Mt Alexander Chess Challenge was held at the Old Gaol on the 19th and 20th of September. Tuesday the 19th was the Secondary School Tournament, attracting such diverse and far-flung teams as Echuca SC, Ballarat Grammar, Ballarat Clarendon College, Melbourne High and Siena College, also from Melbourne. It was a tough battle all day. After seven rounds and a long tussle with Ballarat Clarendon, Castlemaine Secondary College finished in third place behind them by a single point, with Melbourne High in first place. Castlemaine’s top five players contributing to the finish were Daniel Beers, Henry Tremlett-Davies, Tom Neilson, Michael Penrose and Darien Lupton. Rounding out the rest of a well-balanced team were Xavier Tolland, Blake Saunders, Dante Williamson and Otis Showell-Roche. Henry Tremlett-Davies had a great day at the office with 5 points from 7 rounds. Daniel Beers also had a memorable day as the only student in the whole tournament to win a game against Melbourne High!!

On Wednesday the 20th, a number of Castlemaine Secondary College students volunteered to help coordinate the Primary Division of the Chess Challenge. A large group of our students supported the players by setting up pieces, resetting clocks, giving directions, adjudicating (a fancy word for making serious rulings in chess matters!) posting pairing sheets and packing up at the end of the day. It was also a fantastic way to catch up with students from their old primary schools around Castlemaine. We very much appreciate the work of the following student helpers: Brennan Tacke, Blake Saunders, Phillip Calitz, Kane Turvey, Ethan Loosmore, Callan Loosmore, Daniel Beers, Xavier Tolland, Henry Tremlett-Davies, Dante Williamson, Michael Penrose, Otis Showell-Roche and Darien Lupton.

We are already looking forward to next year!

Mark Johansson

Chess Coordinator

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