Around the College

Debating and Public Speaking News

Congratulations to Day R. of 9G for finishing second in the Rostrum Junior Public Speaking Competition at Burwood earlier this month. Day’s prepared speech titled “A Towering Achievement” on facing your fears was very inspiring and was very well received by the judges. She placed first in her heat and advanced to the next round which involved giving an impromptu speech with only 15 minutes preparation time. She then placed second overall! A fantastic effort. Congratulations also to Charlotte W. of 11E who represented the College in the Senior competition.

Victoria M., Mae-Rose B., and Harkee J. from 9C have recently won two consecutive debates in a row as part of the DVA Debating Competition at Ivanhoe Girls School. The girls have done an incredible job preparing their speeches and juggling this with their workload at school. They have worked exceptionally as a team and their passion and critical thinking are clearly paying off. Well done girls!

Jackson L. of 11D Melissa C. of 11G and Emma M. of 10H have also had a win in their second impromptu debate, on the topic of censorship.

I would like to thank all of the parents of these students for their support this year. We have had some long days and late nights in preparation and it has been a pleasure to work with you and your children.

Kacey Martin

Debating and Public Speaking Co-ordinator

Annual Winter Music Concert

On the 4th of June, the school held its annual Winter Concert, showcasing around 150 of Doncaster’s music students, with a range of musical talents, from the new year 7’s to the VCE students. The night was hosted by this year’s music captain, Ainsley Chase and consisted of performances from larger ensembles including; Soundworks, Concert Band, Wind Symphony, String Works and String Orchestra and the smaller groups; Guitar Ensemble, String Quartet, Percussion Ensemble and VCE Bands. Students were able to show off their hard work and practice everyone had done prior to the concert and during their week at music camp.

The audience consisting of many parents, siblings, ex-students and more, were able to enjoy solos by some students as well as pieces written and organised by students in the band as well. The students were also able to appreciate the music talents of their fellow students. The night concluded with all the 150 plus music students on stage playing the Michael Jackson hit, Thriller, which was a crowd favourite. Many thanks to the students and teachers involved, and especially to instrumental music teachers and Mr Dean and Mrs Howes for ensuring the night ran smoothly and was to be enjoyed. 

Jolene N. 11E and Jessica W. 11G

Short Story Competition

The annual Doncaster Secondary College Short Story Competition is now open and this year, in celebration of our 50th Anniversary, students are challenged to write a creative response to match a headline that has been used in a newspaper article about the school. The creative responses can be written in the form of a newspaper article but this is not a requirement and students should feel free to use their selected headline to write a short story in any format.

Students from all year levels are encouraged to take on the role of an aspiring journalist and enter the competition.

All entries should be typed, printed and submitted with the cover sheet to the student’s English teacher by Tuesday, July 30th. The top entry from each English class will be submitted to a judging panel who will determine the best short story in each year level.  There will be separate sections of the competitions for submissions written by SEAL & EAL students.

The winners from each year level will be invited to attend a literacy luncheon in Week 8 of Term 3 where they will receive a certificate and their prize. All winning entries will also be published in the school newsletter.

There are 6 headlines from historical news articles about the school to inspire ideas for the short stories – students need to select one of these headlines as their inspiration and develop a story which is 600-1000 words in length.

Best of luck and get writing!

Fiona Cowan

Head of English