SCHOOL NEWS
PRIDE CLUB
On the warm summer day of Sunday 6 February, the St Kilda sun was ablaze and the ground was burning. The air was filled with Midsumma Pride. The pre-march at the Ian Johnson Oval was a great chance to catch up with former McKinnon students as well as meet our students representing other groups on the day. Scout clubs, youth groups and other schools were all mingled as part of the early Youth wave and the pre-march is always lots of fun. This year, with group size limits dropped, parents and partners were able to join the march too.
The Midsumma Pride March is a safe place for the LGBTQIA+ community and their allies to congregate. The March has been ongoing since 1996 and McKinnon Secondary Pride Club was so fortunate to be able to attend this event. We marched to show people that their beliefs around LGBTQIA+ kids can and will be defied. We exist and we are proud!
McKinnon shone in the march, wearing their colours proudly and holding our banner with enthusiasm. The banner represents us and the rest of McKinnon Secondary, showing that we are an accepting and positive school and that we provide a safe environment. This banner was created by students of McKinnon Pride last year, displaying each part of the community through their flags.
The march led to Catani Gardens, where we had tasty food, danced to fun music and got to see the rest of the march make its way down to join us. We all had an amazing time and are looking forward to Midsumma next year. We ask that if you wish to show your support for the LGBTQIA+ community, speak to someone you know, ask questions, or simply use the correct pronouns and name to respect each persons’ identity.
Pride Club runs on Tuesdays at both the Main and East campus. If you have any enquiries or want to join our club contact Jordan Abela (abe@mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au) or Katherine Sip (sip@mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au).
Zane Rembach, Edie Zalchendler, Charlotte Nichols, Mr Abela and Miss Sip
McK Pride Club
MCK CHESS CLUB
McK Chess Grand Prix (Main Campus)
The first event of the 2022 McK Chess Grand Prix (Main Campus) concluded on Friday 4 March. It was the chess club’s first tournament of the year, and it was played in the blitz chess format (where each player only gets 3 minutes to complete their games). Participants across all year levels at the Main Campus competed in one of the three divisions: Master (highest), Challenger and Qualifier (lowest) pending on their rating and chess experience.
Congratulations to the following placegetters in Event 1:
- Master Division: Timothy Nicolaides (Year 10J) (winner) & Aryan Jayanty (Year 11F) (runner-up);
- Challenger Division: Peter Nguyen (Year 11I) (1st place & promotion to Master Div for Event 2);
- Qualifier Division: Aryan Rokhade (Year 7I) (1st place & promotion to Challenger Div for Event 2).
See the official website for the full results, photos and latest updates.
The McK Chess GP is a multi-round, multi-division tournament organized by the McK Chess Club. It consists of several mini-events in Term 1 and 2, and serves as the main qualifier for the prestigious McK Chess Championship (to be held in Term 3). Players can earn GP points by competing in one or more of these events and the eventual winner(s) are determined by their overall performances in the entire season. Minor prizes are also given to the winner(s) of each individual event. While entry to EVENT 2 is now closed, registration for EVENT 3 in the 2022 McK Chess Grand Prix (Main Campus) is still open. If interested, click this link to register.
NB: At the time of writing, a similar tournament is also being planned for the East Campus. Stay tuned for more updates.
McK Chess Rating (Mar 2022 Update)
All students who have played in any tournament organized by the McK Chess Club in the past will be in the McK Chess Rating database. Rating is used for competition seeding, school team’s selection, as well as determining player’s titles. To access the latest listing of all rated players: click here.
Sandy Law
McK Chess Club