COLLEGE AWARDS ASSEMBLY

On Monday February 6, all students gathered in the Sacred Heart Church with community members for the awards assembly of 2023. This is a rich tradition at St Joseph’s College, where we take the time to celebrate our Year 12 students and their achievements from the previous year.

Congratulations to our 2022 cohort for their resilience, courage, and confidence to complete their VCE, VET and VCAL studies. As a college community, we are so proud of all the times our students have tested themselves, shown intellectual courage and strong leadership.

Their results acknowledge the efforts of our community, which have supported these young people in their final two years of schooling.

We pride ourselves on providing a holistic education for students, one that supports them in their journey to become well-rounded young people who are prepared for their future. Although a single score never fully defines success, we are pleased that our students have received results that will open doors to further learning and opportunities. We are fortunate to have such dedicated, caring teachers at St Joseph’s College and would like to acknowledge the hard work of all our teachers who have played a part in the success of our students

YEAR 12 2022 ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AWARDS

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE - 40+

Anthony De Maria – Biology

Lily Lawrence – Biology

Maria Petrolo – English

Maria Petrolo – Health & Human Development

Millie Kuhne – Health & Human Development

Anna Joseph – Health & Human Development

Rebecca Calvi – Health & Human Development

Matilda Kelly – Studio Arts

ATAR ABOVE 90

Caterina De Maria

PROXIME ACCESSIT

The award of Proxime Accessit (runner up to Dux) was presented to Maria Petrolo.

DUX

Congratulations to our 2022 Dux, Caterina De Maria.

DUX SPEECH

Caterina De Maria

I am so incredibly grateful to be standing before everyone today as the 2022 College Dux. It is an honour and a privilege to be awarded this title.

I could not have achieved this score on my own. It is a true testament to our teachers' passion and knowledge; without them, I would not be standing here today. Every practice exam and strange question, my teachers helped me with all of it; for that I cannot thank them enough.

Finishing Year 12 was a bittersweet moment because although the excitement of the future was prominent, there was a hint of sadness. I would no longer be sitting in my science classes in my same seat listening to my teachers’ stories, making trips to the library to collect practice exams – thank you to the librarians for all of your amazing work – or listening to the advice of my English and Maths teachers.

This year will be an exciting one. I have heard of the wonderful achievements of my cohort and am so proud to be a student of the class of 2022. We will be spread all around Australia from Perth to Melbourne and beyond all pursuing our dreams. For me, that dream is studying a Bachelor of Science at the University of Melbourne. I cannot wait to begin my life in science!

To end, I’d like to finish with some advice.

For the Year 12s, never give up. At times it is going to feel like you are drowning in paper and ink, however, you must not stop believing in your abilities and in your teachers. Everyone will be ready to help you. Remember to look after your friends and family and most importantly, yourself!

For all the other students, although Year 12 seems like it will never come, you need to prepare your foundations early. I don’t mean learning Year 12 content! I mean learning how you learn, creating good habits and forming a strong group of friends who can support you. Your high school friends can become lifelong friends and I believe that is something incredibly special.

Again, I would like to thank Mrs Blythman and all the staff at the college, especially my subject teachers, my friends, and my family for allowing me to succeed. I could not have made it here without all of you.

Thank you again and good luck for all of your future endeavours!

ST JOSEPH'S COLLEGE YEAR 12 SPIRIT AWARD

In 2019, the college introduced the Year 12 Spirit Award. This award is given to a student in Year 12 who:

has faced challenges and worked consistently all year.
has contributed to the college community through various roles, e.g., music, Seeds of Justice, leadership and volunteering.
has worked through hardships during the year but has persisted with their schooling.

We are very pleased to announce Georgia Phillips as the winner of the 2022 St Joseph’s College Year 12 Spirit Award.

VCAL AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE

Each year the college awards one Year 12 VCAL student the VCAL Award for Excellence Scholarship. To be eligible for this scholarship, each interested student must submit an application to the scholarship committee. The application addresses criteria based on VCAL achievement, personal conduct, college community participation, and a confidential reference by a college VCAL teacher. The winner of the 2022 VCAL Award for Excellence Scholarship was Molly Heeps.

Molly demonstrated comprehensive excellence in both her area of study as well as her involvement in the college community.

2023 YEAR 11 FOUNDING SISTERS OF MERCY SCHOLARSHIP

In 2017, the college introduced a scholarship program to encourage and support the continued education of a deserving group of dedicated, hard-working students who have demonstrated a proven ability to strive for and achieve excellence in their education. Once again, we are pleased to recognise and reward students who were successful in the 2023 application process.

It brings a sense of great pride knowing the high quality of students we have here at St Joseph’s College, and we are very pleased to acknowledge so many worthy recipients. The successful applicants embody all that we ask of our students:

They work hard.
They strive for excellence.
They are committed to their studies at St Joseph’s College.

The Year 11 Founding Sisters of Mercy Scholarships will assist the recipients as they move into their senior years of study at St Joseph’s College. The scholarships consist of a two-part payment totalling $1500 during Year 11 at St Joseph’s College. When determining the recipients of these scholarships, the selection panel considered the following criteria:

Academic Excellence
- Top 20 % of the Year 10 cohort as measured by report grades.
Leadership
- Any leadership positions the students have held or applied for in the college.
Volunteering
- Any volunteering/charity work that the students have participated in either within the college or outside of the college.
Attendance
- The student has a good attendance record.
Conduct
- The Selection Panel reviewed the applicant’s behaviour and uniform tracking.
Involvement in the college community
- The applicant can provide multiple examples of contributions they have made to the college community.

Applicants were also required to write and submit a personal statement outlining why they believe they should be the recipient of a scholarship, with reference to the selection criteria.

The 2023 Year 11 Founding Sisters of Mercy Scholarship recipients are:

James Bell – Ursula Frayne Scholarship

Jessica Birch – Mary Vincent Whitty Scholarship

Kaunanga Fangaloka – Elizabeth Harley Scholarship

Emmalee Beggs – Anna Maria Doyle Scholarship

Olivia Kambouris – Juliana Hardman Scholarship

River Southwell – Elizabeth Moore Scholarship

Neve Tingey – Clare Augustine Moore Scholarship

ENRICHMENT MERCY ACADEMIC INTERNAL SCHOLARSHIPS

The college also offers Enrichment Mercy Academic Internal Scholarships. These scholarships were offered based on academic merit to students continuing Years 11 and 12 at the college in 2023 and 2024. The scholarships have a tenure of two years and are for the remission of 50% of the school fee. These scholarships are offered to a limited number of Year 10 students based on internal academic grades from 2022.

We congratulate the following recipients for 2023:

Grace Albanese

Sosaia Ale

Emily Birch

Massimo Brigante

Connor Burns

Francesco De Maria

Ashleigh Goss

Peter Huynh

Lara Hyland

Rupert Kendall

Molly McDonald

Meg Neagle

Darcy Noonan

Angel Pollifrone

Arabella Rankin

Giselle Ribarits

Darcy Toms

Mr Greg Kluske

Deputy Principal Learning and Teaching

BUSINESS MANAGER

THE MILDURA SCHOOLS LAND TRUST