Student Success
Year 12s in the spotlight
So much happens on a daily basis at St Norbert College it is no wonder the Press pop in from time to time. Last week two photographers from different media outlets arrived within an hour of each other to cover “good news stories’’ at the College. First, a photographer from Seven West Media headed to the oval to picture set-for-Spain soccer goalkeeper Sean McCracken (who demonstrated a diving save in his winter uniform!) while the Canning Examiner captured preparations for the upcoming annual Creative Arts Festival.
The result was some positive media coverage of Year 12 student Sean McCracken in The Sunday Times sports pages “Teen’s Next Stop, Spain’’ and Sanjita Ghimire on Page 3 of the local independent paper sharing her impressive, evolving acrylic self-portrait that will sit beside the many and varied student works to go on display at Xanten Performing Arts Centre from 18-20 September.
Also in the same edition of The Sunday Times was a story about fellow Year 12, basketballer Nes’eya Williams being one of three young players to be officially signed by the Perth Lynx, the only team representing WA in the WNBL. The story followed a feature in The West Australian’s Choosing A School supplement just days earlier highlighting how St Norbert College is helping create WA’s future basketball stars. Mr Godfrey spoke about how his four-year stint playing college basketball in the US has helped provide solid foundations for the Specialised Basketball Program.
Nicholas Lee (Year 12 - M4)
Another Year 12 excelling in his chosen sport is Nicholas Lee who was chosen by Football West to represent WA in soccer in Indonesia.
Having now settled back into College life after the trip, Nicholas reveals the highlights.
“For me the highlight was the bond I made with my teammates and the people I met over there while bonding over the game that we all love, football,’’ he says.
“The games were mixed. We started off with a loss to an amateur side (likely due to fatigue and the heat) but then we went on to beat professional side, Persebaya U20s in a 1-0 game. Our next game was a 1-1 draw with Persebaya U18.
I feel that I played my part in all games and gave everything I could to get results against tough teams.
“It was a huge honour to not only represent Western Australia but also St Norbert College.
“My next step is continue with what I have already been doing with Inglewood (Football Clubs), improve as a player and, hopefully, that will lead to more opportunities like what I was just given with the state team.’’
Mrs L Quartermain (Community Relations and Marketing Officer)
Bright futures in basketball
St Norbert College would like recognise and congratulate two female athletes at our College. The two females athletes who have been involved with St Norbert College Specialised Basketball Program have both been awarded for their commitment and skill in the sport.
Nes’eya Williams has just signed with the Perth Lynx in the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL). This marks the first professional contract signed by a Specialised Basketball athlete. The signing highlights another impressive addition to Nes’eya’s basketball resume. This year Nes’eya was awarded an All-star starters spot averaging 13.6 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game for the Perth Redbacks in the State Basketball League.
Shenae Hartree was recently awarded the Murdoch University WABL Female Player of the Year at the Basketball Western Australia awards night held at Crown Perth. Shenae is in the WABL’s Top 5 for scoring (16.61 points per game) in the 18s Championship Division. Shenae has also had a fantastic year competing in the 18s Western Australia Metro team as one of the youngest starters in the competition. This has been nationally recognised by members from Basketball Australia for future elite competitions.
St Norbert College and the Specialised Basketball Program congratulate Nes’eya and Shenae. The girls will continue to be great ambassadors of the basketball program through their willingness to be coachable, a great teammate and their work ethic.
Mr R Godfrey (Specialised Basketball Coordinator)