College News
Book Launch
On World Refugee Day, Thursday June 20th, HPSC celebrated the 36 authors who contributed to ‘Tales from Hampton Park Secondary College’. It was a lavish affair held at Bunjil Place and hosted by Sudanese comedian, performance poet and refugee Abe Nouk.
Around 250 students, staff, family members and guests, including the Federal Member for Holt, Anthony Byrne and Councillor for Hampton Park, Damien Rosario, attended the event.
The night began with the Welcome to Country by former indigenous student, Naomi Fei, followed by two poetry readings from the book by Geoff Shinkfield and Khatema Aminullah.
The audience then listened to an at times humorous and sad speech about the difficulties of being a refugee by MC Abe Nouk.
Assistant Principal, Mr Ayman Youssef, then spoke about the benefits of being in such a vibrant multicultural community at Hampton Park and provided some of the background to the project.
A highlight of the evening then followed as three gripping stories from the book were read to the audience by refugee authors, Sanchika Jeyanthan (Sri Lanka), Mustafa Aminullah (Afghanistan) and sisters, Selena and Anita Ung (Cambodia).
Following a speech about our diverse community and the power of storytelling by Damian Rosario, Anthony Byrne presented certificates to all the writers. It was a great acknowledgment of the tremendous efforts of all writers. After many photographs were taken, the evening concluded with an interesting Q & A session, featuring Mr Shinkfield (editor and writer), Andrew Tesoriero (publisher), Rabia Batool and Salman Yousufi (student writers), and Mr Jam (writer and translator).
The evening was a great success and we must all acknowledge the hard work of Mrs Fiona Vanstan (Community Liason) and Rehana Ziyad (EAL) for making the Book Launch a truly memorable night and a real celebration for our writers and our community. Thanks also go to the Arts Director of Bunjil Place, Joel Evans, for providing the venue and sponsoring the event, along with the Casey Library and the Casey Council.
If you haven’t read the book there are copies available to borrow from any of the libraries in the City of Casey or you may also purchase this via the instructions below.
Geoff Shinkfield
Refugee Book Project Coordinator
Tales From Hampton Park Secondary College
If you would like a copy, you can purchase it for $24 here.
Click on 'Hampton Park Secondary College' and you will be directed to payment from there. Put your name and address and we will ensure that you receive your copy as all orders are sent to the school.
Casey Migrant Art Project
At the recent School Assembly each of the students who had been involved in the Casey Migrant Art Project were formally recognised for their artistic and poetic contributions. Their work was widely viewed and applauded by the artistic team at Bunjil Place and the wider community.
Due the commitment, passion and skill of the students throughout this project, our school has now been invited to Partner with Bunjil Place & Multicultural Arts Victoria (MAV).
Students have been invited to participate in Common Ground which is a unique, multilingual spoken word workshop series that utilises poetry to promote social cohesion and mutual understanding. This inter-faith spoken word program of workshops and performances is driven by young people and explores the role faith and identity play in our lives. It has provided young people with opportunities to connect with each other, to develop new creative ideas around their diverse faiths and identities and to promote social cohesion and mutual understanding.
Renowned facilitators and artists are collaborating with these budding wordsmiths to create new spoken word pieces exploring identity and role of faith in our everyday lives.
For more information email Ms Vanstan or click on the following link to view some videos https://www.multiculturalarts.com.au/lorem-ipsum-dolor/
AIME Student visit Hawthorn FC
At the end of Term 2, a group of Indigenous students attended a fantastic day at Waverley Park with members of the Hawthorn Football Club. It was a really fun day for all of the kids and staff who went and the HFC players seemed to have a great time as well.
The program was a collaboration between AIME, Indigenous Art groups, local schools and the Hawthorn FC exploring physical and mental health.
The highlights of the day included students creating collaborative artworks with HFC players and a game of Marn Grook up against AFL greats! If you’re interested in learning more about Marn Grook or Indigenous involvement in AFL, click here.
HPSC In The Media
'Tales From Hampton Park Secondary College' - Cranbourne Star, 26 June 2019
https://cranbournenews.starcommunity.com.au/news/2019-06-26/giving-voice-to-refugee-students/
"Students Share Their Bukjehs" (Berwick Star 19/06/19)
'Imagine you’ve been told you need to leave your home and everything you know behind to start a new life in another country on the other side of the world. You’ve got just a few minutes to pack your most treasured possessions. But what would you take, and what would you be forced to leave behind?...'
Continue reading the article here https://bit.ly/2XbKEPz
Students Share Their Bukjehs
'Imagine you’ve been told you need to leave your home and everything you know behind to start a new life in another country on the other side of the world. You’ve got just a few minutes to pack your most treasured possessions. But what would you take, and what would you be forced to leave behind?...'
Continue reading the article here https://bit.ly/2XbKEPz
