Year 8s Enjoy Camp
Year 8 Camp
Our Year 8s were blessed to spend 3 days together in beautiful conditions at Anglesea Valley Lodge.
Over three days, we had the opportunity to experience a range of adventure sports, outdoor camping, and team initiatives. It was a unique and challenging experience that left the students with unforgettable memories. The camp was a hybrid model, which provided one night in dorms and the following night in the great outdoors.
On the first day of the camp the students learned how to pack correctly for their hike and prepared their hiking packs. They packed to carry their sleeping bags, sleeping mat, clothing, cooking tools and tents! A mammoth effort.
This was followed by some adventure sports including rock climbing, archery, and team building initiatives. The instructors provided guidance on how to use the equipment, techniques for climbing, and how to work as a team to achieve success. It was fabulous to see confidence grow and the students push their limits in a supportive and safe environment.
The second day consisted of surfing and a bushwalk to our campsites. We woke up to a unique wake up call of ‘Circle of life beaming in their rooms’! Our Year 8s were thrilled to ride the waves and practice their surfing skills. After a fun-filled morning of surfing, the students packed up their gear and began hiking to their campsite. The hike was challenging but rewarding, and the students were excited to set up their tents and camp for the night.
Our overnight camping was a unique experience for many of our young people. They cooked their own dinner on an outdoor fire. There were some impressive main courses of delicious burritos and a camp chocolate ripple cake for dessert! They were able to conquer their fears, develop new skills, and create long-lasting memories.
The third day began with a pack up of the campsite and team initiatives that required the students to work together to solve problems and overcome obstacles. The activities involved communication, problem-solving, and leadership skills. We saw them develop their teamwork and communication skills while having fun. Our hike back to base was a chance to reflect on the experiences they had during the past few days and bond with their peers.
The teachers and instructors from Auscamp were impressed with our young people's positive attitudes, determination, and willingness to try new things. We are extremely proud of our students and we hope they gained valuable memories and experiences to talk about for years to come. We believe that this experience will leave a lasting impression on the students and inspire them to continue exploring the outdoors and trying new things in the future.
We would like to thank the teachers and instructors who facilitated the camp and helped make it a success. We also want to acknowledge the parents who supported their children in participating in this exciting and challenging adventure. It is opportunities like these that make our school community special and we are proud to provide these experiences for our students.
Emily Stephens
O'Keeffe Community Leader
MRC Debaters Shine at Frayne Speech Festival
MRC’s rhetoricians were out in force once more as they took on our fellow Mercy schools at the Frayne Speech Festival. Hosted by Emmanuel College Warrnambool, the Festival is an opportunity for Mercy Education Limited and Mercy Affiliate schools such as MRC to come together to celebrate debating, public speaking and voice choir in Ursula’s name.
After an early scratching - MRC once again wowed the competition, winning over hosts Emmanuel College Warrnambool and friendly rivals Sacred Heart College Geelong (who had defeated us in another competition a month earlier) to enter the finals against the Academy of Mary Immaculate. In a tightly fought battle over the topic ‘That the world is too selfish to change its ways,’ MRC conceded defeat by a couple of points in the impromptu round.
Our College Captains Carly and Jackson also proudly represented MRC in their prepared speeches on the benefits of the pandemic and a response to a quotation from Maya Angelou.
Congratulations to all participating students - Carly, Jackson, Jo and Adam from Year 12, and Val and Jack from Year 10. Special congratulations to Val and Jack who were awarded ‘Best Speaker’ in Rounds 1 and 2; with Jack also taking out the overall ‘Best Speaker’ award jointly with a student from the Academy of Mary Immaculate.
Photo Credit: Emmanuel College (photos without logo) and MRC staff
Daniel Lee
Domain Leader of English and Debating Coordinator
Second Life for Indigenous Community Garden
Year 11 VCAL students have been hard at work on their Indigenous Community Garden project this year. With the work of many hands and the support of Stephanie from Parks Victoria their progress is now being noticed by everyone! Each time the students visit the garden to continue the clearing, weeding, trimming and mulching, passers by mention how impressed they are with the progress. Their kind words serve a good reminder to the students that the community takes pride in our local sites and values the efforts of the College to neaten the garden.
The next exciting stage of the project began on Monday with the replanting of Chocolate Lilys in the central bed. Keep an eye out for the beautiful burgundy flowers to come!
MRC Dip for Mental Health
Many staff, students and parents attended our first ever Dip for Mental Health on a fresh Friday morning, with a balmy 5 degrees at 7am! The participants braved 10 minutes in an ice-cold lake with many shivers, laughs, nerves, some deep breathing, a few screams and counting down the minutes while in the water. And they coped with the challenge!
We know over the last couple of years our community and the world have navigated many challenges, with research proving that mental health among all ages has been impacted significantly. We wanted to do something a little different, fun; to add a social element to an initiative that would include the whole community. It is a known fact that cold water therapy has many physical and emotional benefits and can work as a good strategy to improve mental health. With this in mind, we decided to utilise our fantastic resource Lake Bullen Merri and take the dip!
The participants were rewarded by a hot breakfast cooked by the VCAL team and the students from our Year 10 subject ‘$20 Boss’. A raffle for some wonderful prizes also added fun to the morning. Thank you to the VCAL class for organising and congratulations to the winners:
- Mrs Jo Roberts – Excuse Me voucher
- Mrs Danae Fraser – Terang Country Bakery voucher
- Biannca N – Blue Wren voucher
Well done to everyone involved in dipping, cooking, donating, and helping! It was a fantastic morning and we look forward to making MRC Dip for Mental Health an annual event. We would love for it to grow bigger every year!
All proceeds from the event will go towards a local mental health organisation to be announced by VCAL later this week.
Year 8s Organise Footy Drive
Our project-based subject PEAK inspires Year 8 students to turn their passions into tangible initiatives benefiting the community.
In one of the PEAK projects, a group of six boys worked hard to set up a ‘Footy Drive’ to collect jumpers, boots, and footballs that their peers no longer use. All donations will be sent to CLONTARF Foundation in Kununurra, WA – a foundation that helps to improve the education, life skills and self-esteem of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men.
The boys are extremely proud and grateful to everyone who has supported their idea.
LENNY: “When I lived in Kununurra, I saw how much Aboriginal kids loved footy and that gave our group the idea.”
NED: “We just love footy, and we wanted to help out an Aboriginal community that possibly don’t have jumpers and boots to use all the time. We hope that with our donations they will get a chance to play more footy!”
BEN & SONNY: It's been really cool to know that the community is happy to donate things to us and that we are part of making some other kids happy through foot.”
MAX & XAVIER: “We gained a lot of new skills while working together, planning, and sending official emails to big organisations such as Sherrin.”
EMILY STEPHENS, O’Keeffe Community Leader: “I actually had goosebumps when we saw all the donations come together. This was a passion project which will have a positive impact on others, especially young Indigenous kids who have the same love of footy as these boys. It was very heartening to watch the boys connect their love of footy to helping others. We have absolutely loved watching them create this initiative, make contacts and bring it to fruition.”
Emily Stephens
O'Keeffe Comunity Leader
Winter Warmers for the Community
Winter Warmers
On 18 July, Year 11 VCAL class had the pleasure of making food for the local parishioners of St Patrick's Catholic Church in Camperdown. This initiative was an extension of the Winter Warmers awareness campaign organised by the College at the end of Term 2.
The students planned to make and deliver healthy, delicious & satisfying two-course meals. The parishioners had the option of pumpkin or minestrone soup with a roll along with bread-and-butter pudding for dessert. The students organised an order form and cooked the meals, modifying the recipes to cater for individual needs.
Accompanied by staff member Rose Henry, the students delivered the meals and handwritten cards, thanking the parishioners for their support of the initiative.
The students were greeted with smiles and lovely conversations. Many of the people who received the delivery live alone, and the 'winter warmers' were a real highlight of their day. The parishioners greatly enjoyed a chat with the younger generation and praised them for their efforts. The students were overwhelmed by how grateful the parishioners were for the meals. It was overall a rewarding experience for both our students and the community.
Year 8s Enjoy Camp
Last week our Year 8 students made their way to Campaspe Downs Adventure Camp in the Macedon Ranges.
Our Year 8s navigated various activities that involved creativity, working as a team, facing fears, and stepping out of their comfort zone. They bravely took on the leap of faith, abseiling, and a giant swing. They problem solved through orienteering and raft building and showed great athleticism, competitiveness, and energy in aeroball!
An enthusiastic crew of anglers enjoyed dropping a line in to catch some redfin. And although the fish were thrown back in the water, there was plenty of photo evidence of the successful catch!
We are hopeful that the students will remember the achievements, triumphs and fun of their camp for many years to come.
We thank our staff for their hard work over the three days and all our Mercy families for their support with picking up students early.
Emily Stephens
O'Keeffe Community Leader
Year 11 Presentation Ball
On the last Friday of Term 1 we celebrated the achievements, hopes and aspirations of our Year 11 students at the long-awaited Presentation Ball 2022. The ball is a cherished tradition at the College and a memorable occasion for our students, shared with family, friends and loved ones.
As the Class of 2023 danced their way into senior years of schooling, they bonded in a special way. Congratulations to the young ladies and gentlemen who participated. They all looked so elegant and made their families very proud.
Allied Health Expo
On Thursday 10 March, our VET Allied Health students participated in a careers expo, welcoming guest speakers across seven disciplines related to allied health to share their clinical knowledge.
The Allied Health Expo started with an online presentation by Kerry Leech a sports dietitian from Brisbane. Kerry told the students about her career journey and shared that her work involves a few different aspects including counselling, psychology and even cooking for athletes while they are away on retreats.
After the online session, the students met with the representatives from other allied health professions in our community:
- Podiatry (Steph Lamont)
- Social work (Jessica Ryan)
- Exercise physiology (Rachael Giblett)
- Pharmacy (Sarah Baker)
- Occupational therapy (Ruby Bradshaw)
- Physiotherapy (Stu Canavan)
The guest speakers engaged the students in a lively discussion about the skills and knowledge that their work involves. As the students rotated through the expo stations in small groups, they gained a deeper understanding of what each profession looks like day-to-day. The students spoke about their future intentions, asked a lot of questions, and even participated in activities that exercise phycologists set up for their patients.
It was wonderful to have two of our alumni, Sarah Baker and Ruby Bradshaw, come back to the College to inspire the younger generation with their achievements.
The expo gave the students an incredible opportunity to experience how versatile the world of allied health can be and to see all the fantastic pathways that lie ahead of them on completion of their qualification.
We thank the guest speakers for taking time to be part of the Allied Health Expo, and our Allied Health teachers Mel Sinnott and Georgia Lucas who organised this wonderful event.
Alumna Ella Gleeson Heading Off to London
It is fantastic to see our past students follow their dreams venturing into exciting new depths in their education. Our College captain Ella Gleeson from the Class of 2019 is one great example of that.
After finishing Year 12 at MRC, Ella headed to Melbourne to study Politics and International Relations at ACU. She has recently been offered a place on a study abroad program and will be moving to London in August to do an exchange semester at St Mary’s University. Through this incredible opportunity, Ella is hoping to enhance her understanding of international politics and Australia’s place in the world.
Ella admits that she had always enjoyed history but a trip to Canberra in primary school made her truly passionate about it. When visiting the Australian Parliament, Ella realised that she wanted to learn more about political events and ideas. In Year 11 Ella was one of the few students state-wide to participate in Rural Youth Ambassador Camp that focused on rural education and personal growth. The camp was one of the important experiences that affected Ella’s career choice.
Ella is hoping that the exchange program will give her invaluable experience and offer her a perspective on the fields of work she is most interested in - political analysis, national security, and counter terrorism.
Ella is grateful to the supporting MRC teachers, in particular Mrs Tania Bruckner and Mr Daniel Lee, who inspired her with engaging conversations and encouraged her to pursue her aspirations.
To the students of today, Ella would like to say the following:
“Growing in a small town like Camperdown, you have an incredible support network. Utilise that! You are not limited in anything just because you come from a regional town.”
We wish Ella the best of luck with her exchange program and further studies. We are excited to see what the future holds for her.