Principal’s Report
Thank you to all members of our community for another great term
As Term 3 comes to an end I reflect on the many activities we have engaged in including concerts and music performances, interstate and overseas trips, sporting competitions, alumni dinners, academic competitions, and student-led club events. These would not happen without the support of staff, students, parents, community partners and alumni. The Melbourne High School experience is extraordinary, and it only occurs because of the efforts of the extraordinary team involved in it.
MHS Water Polo Success – Sport of Champions!
Doubling down on their success of 2022, MHS Water Polo has trained with focus and consistency in 2023. Determined to leave the years of COVID-19 attrition in their wake, they looked toward further success in the Associated Grammar Schools Victoria competition. Pitting themselves against the might of independent schools, they proved themselves to be the stronger, more skilful athletes. Their undefeated progress in the lead up to the finals was significant. All four teams finished top of their divisions with three of the four claiming Premiers and one team Runners Up. True Champions. They have Honoured the Work.
Congratulations to all athletes and to the coaches Oscar Mulhall (Open A, Open B) and Magnus Mulhall (Intermediate A, Intermediate B). Thanks also to Lisa Carruthers (Sport Administration), Michael Chandler (Director of Sport) and Sonya Mulholland (Teacher in Charge) for the behind the scenes and ‘front of house’ organisation associated with the program. A big thank you to parents, families and MHS staff who have supported the athletes with transport to and from early morning training sessions and games and also as spectators at Friday evening games. We really appreciate your efforts.
We look forward to our next great adventure – heading across the Tasman with the best of the best for the Trans-Tasman Shield Schoolboys Water Polo Tournament, which will be held in Auckland, New Zealand in early December. Training for this campaign will commence at the start of Term 4. More details to come!
Celebrating our diversity
The keynote speaker at Junior School assembly this week was award-winning consultant, facilitator and the founder of Third Culture Australia, Krushnadevsinh (Kano) Ravalji.
Kano works with young people and multicultural communities to promote inclusion, equity and leadership. Examples of his impact include the work he undertook with North Melbourne Football Club to encourage multicultural people to receive their COVID-19 vaccinations. He has conducted research with the Australian National University and UNICEF into the experiences of young people with institutionalised racism. His social enterprise Third Culture is inspiring young people to effect positive change and tackle racism in a proactive way.
I have invited Kano to work with the School in the years ahead to support and strengthen the work we are undertaking to create a more inclusive community.
He is pictured here with Junior School Captain Kemindu Karunaratne.
2024 School Captain & Vice-Captain
It is my pleasure to announce that the 2024 School Captain is Rohan Green, and the 2024 Vice-Captain is Karar Al-Zubaidy.
I wish to also take this opportunity to thank all the applicants. It was not an easy decision for the selection panel. Every applicant demonstrated outstanding leadership skills and a strong commitment to their studies, and to co-curricular and extracurricular activities. Additionally, every candidate demonstrated they were engaged in community service at and beyond the school. In some cases, including internationally. It was an impressive group to say the least.
I strongly encourage all applicants to continue to explore other leadership opportunities and to continue their community engagement. These are the things prospective universities look for when granting scholarships, and these are the items that stand out on a CV.
Diplomacy Club Founder Jamal Blakkarly (Class of 2009)
This week the Diplomacy Club had the honour of meeting their founder, Jamal Blakkarly. Jamal was influenced by his History teacher, Mr Andrew Sloan, currently one of our Assistant Principals. Mr Sloan introduced the Diplomacy Game to Jamal, and it piqued his interest in diplomacy. Fast forward a few 24 years and Jamal has completed studies in Anthropology and Philosophy, worked on international projects in Nepal and the Philippines, and served as a policy officer in the Federal Government. He is currently an Associate Director in the Commonwealth Department of Social Services. This is a wonderful example of the power of a teacher to illuminate an interest and develop a future leader and change maker.
Applied Learning – an example from the Chemistry Faculty.
I regularly walk around the campus to see students engaging in their lessons. Many of our lessons use applied and real-life learning opportunities to cement ideas and provide a mechanism for students to develop their skills. Here are some of Ms McRae’s year eleven students hard at work on a titration in their Chemistry class.
Term 4 commences Monday 2 October. Enjoy the break.
School resumes October 2nd. I wish all staff and students a restful and safe break. I know that many will be tempted to catch up on work over the two-week vacation, however, it is important that we all find some time to slow down and take away from the books and paperwork.
Dr Tony Mordini
Principal
