Pricipal’s Report
And another year comes to an end.
It is hard to believe that another school year is coming to an end. It has, as always, been a year with lots of activities and achievements. These activities and achievements do not occur without significant corporate effort. To our students, staff, parents, carers, alumni and external stakeholders who have contributed to these successful outcomes, a heart-felt thanks.
As a result of these efforts, we have continued to maintain some of the highest academic results in the country, including the highest Year 9 NAPLAN results in the state. Our VCE results were also stellar. A few highlights –
- Median ATAR – 95.45
- Median Study Score – 36
- Four perfect scores
- Percentage of study scores 40 and above – 28.5%
- 65 students attained an ATAR of 99 or above (53 last year)
- 71.89% of the cohort achieved an ATAR of 90 or above
Additionally, in keeping with our mission to develop well-rounded students, we have continued to maintain high levels of success and engagement in a wide range of sporting, artistic and cultural activities nationally and internationally, and excelled in areas such as robotics, debating and public speaking.
With respect to our physical facilities, we have continued to work on infrastructure improvements to ensure our curriculum is delivered in settings that support teaching and learning. I thank parents and carers, the MHS Foundation and alumni who have generously donated to the Building Fund to facilitate these works. As a result, we have made upgrades to playing fields, classrooms, change rooms and our security systems.
Student Leadership 2025 – Junior School Captains
It is my pleasure to announce the following students have been selected as the Junior School Captains for 2025.
- Hriday Singh
- Jason Foong
- Rafael Belofastov-Gee
- Scott Howie
We had many excellent applications, and I want to thank every student who put themselves forward. I am confident that I will see many of you in other leadership positions in the future.
Our Five High’s Team Excels
From Monday 2 – Friday 6 December a group of talented MHS cricket players accompanied by Mr Warren Fall, Mr Michael Fitzgerald and I traveled to Brisbane to participate in the Five Highs Cricket competition.
Five Highs is a competition held between five cricketing public schools – Adelaide High School, Kent Street Senior High School (Perth), Melbourne High School, Sydney Boys High School and Brisbane State High School. The carnival is in its 38th year. This year it was Brisbane State High’s turn to host.
Kent Street High School was the overall winner, however, there are a few notable achievements from the carnival including winning our game against Kent Street (I believe the last time we beat them was 20 years ago) and winning the Cec Rubie Trophy (the winner of the Sydney Boys’ High vs MHS game.) Cec (Cecil) Rubie is recognized as a distinguished Sydney High alumnus (1925-1928) and sportsman.
Water polo
The premier MHS water polo team made its way to Sydney for the annual Trans-Tasman Schoolboys Water Polo Tournament, where 21 high level schools from across Australia and New Zealand competed fiercely in the pool at Knox Grammar School.
With tough scheduling and 3 group matches on the first day of competition, team spirit remained steadfast and united as we engaged in 3 challenging and competitive matches. The last group stage match saw a technical difficulty in the 4th quarter disrupt our winning momentum, placing MHS into an undesirable group place.
With something to prove, the MHS team went undefeated for the remainder of the tournament, scoring 20+ goals in all of our last 3 matches, winning by 10 or more goals. MHS ended the tournament with a 3-4 record across the 4 days of competition. Special mention to Mitch Bohan as MHS’ top goal scorer (20) and the work of Nathan Ny and Vice-Assistant Coach Josh Holtz.
The Trans Tasman Tournament represents a rich Australian Water Polo culture which recognises the skills of teams and individuals as well as the guidance and mentorship of staff, teachers and coaches, and as Victoria’s only team, MHS has a long and proud history within the competition.
The Year 12s are eternally grateful for the chance to represent the high one last time and the whole team would like to thank the long-standing commitment of Coach Old Boy Oscar Mulhall, Sonya Mulholland and our loudest supporter, and Assistant Coach, Michael Chandler.
(Anthony Emilianov)
Year 9 Transition
Thank you to everyone involved in the Year 9 transition program. The students had a great day and I am confident will find their first day at school much easier to navigate.
Nepal Trip
Over the past two weeks we have had a group of staff and students in Nepal. It has been a challenging expedition, but form all reports a very rewarding experience. I have been receiving plenty of picture of elated climbers as they mark significant milestones along the way.
School start dates in 2025
Please note that we will have a staggered start to the 2025 school year.
Tuesday 28 January 2025 – Teaching Staff Return (Pupil Free Day)
Wednesday 29 January – Year 9 Students commence
Thursday 30 January – Year 10, 11 and 12 commence
Season’s Greetings
AS we approach the holidays, I wish to take this opportunity to offer everyone all the very best for the festive season. Safe travels if you are travelling, enjoy some rest and relaxation, and enjoy time with friends and family.
Dr. Tony Mordini
Principal
Railway Interest Group Victorian Goldfields Railway Excursion!
On Wednesday 4th of December, the Melbourne High School Railway Interest Group hosted by far one of the biggest and most highly anticipated events to finish off the year on a high – a day trip excursion to the Victorian Goldfields Railway, a Gold Rush era railway system which had just turned 140 years old this year! The aim and purpose of this excursion was to explore regional Victoria and its history, whilst stimulating interest in railway systems across the country.
The day began with eager club members and teachers meeting just outside of Platform 1 at Southern Cross station, where we took a VLine VLocity train to Castlemaine. During the 90-minute journey, it was amazing to see everyone make good use of their time, whether by doing homework, immersing in the surrounding landscape or even playing Uno!
Following our arrival into Castlemaine, we were immediately greeted by an MHS Old Boy from 1977 who talked about his experiences on Castle on the Hill as well as his experiences in the railway system. We then hopped on a K160 locomotive (with a carriage fully reserved for MHS students!) to Maldon via Muckleford.
We continued the day in quiet rural town of Maldon, where we enjoyed our free time exploring the town, eating pastries at the local bakery, licking on ice-cream, and purchasing souvenirs, while the more adventurous embarked on a 7 kilometre hike to the top of the nearest mountain for some majestic views of the town.
Finally, we took the locomotive back to Castlemaine, where we boarded the first VLocity train back towards Southern Cross. On the journey home, we watched the sun slowly come down, as we bid farewell to another magnificent year of railway-themed activities! (just wait until next year…)
Overall, this proved to be an extremely relaxing and successful excursion, and one to end off this year on a high! A huge thank you to Ms Capon, Mr Howie and Ms Beanland for coming out of their way to ensure nobody got lost (not even Jiarui!) We cannot wait to see what next year can bring for us, as we attempt to run our very first overnight trip to Echuca, excursions to Puffing Billy, the Metro Tunnel and various bike trails, and even a revamped version of this year’s scavenger hunts!
