1

Volume 14 Edition 3 Term 3 September 2014

Contact Newsletter

2

Principal’s Update As you may be aware a consultative process was

undertaken in Term 2 and Term 3 of this year with

the Darwin High School Council passing a motion

for Darwin High School to apply to become an In-

dependent Public School from the 2015 school

year.

What is an Independent Public School and what are the benefits?

Schools that become an IPS will remain within the NT government

system of schools and operate within the Education Act.

Becoming an IPS allows for greater autonomy or independence on

how the school makes decisions. This allows for tailored, school spe-

cific strategic plans and operations directly in line with school and

student needs.

It provides greater flexibility in areas such as staff recruitment, school

development, operations, management and programs at the school.

The principles of merit based employment selection and workplace

agreements remain intact.

School Council will operate as a Board, allowing for membership

from both within the school community and external to the school.

This enables the school to have access to a broad range of exper-

tise. The Board must still consist of a majority of parents.

The school’s accountability structure will be linked closely to the

Chief Executive of the Department of Education, rather than the cur-

rent multilayered regional structure.

A written application was submitted and last

week, a presentation was made to a panel of

four from within the Department and COGSO.

We hope to find out in early Term 4 if we are

successful so that planning can commence for

the 2015 school year.

School Council have also been heavily involved

in the planning of the new Northern Territory

Open Education Centre (NTOEC) building on

our campus. This will provide Darwin High

School with a new “front of school’ as well as

additional classroom space. Below is an artist’s

impression of what this building may look like.

I would like to thank all the staff and School

Council members for their work during Term 3.

With Year 12s counting down the weeks to ex-

ams and completion of all assessment, Year

11s starting to understand the commitment

ahead of them and Year 10s completing the

groundwork for the final senior years, we all look

forward to a busy and productive Term 4.

Trevor Read

Principal

Study Lines – Are they worth it?

This year Darwin High School introduced a

seven line timetable. This was in response to

the staff cuts and the need to increase face to

face teaching time of our teachers.

Many saw the benefits of a seven line timeta-

ble. Year 10 students for example had more

electives to choose from and Year 11 student

were given a ‘study line’ to allow them to com-

plete homework tasks and revision. Year 12

students who only needed to complete 4 sub-

3

Year 12 News

It is hard to believe that we are at the end of Term 3. Our

Year 12 students have essentially completed their courses

and will now be preparing for their trial exams, final exams

and final assessment tasks for the non-examinable subjects.

Students need to ensure they recharge their batteries during

the week’s break as many are starting to show signs that the

long hours of study and completion of assessment tasks are

taking their toll. Then we need to prepare for the final phase.

We wish all our Year 12s all the best for the upcoming ex-

aminations.

Year 12 Arrangements for Term 4

Trial Exams Week, 6 - 10 October: Students who have

examinable subjects will have their trial exams during this

week. During this time classes may run as tutorials. Howev-

er, students will need to prioritise their time by studying for

and attending the trial exams.

Normal Classes, 13 - 23 October: Classes for Year 12,

both examinable and non-examinable subjects, will continue

as normal. The expectation is that all Year 12 students will

attend classes for vital revision work for the examinable sub-

jects, and the finishing of assessment tasks in the non-

examinable subjects.

Final Day & Final Assembly, Friday 24 October: This is

the final day for Year 12 students. The final assembly will be

a display of Year 12 talents and a farewell to Darwin High

School. The Year 12 cohort will be dismissed from the

School at approximately 9.30am and will be asked to go

home and not return to the school for the rest of the day.

Study Week, 27 October – 31 October: This is a study

week for all students and also an opportunity for students to

seek assistance from their teachers to prepare for the exam-

inations.

Final Exams, 3 - 19 November: Students will only be re-

quired to attend the school to sit their final exams where ap-

plicable.

Year 12 Graduation & Year 12 Formal, Monday 24 No-

vember: The Year 12 Graduation Ceremony will be held at

the Convention Centre and all are invited. The Year 12 For-

mal is open only to Year 12 Students. One ticket will be put

aside for each student in the current cohort. Students will

need to pay $120.00 at the Finance Office. Once students

have paid and returned all of their library books, locker keys

and laptop they will be issued their formal ticket.

Patricia Cryer

Assistant Principal Year 12

jects to qualify for an ATAR had even more time for study.

Unfortunately there were also some unintended consequenc-

es of the seven line timetable. Many Year 10 students com-

plained about the extra workload that seven subjects requires,

particularly homework and assignments. Year 12s were also

affected, but for different reasons. With the freedom of the

additional study lines, some Year 12 students found that they

had extra time on their hands. Instead of using this time effec-

tively, they wasted it. You may recall the adage about idle

hands. This has resulted in a number of Year 12s not achiev-

ing to their full potential.

So back to my question, study lines, are they worth it? The

answer is yes and no. For students who are motivated, well

organised and set short term and long term goals, the study

line has been worth it. Analysis of data comparing 2013 Se-

mester 1 Stage 1 results with 2014 Semester 1 Stage 1 re-

sults shows that there has been some improvement in aca-

demic achievement. (see below) However, this could also be

attributed to the cohort. Nevertheless, the introduction of the

supervised study must have had some positive impact.

In 2015, Darwin High School will revert back to a six line time-

table. We will be increasing the frequency that teachers meet

with students to four times a week. (Currently students have

two single lessons and one double lesson.) Study lines for

Year 11 students will only be given to those students who

have sufficient NTCET credits. Year 12 students in 2015 who

require an ATAR must take five subjects. Most students will

have just one study line and this time will also be required for

some summative assessment tasks. Study time at school will

once again be at a premium and there will be no place for idle

hands at school.

Kevin Northcote

Assistant Principal Year 11

4

Ministerial Visitors

On 16 September, Darwin High School was honoured by a visit

from the Australian Government’s Minister for Education, the Hon-

ourable Christopher Pyne MP.

Minister Pyne was accompanied by the NT Minister for Education,

the Honourable Peter Chandler MLA, and an entourage of mind-

ers, media, security personnel and Commonwealth and NT Edu-

cation Department officials.

The Ministerial Party was met by Mr Read and student leaders.

They visited classrooms and the Science Faculty staff room

where they took a few minutes from their busy schedule to admire

the view from the balcony.

At the conclusion of his visit, Minister Pyne announced that the

NT Education Department would receive $1.61 million in funding

from the Australian Government to implement the Independent

Public Schools’ Initiative.

Darwin High School is one of five NT schools being considered by

the NT Education Department to begin operating as an independ-

ent public school in 2015.

Trevor Read Principal

Vietnam Veterans Day (also known as The Battle of

Long Tan Day)

Jordyn Nolan, Tina Cheng, Luke Jettner, Taylah Peters,

Micki Teng, Eric Beale, Russ Kundu and Meg Smith joined

about 200 members of the public at the Commemorative

Service at the Cenotaph to mark Vietnam Veterans Day.

Their presence was appreciated by the Veterans, many of

whom personally thanked the students for their attend-

ance.

Commodore Brenton Smyth RAN delivered the address in

which he outlined the history created by ADF members

who served in Vietnam. Vietnam was the first conflict to

employ modern battle tactics, which are still in use today.

During the Vietnam Conflict, members of the three arms of

the Defence Force fought as an integrated unit. Commo-

dore Smyth contrasted this style of combat with what hap-

pened at Gallipoli. He also compared the variance in the

public acceptance of the Vietnam Veterans with those who

returned from the First World War. It was a sobering re-

flection.

Many of the books laid by dignitaries at the Cenotaph will

be directed to Darwin High School.

Judy Boland

Business Faculty

5

6

Year 10 Ski Trip

This year the Darwin High School ski

trip went to Perisher Ski Fields in

NSW, the largest ski field in the

southern hemisphere. This year we

had 29 excited Year 10 and Year 11

students and three staff on our trip.

Upon our late arrival, it was bitterly

cold and there was evidence of re-

cent snow showers. We woke up

early to the news that on the moun-

tain they had had continuous dumps

of snow and the conditions this sea-

son were some of the best they have

had in nearly a decade. And so,

thankfully our fears of doing bush-

walking rather than skiing were

pushed aside.

Our excitement grew as we picked

up our ski and boarding gear and

headed to Snowy Gums Chalet at

Perisher where snow covered cars in

the car park heightened our enthusi-

asm. This eagerness was still not

diminished even after we slid and

slipped over as we unpacked the

bus. After a quick but serious chat

about being prepared for the cold

conditions, we were off.

Those with experience hit the slopes,

keen to make the most of the powder

from the dump the night before. The

beginners had their first lesson. The

first session is always the hardest

but excellent dry conditions and sun-

shine made the process easier. We came in cold, tired and sore but excited about the skiing ahead.

Over the following days the weather remained perfect and meant that the students were able to learn quickly. By the end of

the second full day a number of students were good enough to start exploring the resort. Perisher has three mountains to ex-

plore and a series of terrain parks to keep the boarders happy. Pretty soon the top boarders were out-carving, out-jumping

and out-classing even experienced Aaron Dalgleish. Oh to be young and fearless! By the end of the week everyone had de-

veloped enough skills to ski independently and, aside from me injuring my knee on Day 2 and putting an end to my skiing ca-

reer, there were no other major injuries.

The trip was a huge success. We had great snow conditions with ideal weather and the Snowy Gums Chalet provided fantas-

tic accommodation and food. The students were also fantastic, showing great maturity and independence. I was very proud of

each and every one.

Rohan Ford

Year 10 Coordinator

7

NTCET Information

Attendance and Special Provisions

Attendance is crucial to student learning and achieve-

ment. Teachers plan their teaching, learning and as-

sessment to take the entirety of the time allocated to the

course. On occasion, unforeseen circumstances and

incidents impact on a student’s capacity to attend and

demonstrate their learning during the time allocated.

Special provisions processes can be used to modify as-

sessment in this circumstance to still allow demonstra-

tion of all learning requirements. However, special provi-

sions are not applicable to absences of the student’s

own choosing, including absences for family holidays.

We encourage you to plan family holidays during the

designated school holiday period due to their impact on

student learning. Darwin High School’s Assessment Pol-

icy details our processes in assessment and special pro-

visions and is available on our website under curriculum/

policies.

Accessing Results Online

Students can check their final results for their NTCET by

logging into Students Online. It is a good idea to check

your log in details for this now to ensure that you can

access the site. Students Online can be accessed via

the SACE Board website at the address shown here

https://apps.sace.sa.edu.au/students-online/login.do. To ac-

cess the site, students will need to use their SACE Reg-

istration Number. This is available on all Darwin High

School reports. The default pin number is the first four

digits of the student’s date of birth. For instance the pin

number for someone born on 4 April is 0404. After log-

ging on for the first time, students will be prompted to

choose a new pin number. This pin number should be

recorded for the future use as password resets are un-

likely on the day of results release.

Contact Details

Students should also check their contact details on Stu-

dents Online. A hard copy of results and the NTCET will

be sent to the address recorded here. If this address is

incorrect, please notify the school as soon as possible

so that this can be changed.

Exams

All students have received their Trial Exam timetable.

The timetable for the external SACE Board exams is

available at the following address:http://

www.sace.sa.edu.au/the-sace/students-families/exams.

NATIONAL MATHEMATICS

SUMMER SCHOOL (NMSS)

This is a selective camp that

caters for students from all

over Australia who are in Year

11 in 2014 and who not only

enjoy Mathematics but also

are very mathematically able. It is a two-week

program held at the Australian National Univer-

sity in Canberra in January 2015.

Darwin High School is proud to have Harry

Booth represent the Northern Territory for the

2015 National Mathematics Summer School.

The fact that Harry is only a Year 10 student

but selected for this “Year 11 Maths program”

speaks volumes about Harry’s mathematical

capability and we congratulate Harry on his se-

lection for NMSS.

Esther Tan

Mathematics Teacher

This page also contains other useful information on

study and managing stress at exams. It is important

to note that both trial and external exams start

promptly at 8 am if they are in the morning and, at

12.30 pm if they are in the afternoon. Students are

not permitted to enter the exam room more than

half an hour after the start of an exam except in the

event of extenuating circumstances that are be-

yond the student’s control. The School should be

contacted in this event. Should a student be ill on

the day of an exam, the School should also be con-

tacted. In the event that the student cannot sit an

exam due to illness, medical evidence, must be

provided via the School, to the SACE Board.

Dress Code

A reminder that rules regarding dress code apply

during examinations. Students are to ensure they

are wearing covered foot wear and respectable

clothing.

NTCET Coordinator

8

China Bound

Year 11 student, Joyce

Yeum was placed first in

the Chinese Bridge

Competition in Adelaide.

As the winner, Joyce

will travel to Kunming,

China to join other stu-

dents to make up the

Australian team in the

international competi-

tion. The competition,

which is nationally tele-

vised across China, in-

volves individual and team events which require students to use Chi-

nese language in a range of situations. Good luck Joyce.

Liam May

2014 Master Builder Association

School Based Apprentice of the Year

Civics Awards Presentation Lunch in recognition of the significant contribution made by these students to the School

9

Public Speaking and Debating

UNYA NT The Evatt Trophy

A number of Darwin High School students believe along with the ex-Vice President of the United States, Hubert Humph-

rey, that “Freedom is hammered out on the anvil of discussion, dissent, and debate.” In teams of two, they have spent Sat-

urday, 13 September or Saturday, 20 September at CDU in a mock UN Security Council session, advocating for a country

they have been allocated by the organisers of the Trophy. Teams represented countries on all the continents apart from

Australia, and spent time before the event researching information and developing strategies for debating the motions that

were before the Council.

Josephine Ugwu and Stephanie Von Kanel

Courtney Buckley and Saurav Kundu

Furdosa Ababor and Kaavya Weearsundera

Meika Liveris and Charlotte Nheu

Marcus Low and Andrew Harding

Toby Williamsom and Robbie Lever

Chetan Ganesh and Sarah Banks

Aurora Jan and Matilda Dorman

Yada Katonchaleekul and Alex Perrett

Prathika Undi and Beth Hubble

Kokona Tomazos and Johannah Pastor

Christopher Teng and Max Stretton

Lauren Northcote and Shantelle Mazai

Ka Wai Teng and Krshna Capaque

Congratulations go to Chris Teng in Year

12 who singlehandedly promoted the Tro-

phy and urged students to form teams.

His reward was one of the highest num-

ber of teams to register in recent years.

Plain English Speaking Award

Shannon Hunt, the winner of the Plain

English Speaking state finals, represent-

ed the Northern Territory at the National

Finals in Adelaide in August. The state

finalists were treated to a weekend of ac-

tivities, including a tour of Haigh’s Choco-

late Factory, and given time for last mi-

nute rehearsal before performing on the

Monday.

The NT Coordinator, Ms Helena Monaghan, expressed her pride in Shannon’s performance, particularly her Impromptu

Speech, and although she did not win this very challenging competition, by all reports she represented the NT with distinc-

tion.

Susan Cameron

Coordinator, Debating and Public Speaking Activities

10

11

12

Administrator’s Farewell Lunch

The 18th Administrator of the Northern Territory, the Honourable Sally Thomas AC, was farewelled by students of Darwin

High School in September, as Her Honour’s term as Administrator of the Northern Territory draws to a close.

Her Honour’s interest in education is well documented and she has also been a great supporter of Darwin High School.

On arrival at Darwin High School, Her Honour was met by student leaders Russ Kundu and Shannon Hunt who introduced

Her Honour to Regional Director Mrs Guppy and Principal Mr Read.

Shannon Hunt speaking on behalf of the DHS student body thanked Her Honour for the many opportunities she had extend-

ed to students of Darwin High School, and Mr Read thanked Her Honour for the rare privilege of formal dining in the gra-

cious surroundings of Government House which she had provided for two groups of Darwin High students.

An appetising two course luncheon was served by Ayak James, Forkpah Baliah, Olga Kondonis, Cheyenne Crowley, Ash-

leigh Rankin and Demi Pikos of the Integrated Learning - Catering class, led by Ms McIntyre.

Special thanks to all the Home Economics staff and students who facilitated this event.

Judy Boland

Coordinator

13

Year 11 Health Checks

On Tuesday 19 August , the Stage 1 Nutrition class went to Charles Darwin University to take

part in a hands-on LifeLab Workshop run by Menzies School of Health Research. The Work-

shop was being held as part of Science Week 2014 and Darwin High students were the first

and only school group to take part in this free workshop. Students collected their own personal

data in workbooks provided by Menzies staff and this data was used as part of their first nutri-

tion assessment task. Menzies staff were in attendance all day, along with a qualified dietician

who provided guidance in completing the different health stations and to assist in explaining

results. The students found the workshop very interesting and the information relevant to not

only Nutrition but to their general health and wellbeing.

The LifeLab Workshop included the following measurements and all students completed each

station in small groups:

· Pulse oximetery (measure of haemoglobin and oxygen in blood)

· Blood pressure

· Ear otoscopy (examination of the ear drum and ear canal)

· Grip strength

· Smokerlyzer (measure of exposure to smoke)

· Bioimpedance (scales that measure body-mass index, fat content, metabolic age)

· Spirometry (measure of lung function)

· Effectiveness of hand washing.

This was a worthwhile activity and Menzies’ staff praised our students for their enthusiastic attitude and maturity.

Erin Crook

Nutrition Teacher

Shayne Eunice Alarcon having her blood pressure

tested

Josh O’Brien testing his metabolic

age on the Bioimpedance Scales

Alice Davies completing the Smokelyzer test Rachael Tynan completing the Pulse

Oximetery test

Christian Discussion Group

There has been an active group of students at Darwin High that love to generate robust discussion, hear what the Bible says

and sponsor a child in a developing nation. Rosie Reimers and Rev Bruce Chapman oversee the group one lunch time per

week.

A young girl in India, Vanshika, has been sponsored by the group. One successful sausage sizzle raised most of the money

required for her support ($44 per month) up until the start of November. I wish to commend the students whose enthusiasm

and hard work made this fund raiser possible. We believe people who are poor matter and love to see students engaging with a

vision to support someone in need.

We will soon say goodbyes to several Year 12 students as their examinations begin. Their leadership and enthusiasm will be

missed but we know they will go on to be successful in life. The group is open to students of any year level and participation is

a voluntary opt-in, bring lunch and join in for as many meetings as takes ones interest.

Rosie Reimers

14

Bilingual Book Launch

Since late 2013, students of Chinese have been collaborat-

ing with the City of Darwin to develop a bilingual book titled

‘Life as a teenager in Darwin’ to exchange with Darwin’s

sister city, Haikou, where students also developed their

own book.

The official launch of the book was held on 8 August at

Casuarina Library. Year 12 student, Jacinta Mu led the

launch as English Master of Ceremonies, while Year 11

student, Joyce Yeum took on the role of Chinese interpret-

er. Year 11 student, Johannah Pastor also read an extract

from the book in both English and Chinese.

Marnie Foster

Chinese Language Teacher

Update Your Contact Details

If you have moved, changed work, email or home

telephone numbers, please contact the Front Of-

fice on 8999 1222. It is important that the School

has up-to-date information in case of emergencies.

Email Lists—Just Not Getting It?

Year level Assistant Principals send regular emails

to parents to keep them informed of important

events and opportunities. If you’re not getting

them, contact dhs.emaillist@ntschools.net

Beat the Build Up Heat

After hours Homework Centre in the Library

Open until 6pm—Monday to Thursday

Work in air-conditioned comfort

Tutor Support

Phone 8999 1213

15

CDU Maths Enrichment Activity

What does the game Battleships, the rectangles on a cheese-

board and the patterns of German folk dances have in com-

mon? These were all part of the challenging learning activities

used at the Maths Enrichment Activity at CDU.

From 14—18 July students from Darwin High School and sev-

eral other schools attended the Maths Enrichment Activity at

CDU. The workshop began with Dr Uwe Luck leading us

through an exploration of proofing techniques—direct, contra-

diction and induction. On reflection, this appears simple. How-

ever, on Monday morning, most of us bleary-eyed students

found the concepts perplexing and it was rewarding to ulti-

mately understand these concepts and watch the presenters

arrive at solutions in a seemingly effortless fashion.

Dr Uwe also discussed combinatorics (permutations and com-

binations), which investigates counting discrete units. Permu-

tations are selections from a set where order is important; for

instance, if three balls were selected from a bag containing ten

balls of different colours, a selection of green, red and yellow

would be different to a selection of green, yellow and red.

Combinations are selections where the order is irrelevant; the

two previous selections would be considered the same.

Dr Khalid Khan provided us with several intriguing puzzles.

The first kept us occupied for a while, as he asked us to deter-

mine how many rectangles and squares were present on a

chessboard. The solution was based on combinatorics, for a

rectangle only requires two vertices from two sepa-

rate rows of a chessboard; hence, we simply had to

determine the different methods of selecting two

vertices from two separate rows.

Dr Peter Shaw also lectured at the workshop and

gave us activities to determine the shortest possible

route that would connect all houses in a city, and

even allowed us to play several versions of Battle-

ships. These games laid the groundwork for his

presentations, which first involved the graph theory

where we discovered that complete graphs (graphs

where all vertices are connected in all possible

means) have a set amount of edges, as determined

by a specific formula.

Dr Peter also included sorting games. In the first

game, students were lined up in no particular order

on one side of a large map. The students followed

the map, and when any two students arrived at the

same point, the taller would move to the right and

the shorter to the left. As if by magic, this simple

sorting mechanism resulted in the students being

arranged in order of height by the time they reached

the end of the map. Through a German folk dance

we looked at how algorithms and computer pro-

grams function, with the individual numbers being

divided into smaller sections, then sorted within

groups, and finally, sorted to form an overall se-

quence.

Despite the challenges we encountered, the work-

shop was engaging and provided insight into the

diverse field of mathematics. It was a well-spent five

days, thanks to Dr Ian Roberts, Dr Judy Egan, Oli-

vera Bisevac, Dr Khalid Khan, Dr Peter Shaw, Dr

Uwe Leck, and of course, Mrs Tan, for giving us the

opportunity to be involved.

Kaavya Weerasundera

Year 12

16

Fannie Bay to Castle Bay, Karatsu

I have just returned from Castle Bay, Karatsu where

I competed in the Laser Youth 4.7 Worlds Regatta

with four other young Australian sailors. We sailed in

a fleet of 105 from 32 countries.

There is a lot to be said about Japanese hospitality.

In Karatsu, another Australian sailor and I, were met

at the station by the very obliging Taeko from the

sailing club who quickly took us off to dinner at a lo-

cal restaurant. I had some kind of noodles on ice,

which was my second weirdest meal. (This was

topped by eating live squid.) We stayed at inns and I

never have experienced a hotel where the owners

were so obliging and willing to help. As a sailor it’s a

rare treat when the hotel owners beat you to hanging

out your wet gear each day.

As for the sailing, Castle Bay is an interesting place.

Our days of training ranged from struggling to make

any ground against a five-knot tide, to battling a

three metre plus swell. However, at the end of the

four training days the whole team certainly felt well

prepared. Practice race day was interrupted by a

typhoon passing about 400 kilometres to the south

east that resulted in the frantic tying down of boats.

Thankfully, this was gone by the next day so we

could start the Regatta properly. The first day was

just like the entire following qualifying series, light

winds, big swells and big shifts. That kind of stuff

isn’t my favorite weather and I spent a lot of time

coming off the line well only to find that I was sailed

over by a whole cacophony of smaller Europeans

and Japanese. The following four days followed the

same formula of crazy shifts and big swells. It wasn’t

uncommon to see someone attempt a tack only to

be flung straight over by a crest. Luckily, by the time

we got into the finals—where I was the second last

boat in Gold Fleet, the wind picked up, but was

Hamish Wiltshire, representing Australia in Japan.

strangely blowing into the swell. This again made for some odd sail-

ing. The stronger winds brought about some better results for me with

the final race, an eighth place, being my best of the week. This led

into the last day of the Regatta where one stadium race for the top 30

was scheduled. Again I just scraped into this by one place. But for a

lack of wind this was cancelled—probably having a bit to do with the

180 degree wind-shifts too, and the Regatta finished a race short.

At the end of the Regatta I finished up in twenty ninth position. This

was a further back than I had wanted to be but with the winds, it was

probably a reflection of my size. Although I didn’t finish where I want-

ed, the Worlds was certainly a huge learning experience. From being

screamed at by raging Turks, doing a 720 and being passed by 15

boats, to having on-water chats with various other international com-

petitors, it is an experience that I will never forget and I am a better

sailor for it.

It has been great to get back on the water this week training in the

Minnows, instructing with the Tackers program and sharing my

knowledge and experience. My participation would not have been

possible without being proudly sponsored by the Northern Territory

Government and assisted by the Australian Sports Commission, Dar-

win Sailing Club and Yachting Northern Territory—which provided

sailing and training opportunities that allows NT sailors to compete

both nationally and internationally. My thanks also goes to Darwin

High School for being flexible with my catch-up study program. And

finally, without the support of Mum, Dad and my brothers and sister I

would never have got there. My biggest thank you goes out to them.

Ma tar ney (See you later)

Hamish Wiltshire

Year 11

17

Defence Transition Mentor News

National Scholarships 2015. The Australian Veterans’

Children Assistance Trust (AVCAT) provide a range of

scholarships and bursaries to children and grandchildren

of ADF veterans to assist with their future tertiary studies.

Applications close on 31 October 2014. For more infor-

mation and details of each of the scholarships see. http://

www.avcat.org.au/Students/Applicants.aspx.

The Top Ender, August/September issue. This issue

has a travel theme with five great stories focusing on very

different types of travel and very different locations. To

receive the Top Ender magazine, email

thetopender@aapt.net.au.

ADF GapYear. The Australian Defence Force Gap Year

2015 is open for applications. The program was launched

by Assistant Minister for Defence, Stuart Robert, who said

it provided an opportunity for young Australians, who have

finished Year 12 or equivalent, to experience 12 months in

the military without the obligation to make a longer com-

mitment. Successful applicants may be able to earn more

than $45,000 per year while on the program. Contact

www.defencejobs.gov.au , phone 131901 or visit Defence

Recruitment Centre in Mitchell Street.

New REDLO. Annick Beyderwellen has commenced at

the DCO in the role of Regional Education Defence Liai-

son Officer. Annick graduated as an Early Childhood

teacher and has taught in Darwin primary schools for 16

years. She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience

to the position and is keen to support our Defence families

and students.

Please feel free to contact the DTM at any time.

Paul McConnell

Defence Transition Mentor

Darwin High School Stage Band performing at the Darwin Show.

18

Seniors’ Week Morning

Tea and Concert

To celebrate Seniors’

Month, Darwin High

School students contribut-

ed their diverse talents to

present ‘A Morning of En-

tertainment’ for the senior

citizens of the City.

The Darwin High concert

is now a well established

event on the seniors’ cal-

endar. This year it was

organised and led by the

Year 12 Leadership Group

and ably assisted by stu-

dents from the Secondary

Intensive English Unit

(SIEU).

It provided the SIEU stu-

dents in the Integrated

Learning-Work Course

with an opportunity to un-

dertake some practical

aspects of the course.

They assisted where

needed and became in-

volved in a very special

school-community event.

It provided them with the

opportunity to work with

mainstream students and

to meet and interact with

community members.

Student comperes were

Chetan Ganesh and Sa-

mantha Ramsey. Musical

items were provided by Omja Das, Ms Bryett, Sarah Banks, Eric Beale, Mr Northcote, Mr Atfield, Harrison Wy-

vill, Donald Sanger, Kristina Lee, Eugene Duffy, Bijou Daniels, Arran Barker, Teja Binti Solah, David Quested

Joshua Yick, Michelle Kerrin, Colleen Lo, Shiane Hawke and the Year 11 and Year 12 Dance groups.

A scrumptious morning tea was provided by the Integrated Learning - Catering students led by Ms McIntyre.

Thank you to all the musicians, dancers, caterers, student leaders, the SIEU cohort and all involved in the

Seniors’ Week Morning of Entertainment. It was a wonderful success.

Judy Boland

19

20

Dance

The Performing Arts Dance De-

partment exploded in 2014 and

staff Sarah Calver and Julia

Quinn offered different senior

dance programs with varying

degrees of depth and intensity.

We kick-started the year with our

annual fundraiser event Dance

14. This pivotal dance celebra-

tion gives voice to the diverse

range of dance offered at DHS

and in the broader community. In

May, we entered several works

into the WA and NT Dance Ei-

steddfod and won first prize in

the Group Ensemble and Lyrical

categories and second place in

Solo.

Following this, the talented Creative Arts Stage 2 Dance class, joined by 24 other fellow DHS dance students and graduate

students, presented BRAVE - a bold dance theatre work that tackled the many issues of bullying by award winning choreog-

rapher Joanna Noonan. This significant work was presented by our major sponsor SRA Information Technology in partner-

ship with DHS, SLIDE Youth Dance and EPRINT. The impact of this emotionally charged dance theatre work was very real

and it had a strong effect on all audiences.

The next day we flew to WA for a ten day dance intensive with 24 senior dance students. This excursion program is specifi-

cally designed to provide an opportunity for dance students to attend performances and rehearsals, participate in workshop

intensives, choreographic sessions and forums, meet artists working in the field and attend a leading Performing Arts tertiary

institution, the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) at Edith Cowen University.

In September, the 2014 Stage 2 Dance classes presented a powerful and thought-provoking production called BLANK CAN-

VAS as their external group performance moderation. The exceptional talents of the 35 core dancers entertained capacity

audiences with their highly proficient performance skills. Evidence of the success of their dynamic performance is in the out-

standing comments made by audience members. For many students it was their first introduction to the magic of working in a

fully staged dance performance with myself and production team Tom Lydiard, Chris Os-

borne, Tahnee Cvirn, Julia Quinn and Steph Cvirn. Well done to all involved.

Another exciting event was a series of dance workshops by professional choreographers:

Imanuel Dado, graduate DHS and WAAPA student currently working with Sean Par-

ker Company

Kelly Beneforti from Tracks show You Dance Funny

Julia Grey from Sunameke Pacific Island Dance Company

Joanna Noonan local nationally acclaimed choreographer and

Jess Devroux Dance Animateur with Tracks dance Company

Kathryn Lawrence currently second year student at WAAPA

Jordan Bretherton and Mitchell Aldridge current first year WAAPA students

Rochelle Cabry from The Space Dance Centre, Victoria.

What’s On in Term 4

In Term 4 we have our Year 10

and Stage 1 Dance Showcase

on 7 November at DHS Tank

@ 6.30pm, followed by the year

10 Dance and Drama Produc-

tion at the Darwin Entertain-

ment Centre Studio Theatre.

Then on 25 October DHS hosts

the WAAPA audition for the

Bachelor of Dance program

2015 with Nanette Hassell the

director of the WAAPA Dance

Department.

21

22

23

Athletics – Top End Region

The Middle and Senior Schools Track and Field Champi-

onships for schools in the Top End Region was yet anoth-

er opportunity for students at Darwin High School to

showcase their talents.

The Darwin High team of Joseph White, Jackson Auston

Croft, Todd Richardson and Luwana Waianga swept all

before them, whilst Gemma Gray rendered sterling ser-

vice as an official for all the field events.

In their respective age groups, Joseph won the 400, 800

and 1500 metre events, was a member of the winning

relay team and won the triple jump with a leap of 10.10

metres; Jackson won the 100 and 200 metre events and

was also a member of the winning relay team; Todd was

part of the winning relay team too and also won the high

jump with a leap of 1.60 metres, whilst Luwana was

placed in the 100 and 200 metres events, won the long

jump with a leap of 4.57metres and the triple jump with a

leap of 9.87 metres. She also helped the relay team to

victory.

Competing schools in the Senior Schools section were

Essington, Marrara, St John’s, Kormilda, Darwin High,

McKillop, O’Loughlin, Good Shepherd, SEDA, Taminmin,

Jabiru and Tiwi.

Essington Senior took out the trophy for the most suc-

cessful school with a total of 106 points. Darwin High fin-

ished fifth with 41 points.

Well done to all Darwin High representatives.

Judy Boland

Manager

Squash Champions

Four students from Darwin High School competed in the

Squash Cluster Day at Marrara Squash Centre on 10

September. There were two divisions — individual and

team. Ranked third in Australia in the Under 17s and

tenth in the Under 19s, Joseph White (Year 11) won the

individual competition over fellow peer Chad Blenkinship

(Year 10) in a fast and very skillful final. Darwin High

School also won the team division 2-1 over Essington.

Nathan Smith

Manager

Table Tennis Champions

Darwin High School entered three teams in this year’s Cluster Day Table Tennis Tournament at Marrara.

Team ‘A’ were overall winners. Well done to all players. Kevin Northcote

Manager

NT Surf Life Saving Championships

Several Darwin High School

students were involved in the

NT Surf Life Saving Champi-

onships on 20—21 Septem-

ber.

Chad Blenkinship won the

U17 Age Champion and also

won the Open Men's Swim

and Open Men's Sprint and

the 2014 Open Men's Iron

Man . Mitch Hardy won Open

Flags, U17 Flags and U17

Ski. Congratulations to both

boys and to the others who took part.

24

Sports News In April this year, Ryan Mu, Marcus

Valastro and Patrick Taban were

selected to represent the NT in the

inaugural 2014 Australia Post U15s

AFL All Nations Cup held in Coffs

Harbour.

The Australia Post All Nations Cup

is a feature event of the year for the

Australia Post AFL Multicultural pro-

gram and all teams competing in-

cluded players from multicultural

backgrounds. The junior stars from

this event had the opportunity to be

selected by AFL talent managers to

play in the World Team at the NAB

U16 AFL Championships which was

held in the Gold Coast in July.

The boys all played well. Ryan Mu

won the ‘Most Valuable Player for

NT’ award and all three players

were selected to play in the World

Team. The World Team squad of 25

players consists of the best upcom-

ing AFL multicultural players from

across the nation, as well as several

talented international youngsters

from South Africa.

Carlton Champion and Hall of Fame

legend, Anthony Koutoufides, was

Head Coach of the World Team and

David Rodan Assistant Coach. The

players received elite training under

the guidance of these two coaches

and also had the opportunity to train

with the Gold Coast Suns players.

In July, Ryan Mu, Marcus Valastro, Thomas Brown and Matthew Blake were selected to represent the NT in the U15

School Sports Australia AFL Championships which was held in Sydney. The boys had a lot of fun, made many new

friendships and climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge. They attended the GWS and Geelong game at Spotless Stadium

and were invited to make a guard of honour with the U12s AFL Schoolboys for GWS.

At every U15 Championship an All Australian Team is selected to identify the gifted and talented players.

Congratulations to Ryan for being selected in the U15 AFL All Australian Team.