Hearts News (Week 4, Thursday 25 May 2023)

The 2023 College Musical, Legally Blonde Jnr. was a resounding success.

To our Sacred Heart College community

In reviewing this edition of the Hearts News, as well as reviewing what we have coming up in the next few weeks, I am (yet again!) overwhelmed with pride at the wonderful work that occurs at our school. I conducted an enrolment interview this week and one of the future parents remarked to me that they couldn’t believe how wide and varied the opportunities were at Sacred Heart. I proudly agreed and lamented that even the most passionate and involved student wouldn’t be able to participate in everything. Already this term we have had the Musical (which was stunning), National Boarding Week, a number of excursions, Pedal Prix, and our winter sport is well underway – just to name a few. We also know that we have some amazing students who are excelling in their chosen pursuits, whether they be sport, music, or other extra curricular activities. 

Our College theme this year “Created + Called: A revolution of love and tenderness” is underpinned by a quote from the Dominican mystic St Catherine of Siena: “Be who you are created to be and you will set the world on fire.” It is clear to me, and so provides me with great joy, to know that we have so many inspiring young people living the life that they were created to live. We hope that their time at Sacred Heart provides the catalyst for them to set the world on fire!

Daniel Head
Deputy Principal

That’s a wrap! The 2023 College Musical

“OMIGOD YOU GUYS!” That’s a wrap on our 2023 College Musical, Legally Blonde Jnr!

Each show was “Seriously” full of colour, vibrancy and energy, with the students “Whipping” the show “Into Shape”. Various local primary schools joined us for the matinee performances, and one student was found crying afterwards, saying it was “So Much Better” if he could come here to school next year, as he’d love to be involved.

We are so proud of the cast. They have worked extremely hard in rehearsals and learnt so many new skills, backstage and onstage. To the staff cast – Carole Holroyd, Garreth Hutton and Kahrynn Hartshorne – you shone onstage and helped mentor the students throughout the process. Also, a big thank you to our amazing staff and student crew who worked behind the scenes to make sure that everything went smoothly. We could not have done it without you.

Lastly, to the production team, Majo Bogatec, Jacinta Vistoli, Skye McVicar, Robyn Brookes and Samara Churchett, all who worked long hours to make this show such a success. Your passion, drive and unwavering support was seen, loved and appreciated, particularly by the students involved. You have shaped memories that will last a lifetime.  

Well done to all on a fabulous performance!

National Boarding Week

As a community we have a strong academic focus, but also aim to provide our boarders with opportunities they may not get back home. This extends beyond the academic and pastoral realm ensuring that each boarder in our care has a wholesome and fulfilling boarding experience here at Sacred Heart College. National Boarding Week is a great opportunity to celebrate what it means to be a boarder at Sacred Heart College.

We have a strong community focus and this was seen throughout National Boarding Week as we gathered as a Boarding Community and shared many fun and enjoyable experiences together. 

2023 also marks 25 years of Girls Boarding at Sacred Heart College and it has been wonderful to share with our girls (past and present) just what boarding at Sacred Heart College has meant to them. We take great joy in seeing our boarders flourish here as part of our Sacred Heart College Boarding Family.

We all take great pride in being part of our Sacred Heart College Boarding Community and National Boarding Week is truly special to all individuals associated with boarding in one way or another. 

Get to know our Year 12 Leaders

Each week, two of our Year 12 Student Leaders will take part in a brief Q&A session so you can get to know them a little better.

This week we meet 2023 Boarding Captain, Isabel Bryksy and 2023 Arts Leader, Harrison Wickers.

Commemorating the Battle of Coral-Balmoral

On Friday 12 May, two Year 10 students, Eutien Boey and Mikayla Klecko represented Sacred Heart College at the annual memorial of the Battle of Coral–Balmoral at the Vietnam Veterans Federation SA Branch, Yerbury Centre in Marion.

The students took part in the memorial by reading King George V’s Memorial Scroll and attendees got to hear a first hand account from Vietnam Veteran, Peter Geeren, who turned 21 during that time.

The event was attended by dignitaries, former Governor of SA, Hieu Van Le; City of Marion Mayor, Kris Hanna; and State Member for Gibson, Sarah Andrews MP.

The Battle of Coral-Balmoral took place from  12 May to 6 June 1968 during the Vietnam war. On 12 May 1968, Australian and New Zealand forces set up Fire Support Base (FSB) Coral, about 7 km north of Tan Uyen, an area the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong used to launch attacks on Saigon.

The soldiers at FSB Coral would intercept and disrupt enemy forces approaching or withdrawing from Saigon. Helicopters were delivering soldiers and equipment to the site throughout the day. The enemy was watching and attacked FSB Coral in the early morning of 13 May. Australian artillerymen, mortarmen and machine gunners in the direct line of the enemy’s attack came under intense fire. Nine Australian soldiers were killed and 28 wounded. FSB Coral became a strong defensive position. 

On 24 May, some Australian soldiers moved about 4.5 km north of FSB Coral to set up FSB Balmoral. FSB Balmoral was attacked twice by the enemy. Patrols continued in the area until the Australians withdrew on 6 June. 

Between 12 May and 6 June 1968, 25 Australian lives were lost, with many more wounded. These actions made up Australia’s most costly and protracted battle of the Vietnam War

Youth Environment Council

Year 9 student, Amelie Sloan has been successful in gaining a place on the Youth Environment Council of SA (YEC). She recently attended the YEC Leadership Camp run by Green Adelaide Education at Arbury Park Outdoor School. YEC mentors worked with 43 students from around South Australia to increase their skills in leadership, team building and project planning. We look forward to supporting Amelie with her environmental project as part of her involvement in the YEC.

Activating Identities and Futures

For the subject Activating Identities and Futures, Year 12 student Ericka Yupanqui Ponce De Leon harnessed her passion for her Peruvian heritage, as well as hypertrophy training, to create modified Peruvian food that reduced carbohydrates and calories while increasing protein. She presented this food to her peers for feedback while providing supporting evidence based on her research to justify the alterations made to her family recipes.

Isabella Cannell, one of her peers, tasted the dishes and stated, “the food was sensational and Ericka’s learning output perfectly reflected her learning. Her continuous determination to her AIF throughout the semester was evident in her final output”.

Ericka said, “it was a fun process making the food which connects to my heritage while also aligning to my hypertrophy training. It was nice to share this with my peers and gain the perspectives of those from different backgrounds.” Well done Ericka! 

Arts News

Year 8 City Art Trail and Experience Day

This week, four Year 8 Visual Art classes embarked on a cultural journey visiting the Art Gallery of South Australia and the vibrant east end precinct. This immersive experience allowed students to gain insight and inspiration into contemporary and historic artworks from here and around the world. Students were highly engaged in a workshop run by a local illustrator, whose expertise  showed different ways to shape characters from unique perspectives.

The street art tour, always a highlight, enabled students to be inspired by the presence of art in our everyday life. Our Year 8 students will draw on their newly gained knowledge of the day to create their own artworks, which will be displayed in Week 10 for our Semester 1 Art Exhibition.  

Sports News

Champagnat Swimming Carnival

The annual Champagnat Swimming Carnival was a day filled with friendly competition, excitement and House Spirit. Held at the SA Aquatic & Leisure Centre on Friday 12 May, students dressed in their House colours and creative dress-up whilst passionately cheering from the grandstand.

Throughout the day students participated in a variety of swimming events which saw many individuals achieve personal bests. Others took part in alternate water activities including water polo, diving boards and the Wibit. Novelty games were also a highlight among students which involved competing in team relay events using  inflatables, bodyboards and pool noodles.

The day concluded with  relay events which showcased the top female and male swimmers from each House. There were some  close finishes which saw the crowd up on their feet and enthusiastically cheering from the House bays.

Congratulations to Fourviere for taking out the overall Championship Shield and to Montagne  who were awarded the House Spirit Shield. We also congratulate and acknowledge our Age Champions who received the highest individual points in their year level across the array of swimming events.

Well done to all students involved and a huge thank you to the staff who helped throughout the day to ensure a smooth and successful carnival.

Champion record breakers

Pedal Prix

Last Saturday, 36 students from across the College took part in the revamped Pedal Prix season, competing in Race 2 at The Bend Motorsport Park, Tailem Bend. With limited time in the trikes due to training venue restrictions, the students made the most of sessions at Champagnat Campus to learn the basics, whilst returning riders helped out with their personal experiences at previous events. 

The Bend has fantastic facilities, allowing teams to set up in the actual pit garages to support their teams. Spectators have great views from the grandstands and atop the main building over the entire track. The Bend even has its own ‘crash corner’, a tight hairpin turn that saw our brand new trike HeartBeat roll on its very first lap! After the initial nerves wore off, our teams settled into racing and performed admirably achieving the following results:

• BraveHeart – Seniors (Mixed team Year 11 – 9)
  16th place in Category S3 with 65 laps and a fastest lap speed of 3:50.024mins at 44.291km/hr

• HeartBeat (Year 8-10)
  17th place in Category S2 Mixed with 65 laps and a fastest lap time of 4:06.108mins at 41.396 km/hr

• HeartBurn (Year 8/9s)
  19th place in Category S2 with 64 laps and a fastest speed of 4:00.353 mins at 42.388km/hr

• HeartAttack (Year 7 newbies and a couple of experts!)
  31st Place in Category S2 with 54 laps and a fastest speed of 4:04.773mins at 41.622km/hr

It was wonderful  to see our newbies settle in and experience the rush of real racing along super-fast cars who nudged them and pushed them to their limits. 

Special thanks to all who help with maintenance and support tasks to ensure the event runs safely and smoothly. Also, thanks to the parents/caregivers who helped out in a variety of jobs: track marshalls, assistance with teams in the pits and those who supervised in The Paddock area.

We look forward to our next race on Sunday 18 June at Victoria Park Racecourse.

SA Golf Individual State Championships

On Monday 22nd May several students from both Champagnat and Marcellin Campuses competed in the state individual golf championships at The Vines Golf Club of Reynella. Players were split into 3 groups dependent on their handicaps. The following students placed in their respective groups:

Open A
3rd Nett Score – Malachy Marshall

Open B
2nd Stroke Score – Blake Wilby
3rd Nett Score – Blake Wilby

Open C 
2nd – Stableford Score, Jacob Lewis

Mountain Bike Championships

The State Mountain Bike Championships were held over two days at the Sturt Gorge Recreation Park. Sacred Heart Marcellin Campus entered a team composed of Nelson Haese, Andrew Tidswell, Charlie Hughes in the Open division, the boys finishing 3rd overall. An impressive result after riding the track for 2.5 hours. Well done, boys!

Marcellin Open Girls KO Football

On Tuesday 16 May, our Girls First XVIII Football Team played against Cabra College and Brighton High School for Round 1 of the Sport SA Knockout Football Competition.

The girls took on Brighton in game 1 playing through the wet weather conditions. They hit the scoreboard early and were able to keep Brighton goalless for the game with a win 97-1. As the rain continued, the girls took on Cabra in Game 2. Strong defensive pressure saw the team get plenty of the ball which led to another convincing win for the afternoon, 63-9. 

The girls now wait to see who they will face in Round 2 of the competition. Well done, girls!

Marcellin Futsal Championships

On Wednesday 17 May, our Integrated Learning Soccer class participated in the State Open Knockout Futsal finals at St Clair. The boys competed well, but were unable to claim a win in the minor rounds, finishing 4th in their pool. They played Charles Campbell College in the crossover game, but again went down by a convincing margin. A good effort by our Hearts.

Sailing champions

Over the Term 1 school holidays, eight Hearts students represented the College at the SA Secondary Schools Team Sailing Championships, competing in a 3 boat v 3 boat competition over a 3 day event held in Goolwa from 15-17 April.

Sacred Heart went into the finals as the leader after the qualification series. Knocking out Westminster School in the 1st semi-final and beating Ocean View College in the Grand Final, becoming State Champions for the first time!

Sailing Captain, Aussie Higgins (Year 11) is now looking forward to representing SA in the National Schools Competition to be held in July.

Well done Hearts!

Student Sporting Achievements

Sporting dates and events

Champagnat Campus (Term 2)

Marcellin Campus (Term 2)