Bennett House

Although many of the sports carnivals were postponed or modified this year, the Bennett girls always showed up and gave everything a go with a smile on their faces. We started each carnival with style and energy by making the Bennett House area a sea of blue decorations, t-shirts and dress-ups, whilst during the carnivals the girls sang and chanted in support of our Bennett girls who were competing in races. In all the carnivals (the Swimming, Cross Country and Athletics), the Bennett girls were always full of energy, ready to participate in everything that was available to them. The level of involvement was truly something else, each girl giving their all to earn extra House points. This was especially seen at the 2020 Athletics Carnival, where we placed fourth in House points! This was a great achievement and every Bennett girl should be proud of their hard work and participation in all of the carnivals this year.

The new Connect structure grouped girls in Years 7 to 11 by House which allowed Bennett girls to bond with each other during Connect time. Through this new Connect structure, we saw the Bennett House spirit and connection increase greatly, especially through the door decoration contest at the beginning of the year, where the girls decorated their doors to match the Bennett colours. This was a great way for girls, especially new girls, to bond with those within the House, and also help others to gain confidence to participate in carnivals and other activities. Despite being impacted by the global pandemic, Bennett House spirit continued with weekly challenges and COVID-19 related memes through a Bennett Newsletter. The Newsletter allowed Bennett girls to be entertained and connected throughout the quarantine period.

Cassandra Long, Holly Boswell and Olivia Anderson, Year 12 Holly Boswell, Olivia Anderson and Cassandra Long, Year 12

Mascot Bruce, the Bennett Shark, was a new addition to our Bennett family this year. He supported us during every House event, cheering for Bennett and bringing lots of energy to raise House spirit and excitement with the girls. Although Bruce’s dancing skills were questionable at times, he always gave the most amazing performance, especially at the mascot dance-off, in the 100-metre sprints, and other various performances.

This year, we continued to support Youth Off The Streets. To do so, Bennett held a purple and yellow themed mufti day, as those are the colours of Youth Off The Streets. The intentional choice of difficult-to-find colours allowed the staff and students to recognise and appreciate the opportunities available to us, whilst also starting a conversation about disadvantaged youths.

The Bennett girls’ participation in multiple events throughout 2020 created an exciting and memorable year for all of us. However, this year’s success was only possible due to the support, dedication and leadership of the Bennett House Leader, Ms Michie. Her hard work behind the scenes and her joyful, comforting personality made this year for Bennett one of the best yet, and her passion and commitment will enable each Bennett girl to have positive and enriching experiences through House activities in the future.

Olivia Anderson, Bennett House Captain Cassandra Long and Holly Boswell, Bennett House Deputy Captains

Anda Wang, Jennifer Chong, Freya Walesby and Sofia Adamovich, Year 7

Erika Nakamaru, Anais Drysdale, Alisha Haq, Jaya Krishnadasan, Zarina Nurlanov and Arana Roy, Year 7