Beyond the Bell- Issue 3

SSCC Newsletter Issue 3

BEYOND THE BELL

The Spontaneous Trip Edition

Creative writing MY HOME by Dan Clayton (Year 9 - 12 Winner)

Life in the city is distraught. The constant moving traffic, the long urban roads, and the endless hills of homes constantly exacerbate my disconnection with the land. It feels isolating, as though I have been torn from my roots.

Today, the noise and development have become too much to bear. On a sudden, desperate impulse, I grabbed my keys and dropped everything. I needed a spontaneous escape.

The anguish.

The noise.

The disconnection.

I left it all behind in the rearview mirror.

There is still hope, and there is still my home, resting just over the Blue Mountains on the horizon. It remains largely untouched, blooming in the perfection that was once taken care of by my ancestors. Eventually, I find that calling. I find the call home.

As I drive over the mountains and embrace the country around me, I find myself feeling more in place, more belonging, more at home. I swell up in tears as I return to Wiradjuri country— my home, my mob. I feel the love the land provides for me, found within the steep hills of Oberon and the warm, fresh air surrounding Bathurst. For once, the city's anguish disappears. I feel connected, not just to the people around me, but to the country itself.

WINNERS

I feel embraced by the land. The country does not judge me as the city does; it doesn’t judge my appearance, my voice, my personality, my struggles. lived.

The land unconditionally loves me. I feel I am the first of the many generations in my family to finally start to heal from the dispossession and the trauma both my family and others have experienced. I am learning how beautiful my country is.

Every time I walk down the dirt path from my grandparents' house in Bathurst, the land blooms and shines just for me. I always look in awe over the horizon, seeing the beautiful hills, Mount Panorama, and my home. This home was made for me millions of years before I was conceived.

The Spontaneous Trip - By Parinoor Pabla (Year 5 - 8 Winner) I was halfway through breakfast when Mum said, “Finish quickly. We’re leaving in ten minutes.”

I froze. “Leaving where?”

“You’ll see,” she replied, grabbing her bag.

That was the first strange thing. Mum never did surprises. She planned everything— meals, weekends, even what time we left the house. But today felt different.

I rushed to pack a small bag, my thoughts spinning. What if it’s somewhere boring?

What if it’s somewhere amazing?

In the car, I pressed my forehead against the window as we left our neighbourhood behind. Houses turned into open roads. Roads turned into trees. Soon, everything looked unfamiliar.

“Can I guess yet?” I asked.

“Nope,” Mum said calmly.

“Just one hint?”

She smiled. “Then it wouldn’t be spontaneous.”

That word stuck with me. Spontaneous. It sounded like something important was about to happen.

The road narrowed into a winding track through thick forest. The air grew cooler, and the world outside the car became quieter, as if it were waiting.

Then the car stopped.

We got out.

In front of us was a place I had never seen before. A hidden lake stretched between tall trees, its surface smooth like glass. Sunlight danced across the water, and everything felt still—almost magical.

I didn’t speak. I just looked.

“This is it,” Mum said. “No planning. No rush. Just a day to explore.”

We walked along narrow trails, listening to birdsong echo through the trees. We found a wooden jetty stretching over the lake, and I sat at the edge, watching tiny ripples spread across the water.

Later, I followed a small hidden path and discovered a tiny waterfall tucked between rocks. It felt like finding a secret the world had been hiding.

If we had planned every detail, I don’t think we would have found any of this.

By the time we left, the sky was turning orange.

I leaned back in the car seat, tired but happy in a way I couldn’t explain.

“Best day ever,” I said quietly.

Mum glanced over and smiled. “Sometimes the best days are the ones you don’t plan.”

And I knew she was right.

ZAC RUSSO

WA TCH INT ERV IEW

Social Justice Beyond Ourselves | Why Compassion Matters

It is easy to get caught up in the rush of everyday life. Assessments pile up, notifications never stop, and so much of our attention is consumed by the constant pressure to keep up. We worry about grades, social media, sports, friendships, and what comes next, often forgetting how fortunate many of us truly are.

Our focus naturally narrows to what is directly in front of us. Without even realising it, we can become confined to our own routines and priorities, and over time that routine can become a kind of bubble one that makes it easy to overlook the experiences, struggles and realities of people outside our immediate world.

The problem is not that we are bad people; it is that modern life makes it easy to look inward. We see the struggles of others through screens, headlines and passing conversations, but rarely stop long enough to truly understand them. Sometimes, the biggest barrier between people is not distance, but perspective.

Social Justice aims to challenge that very mindset. It asks us to pause, step outside ourselves, and recognise the humanity in people we may otherwise pass by without a second thought.

In many ways, modern society encourages individualism. Success is often measured by personal achievement, popularity, productivity or status, while empathy can become increasingly selective. We are exposed to the struggles of others every day through headlines, social media posts and passing conversations, yet repeated exposure can sometimes create distance rather than understanding. It becomes easy to assume that difficult circumstances belong to “other people,” “other communities,” or places far removed from our own lives. Often, society presents disadvantage as something separate from us, reducing complex human experiences into statistics, headlines or stereotypes. As a result, people can become defined solely by their circumstances rather than recognised for their dignity and humanity.

However, experiences facilitated through social justice initiatives challenge this perception directly.

Students involved in our outreach program, Vinnies Van, often reflect on how quickly perceived differences disappear through simple conversation.

The people they encounter are not fundamentally different from themselves, but individuals shaped by different circumstances and challenges. These experiences highlight how interconnected communities truly are and challenge common stereotypes surrounding homelessness and disadvantage. Many individuals experiencing hardship are not simply seeking material support, but connection, respect and the opportunity to feel seen within their community. This encourages a shift in perspective from viewing compassion as charity to understanding it as a shared responsibility.

The work of the Social Justice team aims to challenge this sense of separation and encourage students to engage more thoughtfully with the wider community. Through initiatives such as Project Compassion, Vinnies Van, the Winter Appeal, Hoodies for Hope and the Winter Sleepout, students are exposed to perspectives beyond their own experiences. They encourage students to move beyond assumptions and recognise the dignity and individuality of people whose experiences may differ significantly from their own.

Social Justice encourages students to reflect on their role within society and recognise the importance of supporting others rather than focusing only on themselves. It exists not only in large initiatives, but also in everyday actions that support and uplift others within the community.

In a world where it can often feel easier to look away, choosing to care is what turns distance into awareness, and awareness into something we can no longer unsee.

If you can't see good, do good. - Mr Loyola

"We’ve been blessed with talents and gifts by God to help make this world a better place... not for just one person or one group, but for everyone, for the common good."

- Mr Loyola

"No human being comes from a highway... they all come from all these different winding roads. Some are straight, some are uphill, some are downhill... at the end of the day, these roads eventually all connect."

- Daniel Clayton

“It was also really rewarding interacting with people I normally would not have spoken to, because sharing a new experience brought everyone closer and created a strong sense of connection.”

- Isla De Los Angeles

“They're going down some path, but at the end of the day, it's just a human being trying to make it out.”

- Abhiraj Laroyia

“Hearing people’s stories made me understand that because of what we have, we have the ability and responsibility to help more.”

- Lily Sherry

DUKE OF ED

WATCH INTERVIEWS HERE

Score Update: Senior Years!

Team

GP

W

D

L

GD

PTS

Melchester United

3

3

0

0

12

9

cant fit my willian

3

3

0

0

8

9

daniell fc

3

2

0

1

1

6

CHATGPT 67

2

1

0

1

1

3

Bomb Squad

2

1

0

1

-1

3

FragranceSce nts FC

3

1

0

2

-2

3

BIG B

2

0

0

2

-6

0

Brownies

3

0

0

3

-10

0

ART EXHIBITION UPCOMING: WEEK 11

Free food!

Live drawings!

Incredible art!

Beautiful music!

LOCATED AT CREATIVE HUB

THURSDAY 2/7 4:30-6:30