Year 10

Many are involved with Christian Service activities and love to participate in every aspect of College life.

Subject selections for Year 11 is an important part of going through Year 10 and much of the second term was devoted to preparing the boys for selecting their Year 11 subject and opening their eyes to future careers through presentations by each Head of Learning Area and industry professionals invited to the College. It is always encouraging to see students actively putting in time to think about their future careers and realise how this should ultimately affect the subjects they chose for next year.

A few years ago it was identified that teaching life skills to Year 10 students would be beneficial and hence the Personal Development and Wellbeing (PDW) Program was born. On Friday afternoons, the boys would rotate by Pastoral Care Groups through a range of different activities designed to assist them in some ‘real’ challenges such as sewing on their own buttons, changing the wheel of a car or memorising a shopping list! The other components of the PDW program include Christian Service at a Retirement Village, the very popular Keys for Life (which provides the boys with their Learner’s Permit upon successful completion), Study Skills, Mental Health and Careers. The program is popular with the boys and it has traditionally been something different for them to do on a Friday afternoon.

Social events this year included a roller skating afternoon with Mercedes College Year 10 girls, which was a great success given no reconstructive knee surgery was required and another social with Mercedes in Gibney Hall themed ‘Heroes and Villains’. It was fantastic to see Gibney Hall transformed into a laser light and sound extravaganza with both the boys and girls taking great effort and pride in their costumes for the night. A number of boys were also selected to attend a river cruise hosted by Iona Presentation College, where the feedback received was that Trinity had represented themselves admirably and like absolute gentlemen.

The 2015 Year 10 cohort is a lively group of gentlemen who, on the whole, strive to uphold the Four Pillars upon which Trinity is built and have a great sense of service within the community.

Mr Kenny Chan Head of Year 10

Year 10 Student Council Back Row: Joseph Costa, Tennessee Buti, d’Artagnan Boylan, James Marthins, Nicholas Ellison, Leon Formato, Connor Rees, Samuel O’Connell, Michael Lenzo Front Row: Andrew Le, Samuel Moffatt, Matthew Argile, Mr Kenny Chan, Luke Scarfone, Ashton Godfrey, Dominic Driscoll

Blair Bayens tells students about a career as a paramedic

Year 10 students at the ‘Heroes and Villains’ Social with Mercedes

With regards to Christian Service, all Year 10s participate in the Emmaus Retreat where students are asked to reflect on their lives thus far and draw out their influences, motivations and discover what is truly important for them. It was very impressive how many Year 10s volunteered to be a ‘Roadie’ on the 2015 Quest Retreat and even more impressive how many applied to be a mentor for the 2016 Quest Retreat. A small group of students were also selected to attend the Kimberley Immersion in 2016. The willingness of this group to volunteer their time and effort into such worthy causes is a strength that should make this cohort proud of itself.

Leadership development opportunities always catch my eye and this year, three students Houston Jennings (10.5), Zachary Hooper (10.6) and Samuel Throssell (10.7) were selected to attend the annual Rotary Youth Program of Enrichment (RYPEN) where the boys spent a weekend with other attendees from around the State learning public speaking skills and developing other leadership qualities. These boys along with the Student Councillors were also invited to attend a leadership training weekend held by Mr Joel Shinkfield and myself, where together we set activities and challenges that developed and tested their ability to work cooperatively, lead by example and engage in effective teamwork. After each activity, the students would reflect on their decisions and actions during the activities and also what being a leader meant spiritually for them.

On the sporting front, the Year 10s have proved they are a competitive force on the field, with a number of Year 10s being regular members of 1st teams. A very large number of Year 10 students were also members of senior musical ensembles and bands as well as drama and dance groups.

Alex Rullo with Mark Readings and the Today Tonight team preparing for his interview

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Year 10 Pastoral Care Group teachers: 10.1 Ms Rita Basilio, 10.2 Mr Jonathon Brown (Terms 1-3) and Ross Jacobs (Term 4), 10.3 Mr Mark Dodd (Terms 1,3,4) and Dr Chong Wah Liew (Term 2), 10.4 Mr Adam Kealley, 10.5 Ms Lissa Coleman, 10.6 Mr Rod Rainer, 10.7 Mr Joel Shinkfield (Terms 1,3,4) and Mr Paul Van Vliet (Term 2), 10.8 Mr Tony Webb. Throughout the year, each have been sources of encouragement and guidance for the boys.

I am proud of the Year 10s achievements this year, both amongst themselves and externally throughout the College. As a group, I have witnessed most of them mature immensely over this year and I know they will continue to develop into senior students that Trinity College will be proud to call their own.