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C.L.C 2024 A CELEBRATION OF THIS YEAR’S COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE

CONTENTS 3

What Is C.L.C ?

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TERM 1 - Excursion Season

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TERM 2 - Volunteering

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TERM 2 - Presentation Ceremony

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TERM 3 - Excursion Season

138 - 198

TERM 4 - Volunteering

191 - 197

TERM 4 - Presentation Ceremony

2 2024

WHAT IS C.L.C?

The C.L.C (Community Leadership Challenge) is a semester-long program which all Year 9 students experience.

The first term involves excursions, workshops and school-based activities based around the concepts of gratitude, resilience, mindfulness, social connection, community, philanthropy, teamwork, trust and respect. It gives the kids a chance to get out of the classroom, push themselves outside their comfort zone, make memories and learn life skills. The end goal, is for all students to volunteer with a Wangaratta community group, where they can “give back” and connect deeper with their community, all while learning new skills and broadening their horizons.

In 2023,, a group of our girls helped raise over $6000 for lockers for Wangaratta’s homeless to store belongings. This year, one of our girls spent 60 hours drawing an art piece (see this Front Cover) which she donated to residents she had helped at Illoura Residentail Aged Care Home. Countless young children at primary schools have idolised our Year 9s, and spoke of them at the dining table. We are extremely thankful to the many community groups who have supported, and still are supporting our program. We believe this is one of the most important parts of what we offer at Wangaratta High School, with powerful outcomes resulting every year. Hope you enjoy reading about C.L.C in 2024..

Our students have volunteered and contributed remarkable things over the years at many organisations.

Jud Mullins & Michelle Wilson CLC Coordinators

TERM 1 INTRO DAY

An outstanding cohort swiftly got into Full Swing at C.L.C (Community Leadership Challenge), our much-beloved Flagship Year 9 Program on Wednesdays. One of the few Term 1 days based on campus, Intro Day saw the cohort bond and get a feel for the CLC Building. Jasmina Scott blunted Jim Shepherd in the grand final of the Paper-Scissors-Rock Tournament, and Corey Jessup, James Chisholm and Ned James were the prizewinners in the Human Bingo challenge. After some workshops focusing on the key CLC concept of Gratitude, drawing on both The Resilience Project and staff experiences in Africa, the weekly CLC Family Lunch saw the kids eating together at Long Tables, bonding together over food served by staff, with the Sister Sledge classic "We Are Family" soundtracking proceedings.

The Singing & Dance Competition closed the day and was a belter. Chris Marshall was the first to volunteer, bravely singing on the microphone to earn points for this team and warming up the room. Brady Fischer was up next, singing The Rock's Moana tune "You're Welcome", and suddenly half the room was singing along to the chorus, and very loudly. Two groups of girls did, in turn, Taylor Swift's "You Belong With Me" and Miley Cyrus' "Party In The USA", and then Lily Wadley stirred things up with Motley Crue's 80s anthem "Girls, Girls, Girls". Staff were wide-eyed, realising something special was happening in the room, and we let it ride longer than planned. It culminated with a Dance challenge, and when Sophie Ellis Bexter's rejuvenated 2001 hit "Murder On The Dancefloor" kicked off, it took just a few bars before virtually every kid in the room was up and dancing. It was remarkable to see so many Year 9s let their inhibitions go in front of their peers so quickly, and it was one of the greatest scenes staff had seen in their careers.

TERM 1 INTRO DAY

TERM 1

LAKE WILLIAM HOVELL

CLC Excursion Season kicked off with a trip to Lake William Hovell in Week 2. An hour on the bus and then straight into an hour-long Bush Walk to Slater's Creek for a splash to cool down. Kids and staff walked and talked, with extraordinary and deep conversations occurring under the towering Gum Trees, and no phone reception. Brodie Stafford won the prize for finding the longest leaf on the walk, with his 62cm beast pipping his great mate Sam Morey at 59cm. CLC Family Lunch was again a healthy Chicken, Ham & Salad Wrap set-up prepped by Mrs WIlson and Mr Unwin.

Slack Line challenges, a brand new Sherrin footy and observations of nature kept the kids busy, and then in the afternoon we hit the lake's edge for the traditional Teamwork Challenge. The girl group of Georgia Hope, Jasmine Scott, London Sloan, Kyanna Payne, Emily McCullough and Lusila Solomua finished so swiftly that staff thought it may be an all-time record, and then for good measure, triumphed in the 2nd round too. A sterling first day out by a tremendous group.

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LAKE WILLIAM HOVELL

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LAKE WILLIAM HOVELL

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LAKE WILLIAM HOVELL

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LAKE WILLIAM HOVELL

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LAKE WILLIAM HOVELL

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LAKE WILLIAM HOVELL

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LAKE WILLIAM HOVELL

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LAKE WILLIAM HOVELL

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LAKE WILLIAM HOVELL

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BOUNCE TRAMPOLINING

After a morning Kahoot competition made up of personal facts shared by the kids, won by Brodie Stafford and Sam Morey from Miley Heenan, James Chisholm and Lily Wadley, it was off to the Bounce Trampolining complex in Wodonga. Cam Dalton was the standout on the tramps, backflipping with ease, and the athletic James Chisholm to nobody’s surprise was the most brilliant in the Slam Dunk Basketball area, pulling off 360/through-the-legs dunks smoothly.

The likes of Brodie Stafford, Sam Morey, Jim Shepherd, Brodie "Junior" Collier O-Keefe and Chris Marshall also nailing solid jams. The 38 kids were flawless in their behaviour among many families there with toddlers, and then shared a CLC Family Lunch of Pizza & Chips from the Bounce kitchen. Thank you to these Year 9s for your efforts so far. It's been a momentous start, by one of the best groups, at this stage, we have ever seen.

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BOUNCE TRAMPOLINING

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BOUNCE TRAMPOLINING

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BOUNCE TRAMPOLINING

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BOUNCE TRAMPOLINING

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INDOOR CLIMBING - ALBURY We headed Interstate for a DoubleHeader Excursion in Week 4. Granted one final favour by Chris the owner and longtime CLC supporter, we became the last ever group to climb at the Albury Indoor Climbing Centre. The ultimate exercise in Trust, Teamwork and Resilience, the group spent two hours challenging themselves. Remarkably, we had 4 climbers to conquer the infamous Double-Cliffhanger wall James Chisholm, Bradley McKenna, Sam Morey and Brodie Stafford. After a CLC Family Lunch in the beautiful Albury Botanical Gardens, the kids were tasked with hiking 80m uphill to the Albury War Memorial at the top of Monument Hill. Leg muscles were burning, a Blue-Tongue Lizard was spotted on the way, and then the view over Albury was the reward at the top. The kids spent some time reading the many plaques memorialising our Fallen Soldiers, and then back at school analysed the film clip of Redgum's song "I Was Only 19", before writing Thank You cards to their chosen soldier which were then placed on our own CLC War Memorial. It was an extremely powerful day by a tremendously impressive group of Year 9s. We reported a few weeks ago that this CLC cohort is one of the best we have ever seen. That assessment hasn't changed. Thank you to all the kids in the group. We look forward to further excursions next week - a Parkour training session, a CBD Scavenger Hunt, and a River Walk

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INDOOR CLIMBING - ALBURY

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INDOOR CLIMBING - ALBURY

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INDOOR CLIMBING - ALBURY

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INDOOR CLIMBING - ALBURY

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INDOOR CLIMBING - ALBURY

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ALBURY WAR MEMORIAL

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TEN PIN BOWLING + HUMAN FUSBALL Various team challenges dominated Week 5, after a morning spent watching a film clip of the Redgum song "I was Only 19" saw the students write a Thank You notes to a Fallen Soldier remembered from the previous week's trip to the Albury War Monument, which were then placed on our CLC War Memorial. The CLC classic Human Fusball took place at the Sport Centre, with two teams playing Soccer tied to strings like the table game, with team work and cooperation integral to success. The game was a corker, with Team Red coming out on top 7-6. Back at CLC Headquarters, the Mashmallow Tower Challenge was taken out by a 63cm structure built by Bianca Davies, Kaitlyn Gilliland, Juke Maher and Bradley McKenna. The brain-teasing Word Puzzle Comp was won by new student Ataahua Christie, Georgia Hope and Lily Wadley.

The Main Event though was the always popular Ten Pin Bowling excursion. In groups of 4, the kids played a competition round, forced outside their comfort zone and to be "on show". Brady Fischer looked like being the winner when finishing on a score of 117. However Abbey-Jane Watson reeled off multiple strikes to stampede to a dominant victory on 139. Minor places went to Brodie Coller-O'Keefe (88) and Sam Morey (84). We reported a few weeks ago that this CLC cohort is one of the best we have ever seen. That assessment hasn't changed. Thank you to all the kids in the group.

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TERM 1 HUMAN FUSBALL

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GUEST SPEAKERS + GOLF DRIVING RANGE We had 7 Guest Speakers visit in Week 7 to outline opportunities for volunteering at their organisation in Term 2. With a wide array of options, our Year 9s will get the chance to volunteer assisting Aged Care homes residents, Primary School students, the Mullinmur Billabong, cooking and fundraising for the Homeless and Vulnerable, fundraising for seriously and terminally ill children, and potentially more to come. Such was the level of respect shown by the group, that when the Guest Speakers ran overtime and took up half an hour of their lunchtime…there was not a single complaint from the kids. Big thank you also to our many CLC supporters kindly willing to host our kids every Wednesday next term: Carole Breust - Make A Wish Foundation Trudy Cornish - Wangaratta Carevan Di Duursma - Wangaratta Night Shelter Angie Higgins - Illoura Aged Care Tony Lane - Mullinmur Billabong Kristy Mullins - Wangaratta West Primary School Patti Stafford - Inner Wheel Anne - St John's Retirement Village

After an hour of NAPLAN, the afternoon Team Challenge was a foray to the Wangaratta Golf Club in Waldara. Local golfer Trevor Trimble volunteered his time to teach technique, and then the kids spent an hour crushing balls down the fairway. In what was to most a very unfamiliar skill, persistence was crucial, and many did so for the whole hour trying to master the challenge. Jim Sheppard, Cam Dalton and Brodie Stafford proved the standouts, threatening the 200m Sign regularly. Ataahua Christie presented Trevor a box of chocolates in a typical CLC display of Gratitude. CLC Kindness Box winners for the day were Bradley McKenna, Miley Heenan, London Sloan and Ataahua, who all were noticed doing something particularly kind. Bradley's act came when a man arrived to the Golf Club for a hit, only to find CLC students were using every tee. Bradley not only noticed, but approached the stranger and offered his space to the man. Wonderful stuffl. Ataahua has been a real standout since arriving at the school - picking up two Kindness Box awards in 2 days.

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GOLF DRIVING RANGE

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TERM 1 PARKOUR EXPERIENCE

Our Year 9 C.L.C (Community Leadership Challenge) cohort made an impact on many yesterday when out and about in the community. The action-lacked day kicked off with a Parkour lesson at the Apex Park Parkour complex taken by experts from Risky Kids Albury. The group learned and practiced various and technical Parkour skills such as vaulting and hanging, with a significant amount of Persistence on show, as many courageously pushed through uncertainty and fear to conquer challenges.

Miley Adamo, Cam Dalton, Bradley McKenna, Sam Morey, Juke Maher and Brodie Stafford were some of many singled out as being particularly adept. The instructors were so impressed with our kids that they were keen to book us in for further excursions. A young toddler at the park with her mum provided the highlight of the day however. She took an extreme liking to Ziva Anania, who was wonderful and kind to the youngster. When we left the park for another activity, the toddler followed our group looking for Ziva, and had to be called back by her mum. .

TERM 1 PARKOUR EXPERIENCE

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TERM 1 PARKOUR EXPERIENCE

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RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS Our Random Act Of Kindness took this special connection to another level. Lusila Solomua volunteered to be the one to deliver a bunch of flowers to a stranger in the park, and the mother of this toddler, who also had two other young kids with her, was the obvious deserving choice.

On cue, our waiting CLC group tore into a rapturous ovation which I believe came close to bringing the mother to tears. She gave us a Thank You and said that even before the flowers, she was planning to write to the school to express how impressed she was with our kids.

With our whole cohort of 30 kids discreetly in the shadows, we watched Lusila, flanked by her mates London Sloan, Kyanna Payne, Mia O'Brien, Sky Hall and Ziva, approach the mother and present here the flowers. The shocked mum got up from her seat and hugged every one of the girls, as did the toddler who lit up when seeing Ziva again.

It was another of many examples where we focus on Kindness in CLC. Students were reminded of The Resilience Project, who our Wangaratta West kids were lucky enough to have had work with them closely through their primary school years, and how when we do something kind for someone, our brain releases Oxytocin which makes us feel good. It was powerful to say the least.

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CBD SCAVENGER HUNT

While uptown, our kids also completed their traditional CBD Scavenger Hunt, where they are trusted in groups to scour the CBD to solve a list of clues. Afterward, they walked back to school along the Ovens River, taking in nature and having deep conversations with peers and staff.

A fun Kahoot testing the group on CLC concepts and experiences from this term was taken out by Juke Maher, with Abbey-Jane Watson 2nd, Normandy Suter 3rd and Mia O'Brien 4th.

Back at school, they chose their favourite options for Term 2's Volunteering Project, with a nice spread of names looking likely to head to Aged Care Homes, Primary Schools and various Volunteer Organisations around town every Wednesday.

Next week our kids conduct important Working Bees at some smaller regional primary schools, which will serve as their final preparation for their Volunteering.

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TERM 1 FIRST AID

A strong cohort of Year 9s in our flagship C.L.C (Community Leadership Challenge) program are finally ready to begin their 8 weeks of a Community Volunteering Project beginning next Wednesday. They completed a comprehensive day of First Aid Training, and are now equipped with skills they may need to call on when out and about - with a particular focus on the DRSABCD protocol, CPR, Anaphylaxis and Asthma.

A big thank you goes out to special guest Paramedic Helen Narayan, a supporter of the C.L.C program for many years, who volunteered her time to run the session. Her personal stories of incidents across her career were unforgettable.

TERM 1

RURAL WORKING BEES

On the final Wednesday of Term 1, the kids spent a day conducting Working Bees at two rural Primary Schools. With half the cohort at Carraragarmungee Primary and the other at Everton Primary, it was great practice for their actual projects, with a heavy focus on C.L.C concepts such as Empathy, Community, Connection, Philanthropy and Trust. At Carraragarmungee, the kids were tasked with spreading mountains of bark chip mulch around garden beds and their Chook Shed, and completely transformed the campus in a matter of hours. It was a job the school had long been wanting to complete, yet hadn't had the required muscle. Some all-time great C.L.C moments were produced during Lunchtime, when the 30-odd Carra students came outside to mix with ours.

There was a giant Volleyball match played (with Lusila Solomua controlling and organising teams), a Soccer match, a Dance Off, plus a BBQ and Easter Egg Hunt prepared by our kids. Principal Marie De Prada and her staff all commented at how kind and helpful our kids were, and expressed a desire to have them back. Similar scenes at Everton, with our kids working in the garden, helping in classrooms, and organising their Sport Shed, with Principal Kevin Hill also impressed and keen to have them back. Thank you again to Marie, Kevin and their staff for hosting us, and our kids who have continued to prove themselves one of the best C.L.C groups we have ever seen.

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CARRARAGURMINGEE PS WORKING BEE

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EVERTON PS WORKING BEE

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EVERTON PS WORKING BEE

TERM 2 VOLUNTEERING - WEEK 1

Our Year 9 C.L.C (Community Leadership Challenge) cohort kicked off their 8-week long Volunteering Project in Week 1 of Term 2 with a significant bang. At Wangaratta West Primary School, we had 11 kids across 3 groups in the thick of the action, a number of them ex-Wang Westers loving catching up with their old teachers. Our Grounds Crew (Jensen Ackerley, Brodie Barnard, Rylee Duke-Sutton, Ned James, Bradley McKenna and Sam Morey) were tremendous labouring in the yard. Tasked with cleaning up weeds along the Donald Street fenceline which makes up the parent Drop-Off and Pick-Up zone, they went well above the call of duty, climbing under and over fences to get to large areas of untended areas, making a significant difference to that side of the campus. They also made a large effort to clean soil and debris from the Science Area outdoor drains, again going above and beyond what was expected. Wonderful stuff. The P.E Clinic crew (Brady Fischer, Kyanna Payne and London Sloan) took two successive classes of Grade 2s through a range of Throwing & Catching drills and games, working with P.E Teacher Demi Walker. They did a tremendous job, as did Classroom Helpers Miley Adamo and Nikita Knox who assisted in Grade Prep, 3 and 4 classes across the day. Thank you to Wangaratta West PS Principal Kristy Mullins and her teachers for again going above and beyond to accomodate such a large number of our kids each week, and being C.L.C's biggest supporter every year and for such a long time.

Outstanding efforts also came in from the Inner Wheel group (James Chisholm, Delilah Crispo, Brooklyn Gardner, Chris Marshall and Brodie Stafford) who spent the day at The Centre, and cooked a staggering 72 meals for The Care Van to distribute to Wangaratta's Homeless and vulnerable. An extremely special highlight was Brodie cooking with his legendary grandmother Patti Stafford. Our Wangaratta Night Shelter group (Georgia Hope, Miley Heenan, Jasmine Scott and Normandy Suter) did a power of work working with Di Duursma out at their Storage Sheds, packing together multiple Sleeping Boxes for our Homeless, containing vital sleeping equipment such as blankets, sheets, pillows and mattresses. Students also assisted at the two nearby Aged Care Homes, St John's and Illoura (Ataahua Christie, Billy Harwood, Seamus McCarthy, Emily McCullough, Mia O'Brien and Ruby Stevens), returning to school buzzing when sharing stories about their day. Thanks to all of our C.L.C kids for their important contributions today in "giving back" to their community and showing Empathy & Kindness to others. Big thank you as always to all of our generous hosts for taking our kids on board over the next 8 weeks.

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The Year 9s in our C.L.C (Community Leadership Challenge) program continued to make a big impact giving back to the community yesterday, their 2nd week of an 8-week long Volunteering Project. Our Wangaratta Night Shelter group (Miley Heenan, Georgia Hope, Jasmina Scott and Normie Suter) approached local businesses to assist them in their task of putting together "Care Bags" for our Homeless and vulnerable. They were extremely thankful for the donation of goods from Edgars Newsagency (bags) and Work Locker (beanies and gloves) to put in the important packs. The girls have also arranged with Coles to run a fundraiser BBQ next Wednesday. The three Wangaratta West Primary School groups did a sterling job again. The "P.E Helpers" (Brady Fischer, Kyanna Payne and London Sloan) had their students cheering when seeing them enter their classes, and classroom teachers were impressed with the "Classroom Helpers" (Miley Adamo, Aarnav Kalia and Nikita Knox) who were in Grade 3 and Prep rooms.

Our 7-strong "Grounds Crew" worked hard on shovels and wheelbarrows, spreading a truckload of fresh sand across the two monstrous Junior Sand Pits (delighting every junior student that walked past), and another load of bark chips across garden beds. We couldn't speak higher of the efforts of the boys so far (Jensen Ackerly, Brodie Barnard, Rylee Duke-Sutton, Ned James, Bradley McKenna, Sam Morey and Jim Shepherd). The Inner Wheel crew spent the day cooking again, this time based in the W.H.S Cooking Rooms, working with Patti Stafford, producing giant tubs of Chocolate Desserts, and the two Aged Care Home groups (St. John’s and Illoura) again returned to school glowing after spending the day assisting the elderly. Thanks again to our kids, our generous hosts, and those businesses kindly donating to our kids for making it all happen.

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VOLUNTEERING - WEEK 3

Kudos again to the current cohort of Year 9s in our flagship C.L.C (Community Leadership Challenge) program, who have today completed their 3rd week of their 8-week Volunteering Project. Our Wangaratta Night Shelter girls broke the all-time C.L.C Coles Community BBQ record today (as Mrs Wilson believes), selling over 80 sausages and earning $220. With many shoppers aware of the funds going toward the Sleep Rough bags provided to the town's Homeless community, many apparently donated cash even without taking a snag. One of those was a past C.L.C student who wanted to "give back" to the program which taught her to do exactly that. Our Inner Wheel group were back at The Centre in the CBD working with Patti Stafford, and worked diligently in cooking almost 40 meals for the Care Van, which will then feed the Homeless community. Chris Marshall stood out on one occasion, offering to wash the dishes even after they had been given a break. He earned a C.L.C Kindness Box prize at the end of the day in our weekly C.L.C Celebration Circle.

At Wangaratta West Primary School, our 3 groups again impressed. The 9-strong "Grounds Crew" further transformed the central courtyard garden beds with mulch and muscle, then spruced up the important Out of Hours School Care area, weeding and sweeping, and Ned James and Sam Morey even getting on the whipper-snipper. P.E Teacher Demi Walker continues to be impressed with her three "P.E Clinic Takers", and the three "Classroom Helpers" are in full swing, being trusted to go direct to and from their classrooms, as well as walk toand-from the school. The boys assisting at the Illoura Residential Aged Care had significant interactions with the elderly residents, this week helping them with games such as Carpet Bowls, and the St John's girls completed some important jobs despite part of the home being locked down. Thank you again to our C.L.C kids for their contributions, and as always our very generous hosts for taking in our kids each Wednesday.

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TERM 2 VOLUNTEERING - WEEK 4

It was a significant fortnight in our flagship Year 9 C.L.C (Community Leadership Program), for Weeks 4 and 5 of their Volunteering Project. Our Inner Wheel group (James Chisholm, Cam Dalton, Bianca Davies, Brooklyn Gardner, Kaitlyn Gilliland, Chris Marshall, Brodie Stafford and Abbey-Jane Watson), cooked 118 Chow Mein meals for The Care Van to provide Wangaratta's burgeoning Homeless & Vulnerable community. Cooking with Patti Stafford and her team at The Centre, the group have been fantastic. A huge highlight this week involved our kids at Illoura Aged Care providing to the elderly residents Hair Curling (Ataahua Christie and Emily McCullough) and manicures (Mia O'Brien). Illoura staff report the ladies love the weekly visits from our kids, and that one resident in fact doesn't allow anybody to touch her hair, other than our girls. The look on the face of that lady smiling in the photo attached here, encapsulates the C.L.C program. Our group working with the Wangaratta Night Shelter (Delilah Crispo, Georgia Hope, Jasmina Scott and Normandy Suter), have put together dozens of Rough Sleeper Bags for the homeless, containing toiletries, winter socks & beanies. donated by local businesses

he girls also managed to secure a donated First Aid Kid from Stitches First Aid for the Night Shelter, and had a powerful & emotional meeting with some formerly homeless. At Wangaratta West Primary School, the work of our "Grounds Crew" (Jensen Ackerley, Brodie Barnard, Rylee DukeSutton, Ned James, Juke Maher, Bradley McKenna, Sam Morey and Jim Shepherd) has been noticed and highlighted by numerous staff. Lately, a key job has been blowing their 3 new Sport Courts and pathways, clearing them of the weekly caking of fallen leaves from the nearby Maple trees. Meanwhile the "P.E Assistants" and "Classroom Helpers" are impressing each week. School Leadership is delighted with our contribution. The kids have one more week left, before they prepare their Final Presentation on C.L.C Presentation Day, where they present their significant achievements to Year 7 and 8s in the PAC on June 12th. Thanks again to our C.L.C kids and our wonderful community hosts, whose tight ongoing relationship with C.L.C is important and treasured.

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TERM 2 VOLUNTEERING - WEEK 5

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TERM 2 PRESENTATION DAY

It was a fitting finale to the semester for an outstanding cohort of Year 9s in our C.L.C (Community Leadership Challenge) program, as they presented their achievements to an audience of 250 in the school's Performing Arts Centre at our C.L.C Presentation Ceremony. After a Lunchtime Sausage Sizzle cooked outside the PAC by our Inner Wheel group as one final fundraiser, Principal Dave Armstrong kicked off official proceedings with a rousing speech about the importance of C.L.C and being a good community member, and then C.L.C Year 9s Emily McCullough and Abbey-Jane Watson ran the event from the lectern as emcees and did a sterling job.

Seven C.L.C groups then took turns at the lectern, with detailed Powerpoin tpresentations behind them on the new state-of-the-art AV Screens, and spoke of their successes and challenges across their 7-week long Volunteering Projects. For many, it was their first experience of Public Speaking, but the cohort handled it admirably, in front an audience of their peers (all Year 7 and 8 students), staff, family members, and many of our Community Group members that hosted our kids each Wednesday.

TERM 2 PRESENTATION DAY

Patti Stafford, volunteer at Inner Wheel spoke about how impressed she was with the ten Year 9s that cooked over 270 meals with her and her team at The Centre for The Care Van, who provide free meals to the Homeless. She and her team presented each of the group certificates on stage. One of those was her grandson Brodie Stafford, which was particularly powerful. Our kids also presented Patti with a framed photograph of herself and her grandson, which was an emotional moment. If that wasn't the highlight of the day, then Mia O'Brien's great grandmother coming along to support her great granddaughter was. Thank you to the many parents and family members who were there to support their children. Other groups spoke of their work at Wangaratta West Primary School, the Wangaratta Night Shelter, and the two aged care homes in St John's and Illoura. The event concluded with a Slide Show displaying photos backed with Ben Lee's hit "We're All In This Together", with much of the audience clapping and singing along. The audience of Year 7 and 8s were commended for being extremely respectful. Congratulations and thank you to our C.L.C students who were brilliant all semester - in fact one of the best groups we have ever seen come through. We are proud of you.

Thank you as always to our community organisations that hosted our kids each Wednesday - Illoura & North East Health, Respect St John's, Inner Wheel, Care Van, Wangaratta Night Shelter & Zac's Place, and Wangaratta West Primary School. Many of these people have supported C.L.C for many many years, and we couldn't run the program without them. Thank you to the many local businesses that donated to our kids - Edgars Books & News, Work Locker, Coles, Big W, Woolworths, and Stitches First Aid. Finally a big thank you to our C.L.C staff in Michelle Wilson and Dale Unwin. Michelle has been running the C.L.C program for 14 years, since it began at our campus in 2010 (after an earlier version of it ran for 3 years at the TAFE campus and managed by current parent Dave Gilson). Michelle, the now-retired Andy McLean, as well as Donna Lane (also retired) and current Vice Principal John Paola were the architects of the current version of the program which continues to be loved by all Year 9s that come through. We look forward to meeting our Semester 2 cohort of Year 9s shortly. Thank you to parent and former-teacher Kev McGennan for taking the great photos of the Presentation.

TERM 2 PRESENTATION DAY

TERM 2 THANK YOU

TERM 3

WEEK 1 - FLYING FRUIT FLY CIRCUS Our flagship Year 9 C.L.C (Community Leadership Challenge) program welcomed our Semester Two cohort, with two big trips kicking off the much-loved Excursion Season. Wednesday 17th July took them for the 1st time ever to the Flying Fruit Fly Circus in Albury, where the expert Circus instructors pushed our kids well outside their Comfort Zones, taking them through lessons in Trapeze Swinging, Aerials, High Ropes, Trampolining, Foam Pit Tricks, Juggling and much more. Rosie Bulmer was the standout, showing off some of the incredible moves she has picked up during her time attending the facility through her childhood, at one stage hanging upside down from 3-4m off the ground. Isaac Whittingham also impressed on the giant trampolines, as did Cheyenne Stow on the trapeze bars.

After a C.LC Family Lunch at the Albury Botanical Gardens, provided and served by C.L.C staff as always (with Newmo welcomed back to the team!), they then hiked up to the War Memorial at the top of Monument Hill, an 80m climb over a distance of 550m which sizzled the quadriceps of even the fittest in the group, with everyone asked to push through the pain barrier and show Resilience. At the top, students spent time admiring the view over Albury, and importantly, when perusing the memorial plaques honouring the many Fallen Soldiers, were prompted to consider the concepts of Gratitude and Empathy.

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WEEK 2 - LAKE WILLIAM HOVELL On Wednesday 24th July it was a day of getting among nature at Lake William Hovell. An hour-long group hike to Slater’s' Creek had the kids walking side-by-side and sharing deep and meaningful conversations, while admiring the forest and lake views, soaking in the tranquility of the quiet, and appreciating life without Wi-Fi connection

Another C.L.C Family Lunch was served up, and two fires were lit over which everyone cooked their own Damper before glazing them with syrup and googling them up for dessert.

The traditional Longest Leaf competition was again hotly contested, and ended in the 1st drawn result in C.L.C history - Lillian Hooper and Olivia Wallace sharing the chocolates, with Bode Crawford 3rd and Cheyenne Stow also winning a prize for the "largest collection".

The Oreo Challenge was also hilarious, and both trips were capped off with Kindness Box nominations being drawn from the box, with Milly O'Kane one that secured multiples prizes for her help with loading gear onto buses for staff.

The Slack Line Challenge brought plenty of Balance Struggles and laughter, with two victors eventually announced - Archer Wilson and Cheyenne Stow, with Dylan McCombe and Isaac Whiittingham singing through with their Persistence.

Thank you to the cohort for your efforts and participation so far. You've made a tremendous start to your C.L.C journey.

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WEEK 3 - BOUNCE TRAMPOLINING In Week 3, the ever-popular trip to Bounce Trampoline Park in Wodonga was a winner again.

Cheyenne Stow stood out once again, this time for her incredible persistence and eventual execution of a series of 4 backflips in a row.

Some displayed impressive backflipping on the tramps including Coen Coppinger, Jedda Driscoll, Milly O'Kane and Jay Atkinson-Reiffel. The kings of the Slam Dunk section were Lionel Huggins and Kayden Vozlic.

As is often the case, a large highlight was a number of our kids being noticed engaging in a kind way with the multiple toddlers and parents at the venue, particularly Alana Young, Cadence Buchan-Gidley, Stella Danks and Leticia Williams.

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TERM 3 WEEK 4 : PARKOUR

The Year 9s in our C.L.C (Community Leadership Challenge) program continued with adventures in Week 4 as Excursion Season continued, pushing them outside their comfort zones in readiness for Term 4's weekly Wednesday Volunteering.

Week 4 consisted of an Apex Park Parkour session with experts from Risky Kids Albury, withmost challenged physically and mentally on various obstacles and especially, a fear of heights conquered by many. Our traditional CBD Scavenger Hunt, the first real exercise of Trust, saw groups independently scouring the city streets looking for clues.

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WEEK 5 - HUMAN FUSBAL

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RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS

Random Acts Of Kindness, focusing on Empathy and Kindness, have been a feature in our Wangaratta excursions, with our kids presenting bouquets of flowers and a handwritten card to strangers in the park, Amelia Harding and Lillian Wilson selected their first recipient in Apex Park. Lucy Armstrong, Erin Collins, Lillian Hooper and Angela Keenan got their chance this week at King George Gardens. Recipients of the flowers were, as is often the case, either wiping away or fighting back tears.

Our Kindness Box draw still concludes each day, where those noticed doing something kind for others get nominated and then drawn out of the box for prizes. Our daily C.L.C Family Lunch remains a pivotal part of the day with tasty delicacies provided weekly, often with the kids handling the preparing, cooking , serving and cleaning up duties independently.

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WEEK 7 - WALDARA GOLF CLUB DRIVING RANGE It was another big Wednesday in Week 7 in our Year 9 C.L.C (Community Leadership Challenge) program. Thank you Wangaratta Golf Club for hosting our group at your Driving Range, and Trevor Trimble who again volunteered his time to teach the art of hitting a golf ball and draining putts. Skills unfamiliar to many, it was a great challenge both mentally and physically, with most persisting for over an hour. Yarran Stanley had the best swing technique (exquisite) and striking in the group, with Coen Coppinger, Cooper Lack, Dylan McCombe and Cas Turk others to crush some nice long and straight drives, while Lillian Hooper stepped up and smoothly hit her 1st two golf shots ever, as clean as whistle and with a beautiful technique, showing unreal natural talent as she does in all things.

Thanks also to Todd Bird from Peak Sports Physiotherapy Wangaratta and Benalla for giving an hour-long presentation on the latest research in dangers, symptoms and treatment of Concussion, to both the C.L.C group and Year 11 Physical Education class. Thanks to our Head Of P.E Zelda Yeates for organising this timely and important talk. The C.L.C group have now completed their First Aid Training, and after an upcoming Working Bee at Carraragarmungee Primary School which was a roaring success in Term 2, they will be let loose across the community, Volunteering and "giving back" every Wednesday in Term 4 at 8 important organisations around Wangaratta,

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WEEK 7 - WALDARA GOLF CLUB DRIVING RANGE

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WEEK 8 - RURAL WORKING BEES 30+ Year 9s in our C.L.C (Community Leadership Challenge) program spent yesterday at Carraragarmungee Primary School and Everton Primary School, for the 2nd time this year. Our Year 9s did a superb job “giving back” - completing Working Bee jobs around the grounds, cooking a BBQ lunch for the youngsters, organising games and generally being “Big Buddies” for the day. At Carraragarmungee P.S, our crew spread truckloads of gravel and bark chips around the yard, creating much improved walking areas and garden beds in high traffic areas, which made a huge difference. They were so committed, that when morning Recess came, we noticed a number of them (Milly O'Kane, Casey Sheppard, Jedda Driscoll and Archer Wilson) "continuing" through the break when they didn't need to. Erin Collins was a standout, taking charge of the "Lunchtime Games", and instructing over a dozen juniors. She also taught 3 tiny girls how to make a Daisy Chain, and then those girls made her one which she wore around the rest of the day.

Milly O'Kane and Jedda Driscoll took charge of the BBQ without being prompted, cooking and serving up almost 100 sausages to the entire school, along with Casey Sheppard and Lily Byrne. Milly and Jedda then handled all of the clean up of the BBQ plate afterward. There is always certain C.L.C students that the youngsters gravitate to, and at Carra it was Harrison Kelly, who was swarmed and followed by a posse of the senior boys. Cooper Lack struck up a relationship with a young boy who in the afternoon Circle Reflection, cited "making friends with Cooper" as his highlight of the day. Everywhere we looked there were heartwarming scenes and smiling faces from both cohorts. Our kids even sang along with, complete with actions, an Auslan song at the end of the day. It was something else. At Everton P.S, it was Indi Elliott who shone in the "Games" department, taking control and organising her own games for their kids. Amelia Harding also was highlighted for working like a Trojan. Thanks to our kids, and the wonderful staff & students at both schools. We can’t wait to visit again in 2025 to continue this rewarding partnership.

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