CLC 2023 A celebration of our Year 9 Community Leadership Challenge

CLC 2023 A Celebration Of This Year’s Community Leadership Challenge

WHAT IS CLC?

For those unaware, the CLC (Community Leadership Challenge) is a semester-long program which all Year 9 students go through.

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.

We look for it to be a win-win scenario, with both our students and the community group benefitting.

At the many local primary schools for example, we have students assisting in classrooms. Our students love their time in the rooms, interacting with the young students, developing all sorts of skills such as communication skills, organisation, being a valuable team member. On the other hand, staff are delighted having extra help in the room, and the little students often remember the Year 9s forever.

At local Aged Care Homes, again our students come away enriched with skills and memories that remain long after they leave high school, and the residents cherish their visits from the teenagers.

Our students have volunteered and contributed remarkable things over the years, and we are extremely thankful to the many groups who have supported, and still are supporting our program.

We believe the program 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 CLC in 2023.

Jud Mullins CLC Coordinator

TERM 1 LAKE WILLIAM HOVELL Excursion Season is in full flight at the popular Year 9 CLC, with our 60 Semester 1 students having just completed 3 epic day trips to kick off their program, focusing on the key concepts of Gratitude, Empathy, Resilience, Trust, Mindfulness, Philanthropy, Community and Connection.

Lake William Hovell proved an ideal first destination on February 8th. Isolated in nature with no phone reception, social connection and mindfulness were the focus of the morning which involved a Bush Walk on which terrific conversations soundtracked the way to the Slaters Creek crossing, where a number of students took the opportunity to splash their feet in the crystal-clear water. Amarina Huggins, flanked by her crew Hannah Dods, Naomi Roberts and Bethany Tanner, won prizes for the Longest Leaf discovered, her 69cm monstrosity pipping an unlucky Mikylle Grainger by 5mm.

CLC Family Lunch, prepared by Mrs Newman, Mrs Wilson and Mr Manning, comprising of salad sandwiches and wraps, was provided to the kids as it is every week, enabling them to socialise and bond over food, a vital cog of the program. It was great to see many kids volunteer to assist serving and loading equipment on and off the bus.

Challenge and teamwork were the order of the afternoon session, with a Slack-Line challenge being dominated by Harry Hyland and Skelly Manning, and teams competing in a Pipe Filling relay, running to fill up buckets of water from the lake, and filling it as quick as possible helped by group members plugging holes with their fingers.

Round 1 was taken out by Jack Berry, Osten Hasson, Robert Masters, Clara Rocchicciolo, Cam Sgarioto, and Abbey-Rose Turner, while the Round 2 victors were Trey Dale, Ollie Fox, Maddison Kelly, Will King, Ella Lewis, Jamie Matthews, and Merin Sessions. An outstanding first trip.

TERM 1 LAKE WILLIAM HOVELL

TERM 1 LAKE WILLIAM HOVELL

TERM 1 LAKE WILLIAM HOVELL

TERM 1 INDOOR CLIMBING, ALBURY

We toured interstate to Albury on February 15th, for a double-header involving Indoor Climbing and an uphill hike to the Albury War Memorial atop Monument Hill. CLC staff witnessed the best climbing they had seen in CLC history, with Skelly Manning, Oscar Benson and Harry Hyland all able to conquer the most difficult Double-Ledge Cliff Hanger wall, a wall only rarely beaten.

Skelly then went went at it again, mesmerising onlookers by conquering it twice in the space of half an hour. Climbing staff also made comment of the outstanding manners shown by our kids, after many of them approached to shake hands and give thanks for the session.

CLC Family Lunch was again salad sandwiches & wraps, this time in the beautiful Albury Botanical Gardens, followed by a walk up to the peak of Monument Hill.

The kids got quite a shock at the steep incline, with most having to stop for a breather. Merlin Tzaros, when asked, quietly admitted to staff that he runs it in a time of 1 minute 20 seconds.

At the monument, students were tasked with remembering the name and details of one Fallen Soldier from the memorial, and back at school, they wrote a thank you message to their soldier. Many of the kids went quite deep, writing detailed messages, showing significant empathy for those fallen. Another highlight was the students giving our bus driver a rousing clap and thank you as we pulled into school, followed by the driver announcing to them that they were probably the best CLC group he had ever driven. Wonderful stuff.

TERM 1

INDOOR CLIMBING

TERM 1 HIKE UP MONUMENT HILL

TERM 1 BOUNCE TRAMPOLINING, WODONGA Bounce Trampolining in Wodonga was our venue on February 22nd. For 2 full hours, our 55 CLC kids bounced non-stop. The Slam Dunk rings were dominated by the likes of Ruari Adamo with his Tomahawk dunks, Hayden Cornhill, Cooper Hardman, Will Simpson and Sam Cutler. CLC staff, for the 2nd week in a row, rated the participation and skill level the best they had seen in CLC history, with all kinds of flipping and twisting happening over various mats, and speed racing happening on the climbing walls. Levi Zachariou was brilliant on the trampoline with his trademark back/forward flip routine, Ava Byrne was putting together flip sequences like a gymnast, and Skelly Manning again shone with various feats and spins.

Best of all though, was a parent in attendance, who had a newborn girl strapped to her chest and so couldn’t take her 6-year old on the High-Climb Obstacle Course. The mum approached us to highlight how impressed she was that one of our girls, Abbey-Rose Turner, had noticed her 6-year old wanting to have a go, and took her up herself. What an outstanding example of everything we’re trying to instil in CLC. We thank all of the CLC students for the exemplary way in which they have begun the program, and we look forward to great things in the next few weeks which will include First Aid Training and further excursions.

Special mention to the recently-retired CLC legend Donna Lane, who was a lynchpin of the program for many years including last year.

Thanks Donna for everything you did for the program, and the kindness you modelled for so many kids that came through.

We also welcome Nathan Manning to the CLC team and family, who has quickly proven an excellent fit for the program.

TERM 1 BOUNCE TRAMPOLINING

TERM 1 FIRST AID & CPR TRAINING

Our Year 9 CLC cohort has gone from strength to strength over a triumphant Weeks 5, 6 and 7 focusing on Empathy, Trust, Teamwork and Community.

First Aid & CPR Training was provided on March 1st by paramedic and long-time CLC supporter Helen Narayan. Helen took the kids through the principles of DRSABC, narrating each topic with true and sometimes horrific tales from her career that had the ears of our kids pinned to the back wall. Critical skills specific to snake bites and anaphylaxis were also demonstrated, with Osten Hasson volunteering his arm to be bandaged in front of an audience.

Then out came the Crash Test Dummies, with which all 60 kids had to practice and demonstrate their CPR technique, encouraged and clapped on by their teammates. An extremely informative and rewarding morning which will be topped off by each student being presented with a First Aid Certificate later this term.

Human Foosball was the icing on the cake of that day, with the 55 kids split into two teams in the Sport Centre, tied by Velcro belts onto string spanning the width of the stadium, matching the rod format of a Table Soccer table. Masterminded by CLC legend Andy McLean to encourage teamwork, it is something to witness. Team Yellow emerged victorious, coming from behind and storming to a 7-2 win.

TERM 1

FIRST AID & FUSBALL

TERM 1 TEN PIN BOWLING & SCAVENGER HUNT Two Wangaratta mini-excursions have also been a hit in Weeks 6 and 7. Ten Pin Bowling on March 8th saw students teamed into groups of 5, with many experiencing the unique sport for the first time in their lives. Designed to put students out of their comfort zone and “on show” with their peers watching them, it is always one of the CLC highlights, with the disco lights and music blaing, and the kids laughing and celebrating with each other for the best part of an hour.

The battle for the Top Score was an epic one, with Naomi Roberts bursting out to an early lead with 121 points and hold off the likes of Harry Hyland (114), Cam Sgarioto (99), Will Simpson (97), Sam Cutler (93), Skelly Manning (93), Fred Lowe (89), Zoi Miliankos-King (87), Will King (84) and Holly Hadley (82). However it was Cooper Hardman who barnstormed home late, with a mammoth total of 142. ll.

Our Main Street Scavenger Hunt took place on March 15th, the 1st occasion our students have been let loose in the community semiindependently. With CLC staff stationed at the 4 corners of the 2 main blocks of the Wangaratta CBD loosely supervising, the kids roam in small groups hunting down 15 items listed, where they prove they can be trusted out in the community in Term 2.

The champion team was that of Bethany Tanner, Hannah Dods, Amarina Huggins and Naomi Roberts, followed by the duo of Julian Cox and Cam Sgarioto, with 3rd place being Karlesha Dieckmann, Taylor Ryan and Noah Gambrell.

TERM 1 RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS Both excursions were capped off by our traditional CLC Random Acts Of Kindness where our students approach a random stranger in King George Gardens and give them a bouquet of flowers. First, it was Abby James, Bailey Tanner, Abbey-Rose Turner and Cam Sgarioto’s turn, who found, amazingly, a 6-yearold Chinese girl who had just moved to Wangaratta from China, playing the violin through a mini-amplifier to her violin-teacher over Facetime in China. Her mother was delighted.

A week later Noah Hansen, Sam Cutler, Taylor Ryan, Karlesha Dieckmann and Abbey-Rose Turner got their turn, brightening the day of an elderly lady who had just sat down with her husband, both with an armful of groceries, waiting for the town bus to pick them up.

They were huge moments as the rest of the 50 CLC kids watched on, cheered, and were reminded of how being kind to others is one of the best natural ways to lift your own mood.

Further turning the screws on the critical CLC component of Kindness, the CLC Kindness Box was recently introduced, which students fill throughout the day nominating people they have seen do something kind. From the box at the end of each day, Mrs Newman draws 3 cards randomly, and both the nominee, and nominator, roll a dice for a prize. Thanks to Mrs Wilson’s son Darcy, who gave us this idea from the Alex Rance Football Academy.

TERM 1 GUEST SPEAKERS VISIT Various Community Contacts visited on the mornings of March 8th and 15th, presenting to the kids the volunteering opportunities they have to offer in Term 2. Nathan Willoughby from Iloura Aged Care, and then Carolyn Taylor from St John’s Aged Care, both long time CLC supporters, were the first cabs off the rank, both speaking so passionately about how much their elderly residents love visits from the younger generations that CLC staff felt like putting their own hands up to do the same.

Wang West Primary School Principal Kristy Mullins confused our many ex-Wang Westers with her new name, and spoke about the 3 options available there, from the outdoors-andhands-on “Grounds Crew”, to the P.E Class Assistants, to the Classroom Helpers, which could potentially accommodate a total of approximately 20 of our kids. We are extremely grateful to Kristy and the 8 classroom teachers who have put up their hand keen to host our students.

Another long-time CLC supporter in Di Duursma from the Wangaratta Night Shelter spoke about the many ways in which our kids can be part of the “Compassions Revolution” and help our “homeless, lonely and heartbroken” citizens, something she has been doing for 20 years. Her stories about how some of the people in town have ended up homeless struck a chord with many, including, again, CLC staff.

Along a similar vein, David Still from Anglicare presented another terrific option which will include helping pack up and deliver food and housing necessities to people in need with the organisation Loaves & Fishes. We thank David for coming on board at short notice after we contacted him after seeing a recent article in The Chronicle calling out for volunteers.

It’s worth mentioning too that more than one of our guest speakers mentioned the audience was the best CLC cohort they had spoken to, in regards to their listening, respect and engagement. Very powerful stuff, and we thank the CLC kids for a wonderful term so far.

STEVIE J INSPIRES Geelong AFL Legend Gives Back To His Old School Our CLC group has had a telling fortnight of inspiration and team building.

AFL legend and arguably the greatest sporting product in Wangaratta High School’s 114 year history, Steve Johnson, visited on March 22nd.

Widely regarded one of the most freakishlytalented, big-game AFL players of all time, “Stevie J” boasts a CV that stacks up with the legends of footy (3x Premierships, 3x All Australian, Norm Smith Medallist, 2x Club Leading Goalkicker, 293 matches, 516 goals).

CLC staff showed one of his highlight reels first, before detailing the beginning of his journey by unearthing rare footage of him playing for the Tigers in an Under 17 grand final as a skinny 15 year old, including 3 goals in the signature style he later became famous for. Students were mesmerised also at the fact that in the 6 years he attended here, his School Footy team won the State Title 3 times (Year 7, 9 and 10).

.In the context of CLC, it was Stevie’s stories of Resilience which hit home. First, how he was overlooked by Murray Bushrangers selectors as a 14 and 15 year old, did extra running, then returned 2 years later to Bushrangers trials and won their Beep Test with a score of 15.2, and weeks later being selected in the Under 18 AllAustralian squad.

Then, once in the AFL system, more obstacles to overcome. First, breaking his ankles at a party so horrifically that doctors thought he’d never run again, let alone play football. Then, banished from the club (Geelong) for 7 weeks for disciplinary reasons, and just months later winning the Norm Smith Medal for the best player in the Grand Final as they won Geelong’s 1st Premiership in 43 years.

STEVIE J INSPIRES Geelong AFL Legend Gives Back To His Old School Another telling story was when in 2011 he got a 6-week knee injury week before the Grand Final, could hardly walk the morning of the Grand Final, yet courageously played on the big day, kicked 4 goals and could have easily been awarded the Best On Ground medal again, in their 3rd premiership.

Stevie telling of these stories and how he bounced back to become the legend he became, is something CLC kids should never forget.

Thanks mate for coming in, being so generous with your time, obliging the many kids who wanted your photo, and for in your own words, “giving back.”

TERM 1 TEAM BUILDING

Mrs Wilson showed the group a video on the African theme of Ubuntu, which translates to “I am, Because We Are”.

Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers used it to drive the Celtics to the NBA Title in 2008, and we hope our kids reflect on this as they form teams for their Volunteering Project in Term 2.

After another weekly CLC Family Lunch, great man Tony Lane visited and spoke about the project on offer at the Mullinmur Billabong, which will involve creating animal nesting boxes, counting fish populations and other work around the local river.

Mr Manning ran an epic session on Team Building. Randomly selected grouping forced the kids out of the comfort zone, and each team was tasked with constructing the tallest tower from just 7 pieces of newspaper and paper clips in 15 minutes, with prizes on offer.

The champion team was Karlesha Dieckmann, Jack Ford, Emma Jory, Jamie Matthews, Clara Rochiccioli, Elliott Rowles and Will Simpson, with a height of 160cm. Runners up were Georgia Meggs, Zoi Miliankos-King and Merlin Tzaros at 140cm. Bronze was claimed with a tower of 136cm, by Oscar Benson, Noah Gambrell, Osten Hasson, Sienna Maguire and Jada Ryan.

TERM 1 RESILIENCE CHALLENGE The day was rounded out with a Resilience challenge, where students attempted the Stick Bomb Challenge which is always one that many can’t master. Following a detailed YouTube tutorial, and with kids spread across the room on the carpet, the challenge was on. Some struggled and gave up early, others handled it quickly, and best of all, many others persisted and eventually succeeded.

Standouts who won prizes for their effort & skill Bethany Tanner, Hannah Dods and Amarina Huggins, Skelly Manning, Cam Sgarioto, Clara Rochiccioli, Elliott Rowles, Jada Ryan, Georgia Meggs, Ava Byrne, Zoi Miliankops-King and Karlesha Dieckmann. Overall staff noticed it was once of the best efforts they had seen by a CLC group.

It was time for the kids to choose their projects on March 29th, and they enthusiastically added their names to the 10 possible options, ranking their preferred 3. There was an excellent spread, with most able to get their 1st preference, Each group then wrote a proposal to stake their claim to CLC staff, and then once confirmed, went old school in writing a handwritten letter to their Community Contact.

Mrs Wilson made a presentation on The Kindness Factory, and the inspirational story of its founder Kath Koeshchel. The kids were floored by her story and the kindness she continued to show people through her, including offering a lift home from the courthouse to the drunk driver that hit her.

TERM 1 KINDNESS FACTORY Kindness was again the focus after our CLC Family Lunch, when the whole room became involved in the creation of two Random Acts Of Kindness items. One was an Easter Egg Basket which they will present to a Myrrhee Primary School student next week.

The Myrrhee kids will use their basket to store the eggs they collect which will be thrown across the oval by our kids. The second was the creation of Chocolate Rum Balls which they packed with a thank you card, and were given to WHS Staff at our Wednesday night meeting.

Our weekly Kindness Box again closed each day, with prizes again for those drawn by Mrs Newman out of the box nominated by their peers for doing something kind.

TERM 1 MYHREE PS WORKING BEE Thanks again to all of our CLC kids for a stellar 2 weeks. The full-day excursion to Myrrhee PS helping Principal Ash “Mr Nice” Graham with jobs will be a great full stop on Term 1, and then Term 2 they are out volunteering.

TERM 2 VOLUNTEERING PROJECTS Weeks One and Two

Our high-flying Semester 1 CLC cohort have spread their wings this term, completing various volunteering projects out and about in the community.

Having gone through the Term 1 program building their knowledge vie excursions and workshops, they are now being trusted to independently apply their skills and “giving back,” focusing on Empathy, Resilience, Gratitude, Respect, Philanthropy, Community and Connection.

The 18-strong Wangaratta West Primary School volunteer-crew have made a big impact already. Eight of our girls have been “Classroom Helpers” in junior classrooms, helping the Little Tackers with everything from reading, writing and mathematics.

The girls have been buzzing each day afterward, relaying stories of their day with beaming smiles. Wang West teachers and Leadership have been delighted, with Taylor Ryan being one whose teacher reported was “great with the way she spoke to the kids”).

It’s interesting too, experiencing the power of CLC firsthand with my own daughter raving about the girls who were in her room (Pieper Gottschling and Georgia Meggs, pictured right), remembering them by name and asking when they’ll be coming back. Like CLC Architect Andy McClean used to always say to the kids, they can have such an impact that they make it to the Dinner Table.

TERM 2 WANGARATTA WEST PS

The Wang West PS ”Grounds Crew” have been very productive too, albeit in the yard.

The 6 boys (Noah Sacco, Will Simpson, Cooper Hardman, Mikylle Grainger, Jayson Bounpraseuth and Ryley York) have been ticking off jobs including staking newly planted trees, training branches of rogue trees, cleaning gutters, weeding, and planting shrubs.

The boys have been working hard as a team, using various tools responsibly, and Wang West Leadership have appreciated the assistance with jobs they wouldn’t otherwise have had the time or manpower to complete.

The Wang West crew also includes a “P.E Assistant” crew of 4 boys (Emilio Miliankos-King, Jack Ford, Osten Hasson & Oscar Benson) who have been running Basketball Clinics for two senior classes.

This Wednesday local teaching & football legend Ian “Hopper” McCormick (also an ex-W.H.S student and father of one of our school’s greatest footballers of all time, Carlton AFL player Jon) was filling in as CRT, and was super impressed with the boys, saying they did a great job and were “great kids”.

TERM 2

WANGARATTA WEST P.E HELPERS

TERM 2

VOLUNTEERS AROUND TOWN Elsewhere, positive feedback has flooded in from CLC staff, community contacts, and the CLC kids themselves, with groups active at the Mullinmur Billabong, two Aged Care Homes in St. John’s and Iloura, Wangaratta Primary School, as well as two crews fundraising for the Wangaratta Hospital and Make A Wish Foundation.

The kids are trusted to make their own way to and from their destination, then complete a weekly reflection, and finally plan ahead for the next Wednesday. CLC staff thank them for their successful start to the Term, and we look forward to more great things over the next 6 weeks. Special thanks as always to the generous people in town hosting our kids.

TERM 2 VOLUNTEERING PROJECTS Weeks Three to Eight

It’s been a Powerful Few Weeks for our Year 9 CLC students who have dived deeper into their Volunteering Projects around town.

At Wangaratta West Primary School the “Grounds Crew” (Will Simpson, Noah Sacco, Cooper Hardman & Jayson Bounpraseuth) have continued patrolling the yard with wheelbarrows, shovels, blowers and pick axes, ticking off labouring jobs ranging from filling up holes on the oval with soil, blowing leaves & sand from sport courts, watering and mulching new trees, transporting plants, sanding and varnishing seats and tables, and digging trenches turning rock hard ground into lush new garden beds to spruce up the Afterschool Care area. Wang West leadership & CLC staff have marvelled at their productivity and the transformation some of their work has had on the school yard. One Wang West student even ran up to them and thanked them.

In the Wang West PS classrooms, both the “Classroom Helper” girls (Sienna Maguire, Bailey Tanner, Jayde Peake, Georgia Meggs & Pieper Gottschling) and the “P.E Clinician” boys (Osten Hasson, Jack Ford, Oscar Benson & Emilio Miliankos-King) have similarly impressed staff and leadership, and of course still have the little kids idolising them with wide eyes, swarming them in the yard and speaking about them to their parents at the Dinner Table.

Similar feedback has come through by the way for the Wangaratta Primary School

TERM 2 FUNDRAISING GROUPS Weeks Three to Eight

Both the Make A Wish Foundation group (Emma Jory, Merin Sessions, Holly Hadley, Will King, Jamie Matthews, Maddison Kelly and Noah Gambrell) and the Wangaratta Hospital team (Harry Hyland, Ayden Preece & Roy Dunstan) have been busy fundraising, making use of the Coles Community BBQ and generating almost $200 each in one day alone.

The Wangaratta Night Shelter/Zac’s Place girls (Amarina Huggins, Bethany Tanner, Naomi Roberts & Hannah Dods) have approached various businesses and secured donations of new lighting to Zac’s Place (the daytime shelter for the homeless & vulnerable) courtesy of Bunnings, and a Microwave from Harvey Norman. They then had a powerful visit to Zac’s Place where they helped Di Duursma plan where to put the lights, handed over and installed the microwave, and had the pleasure of meeting a former-homeless man who shared his story of being homeless and on the street for 15 years.

TERM 2

Volunteering Projects -Weeks Three to Eight

TERM 2

WANGARATTA WEST P.E HELPERS - WEEKS 3-8

FUNDRAISER Do It For Dolly

FUNDRAISER North East Health Group

IN CONCLUSION End Of Semester CLC Presentation Event

IN CONCLUSION End Of Semester CLC Presentation Event

THANK YOU

Mrs Wilson organised Thank You gifts for Newmo, who was volunteering in CLC, extremely generously, for Term 2 despite being on Long Service Leave. What a legend of a human.

Emilio Miliankos-King and Merlin Tzaros also recieved gifts for their sterling job as Emcees at the Presentation Event. A great way to end the Semester. Thank you to all CLC students.

TERM 3 Week 1: Intro Day Another lucky cohort of Year 9s have begun their journey at CLC, the special semester-long Year 9 program commonly referred to by past students as their favourite part of their 6 years of High School.

Intro Day, one of the rare CLC days based on campus, saw the cohort introduced to how CLC looks & feels different, and how it will give them half a year’s worth of hands-on experiences focused on Kindness, Empathy, Resilience, Gratitude, Mindfulness, Community, Connection, Philanthropy, Teamwork and Trust.

The traditional Paper-Scissors-Rock Tournament Ice Breaker saw Billy Hiskins and new student Seth Williams facing off in the grand final backed by their Cheer Squads. Seth was too strong, earning his spot on the CLC Honour Board on his 3rd day at the school since crossing to us from the Shepparton Super School.

CLC Staff introduced themselves, delivering brief spiels of about their varying backgrounds which drew expressions of surprise across the faces of numerous kids, and then the kids were up on their feet again getting to know each other through a variation of Human Bingo.

TERM 3 Week 1: Intro Day

The CLC Trestle Tables were then brought out for the weekly CLC Family Lunch, where students were a provided a hot lunch of Pasta and Toasties prepared by Mrs Wilson, Mrs Newman & Ms Ronald, and served by staff.

Socialising and bonding over food in this way, like at a Family Dining Table, with conversations and eye contact across the wood, and no phones to be seen, is a critical component of CLC. The concept of Gratitude led the session after lunch, with slides from The Resilience Project, familiar to the Wang West PS alumni in the room, highlighting how keeping a daily journal of things you’re grateful for, can rewire your brain to significantly improve happiness, energy, enthusiasm, sleep, and mental and physical illnesses.

Images and stories of my time in Africa drove the Gratitude theme further.

Stories of the tens of thousands of homeless street kids in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa scrounging to survive, and even the mildest PG stories of the carnage caused by child soldiers in Sierra Leone and Liberia, silenced the room.

When juxtaposed with shots of kids in those places with nothing, but still smiling and happy, it seemed to have our kids reflecting on their own lives.

Kids were then tasked with blowing up a balloon, writing on it parts of their life they are grateful for, and tying to our CLC Gratitude Tree, with a common thread being Family

TERM 2

TERM 3 Week 1: Intro Day Mr Manning took them outside for a Helium Sticks team challenge, where groups had to lift and raise a stick as a group, with every team member’s fingers remaining in contact with the stick at all times. Much harder than it sounds and looks, the girls crew of Zoe Jeffries, Jaymie Law, Emily McMurray, Zoe Taurega-Green and Teagan Stewart were the first to conquer it.

CLC Afternoon Tea saw the kids again at their Trestle Tables, this time armed with Icing Pens, tasked with decorating a biscuit (or two) with a positive word of their choice. Without any prompting, words such as Happy, Joy, Courage, Trust, Kind, Care, Beautiful and Love ended up on their food.

The traditional CLC Music Challenge closed the day, and it was when the dancing and singing challenges came out that the activity took off. With extra points on offer for any team to get 2 team members up and dancing in front of everyone, the lads Kade Hadley, Billy Hiskins, Gus Jayet, Luke Macklan and Sonny McCormack didn’t hesitate, nor stop at just two people, with all of them jumping up to push their team into the lead, and setting the tone.

TERM 3 Week 1: Intro Day Other groups quickly followed, with all teams eventually earning points and the room turning into a disco The final challenge though brought the highlight of the day. With double extra points on offer for anyone willing to grab the mic and sing, Markus Mabini emerged the star.

Choosing a song called “Kick Back” by Japanese artist Kenshi Yonezu, which nobody knew, he sang it complete in Japanese, and continued even when the music cut out, finishing it a capella.

For a student new to the school late last year, arriving from The Philippines not knowing anybody, to perform like this, was unreal. The chorused chants of “Marcus, Marcus” across the room, led by the aforementioned “lads”, were well deserved and symbolised the vibe in the group across a triumphant opening day.

It was one of the great CLC moments of all time.

TERM 3 Week 2: Lake William Hovell The first trip of CLC Excursion Season took us to Lake William Hovell on Wednesday 19th July. Heavy fog lifted as we went through Oxley, and at the lake the sun gave us as good a mid-July day as you could script.

A Bush Walk to Slater’s Creek kicked off the day, giving everyone a rare chance to walk and talk, while being immersed in nature.

Deep and meaningful conversations, between students and staff, the like of which don’t have time space to happen back at school, as always created new bonds, and with the kids exploring the creek for far longer than previous CLC groups and creating memories, nobody seemed in a rush to get back for lunch.

Back at the BBQ area, entrants in the Longest Leaf comp, brought their leaves gathered on the walk to be measured.

Maddy Drage was the champion this year, with an epic 67cm leaf pipping her mate Jaymie Law by 5mm, with Xavi Bennett and Jayla Keys not far behind.

Dylan Hooper earned himself a prize for persistence, having returned from the walk with an armful of leaves.

A timely CLC Family Lunch consisted of Salad Wraps prepared by Mrs Wilson & Mrs Newman, with the kids again socialising over food, with no phones, sitting at tables or even in the back of Mr Manning’s trailer, but this time backed with the epic scenery of a lake glistening in the sun.

TERM 3 Lake William Hovell Mr Manning rigged up a Slack Line between two trees, and the kids rotated through it attempting to master the skill much tougher than it looked. Dylan Hooper was the first to go tree to tree, earning himself his 2nd prize for the trip.

Kids then hunted for long sticks and used them to cook old school Damper over the 4 open fires lit by Mr Manning, and chowed it down with honey. The sight of the kids backing up to the raging open fires, laughing, combined with the smoke, the smell and the crackling sound of the flames, and the heat of the fire, and sun, on cold skin, made a glorious full stop to a ripping 1st excursion.

Things were topped off back at school, as the cohort gave a rousing clap and thank you to Brad our Bus Driver, and then inside a bevy of thanks and prizes were dished out to students that won challenges, or were pulled out of The Kindness Box after being nominated by someone as doing something kind or helpful for somebody else.

Kade Hadley for example, won the first for outstanding politeness in thanking staff for lunch and helping unload equipment from the bus. Alec Armstrong was another who stood out for continually assisting staff without being prompted.

Great stuff from a terrific group of Year 9s.

TERM 3 Lake William Hovell

TERM 3 Week 3: Indoor Rock Climbing CLC travelled Interstate on Wednesday 27th July for the traditional Day 3 DoubleHeader in Albury. After a quick CLC Family Breakfast of Crumpets dished up and served by Ms Ronald, the 40 kids were soon stepping into harnesses at the Albury Indoor Climbing Centre and going through the usual safety briefing.

In teams of 3 (one climbing, one belaying, one back-up roper), they spent 90 minutes on the walls. Working together to keep each other safe, the key CLC concept of Trust was on display as descending climbers were lowered down slowly by their mates.

Jaymie Law, Jayla Keys, Hamish Tanner, and Kade Hadley were some of the first on the wall, then Ryley York and Sam Magri battled each other for time as soon as they hooked in.

The joint echoed with calls of encouragement from the ground, but none more important than at the infamous Double Cliff Hanger wall, still the most challenging climb. Callem BoxCorsini gave it a good go but almost gave up when dangling from the 2nd overhang. But then, calls from the ground urged him to give one last go, with specific moves specified.

Callem then gave his leg a final swing, finding a peg and then eventually hauling himself up the final vertical. His name will be added to the CLC Honour Board underneath Skelly Manning and Harry Hyland who conquered it in February.

Matilda Taylor showed outstanding CLC Values when going out of her way to thank the instructors on our way out, the first of many to do so, earning her a nomination in the weekly CLC Kindness Box.

TERM 3 Indoor Rock Climbing

TERM 3 Indoor Rock Climbing

TERM 3 Week 3: Monument Hill Hike CLC Family Lunch took place in the Albury Botanical Gardens, with salad wraps prepped served by staff and the kids enjoying extra servings after demolishing the inventory at Lake William Hovell the week prior. It was great to see the likes of Alec Armstrong and Kade Hadley again leading from the front in loading and unloading the bus with eskies and tables.

For the 2nd last act of the trip, it was a hike up Monument Hill to the War Memorial.

The 900m walk rises 70 metres, challenging the leg endurance of most, and proving, in that there is no option to give up, CLC’s ultimate 20 minute test of Resilience, another key CLC concept. Kyle Boldt set himself to run the entire climb, and did it easily, with the athletic Levi Smith also breezing to the top with apparent ease.

TERM 3 Week 3: Monument Hill Hike Back at school, a darkened-room viewing of a lyrics video of Redgum’s 1983 classic “I Was Only 19” complete with military photographs, had the room stone cold silent. After the startling uncovering that just a handful of the 40 had heard the song before, they then wrote a personal message to their chosen soldier, which will collectively make up our own memorial on the CLC walls.

An extremely successful and powerful day.

TERM 3 Week 4: Bounce Trampolining Week 4 kicked off with a whole cohort Getting To Know Each Other Kahoot quiz, consisting of personal facts submitted by the kids (and teachers). We learned of one boy having lost over 30kg since Year 7, a girl having fallen off a balcony and waking up dangling from a tree, another having broken her arm four times, and other hilarious things which got the room buzzing and connected.

Jaymie Law overcame a slow start to storm home on a Hot Streak to become the champion, proving her social intelligence.

The duo of Teagan Stewart and Zoe Taurega-Green came in 2nd, while early leader Parker Lappin secured 3rd and Emily McMurray 4th.

CLC Family Breakfast of Toasties prepped and served by Ms Ronald & Mrs Wilson gave them an energy boost and soon they were slipping on the coloured grip-socks at the Bounce Trampoline Centre in Wodonga. For two hours the 44 kids swarmed around the venue, with all corners proving popular The multi-talented athlete Levi Smith was the King of the Basketball Ring area, instantly proving himself able to time his dunks to perfection, gradually lifting his difficulty and all sorts of 360 spin dunks including one over the 6-foot-plus Dylan Hooper. Sam Magri & Ryley York were his closest rival, both proving their athletic talent as well, and Zoe Taurega-Green would have got the points for style, naturally mimicking the famous Air Jordan logo without even realising.

TERM 3

Bounce Trampolining

On the Olympic trampolines, Kade Hadley stood out for the boys, while Stevie Driscoll and Jaymie Law were doing backflips with their eyes closed. Stevie & Jaymie along with Matilda Taylor also dominated the long routine tramp, putting together long sequences using skills from their days doing Dance.

In the climbing area, we saw kids that were too shy to climb last week, suddenly harnessed and waving down from 5m above our heads. The other popular corner was the Foam Pit, with the likes of Dylan Hooper, Levi Smith and Lachy Pensak, as well as Mr Manning and Ms Ronald all attempting the craziest flips and tricks they could.

Alec Armstrong was the greatest picture of Persistence, spending time perfecting his Back Roll technique to better his Back Flips, going out of his way to ask the expert instructors, then getting video footage to analyse.

TERM 3

Bounce Trampolining

As we’ve seen in previous trips, many of our kids were witnessed being kind and helpful to the many toddlers and parents around them. Our largest larrikin Sonny McCormack was seen opening a gate for one toddler. Khara Reeve at one stage found herself helping another youngster, and Chloe Baxter and Levi Smith were at one stage spotted charming and laughing with a grandma there with her two grandchildren.

The standout acts though were during the CLC Family Lunch which was a smorgasbord of pizza, hashbrowns, chicken nuggets and juice from the Bounce kitchen.

Absolute champion Aurelio McIllroy took it upon himself to clean up the tables prior to us leaving, without being asked.

Then, after Lia McKeown announced she had missed out on her juice, Faith Mayer-Young offered her own, sacrificing herself much like Lachlan Suffield did this time last year.

Faith’s tremendous act of kindness was a fitting full stop on one of the best Bounce sessions we’ve seen from any CLC cohort.

TERM 3

Bounce Trampolining

TERM 3

Bounce Trampolining

TERM 3

Week 5: First Aid & Human Fusball Massive strides forward have been taken by the Semester 2 group of the ever-popular CLC Year 9 program in Weeks 5 and 6.

The kids in Week 5 were taken through an epic half-day session of First Aid & CPR Training by Paramedic Helen Narayan.

Always a great presenter and engaging story-teller, Helen passed on knowledge on all of the First Aid basics, essential skills they should take with them forever.

This was followed by CPR Training, complete with physical demonstrations on the school’s Crash Test Dummies. For many, it was the first learning of such concepts.

Thanks again Helen for your invaluable and long-lasting partnership with the program.

CLC Family Lunch moved outdoors, with the wooden Trestle Tables pulled out on to the grass of the Sports Oval and into the Winter Sun, while mini-pizzas cooked in the giant on-wheels steel CLC Pizza Oven. As is the purpose of every CLC Family Lunch, the kids connected over food, across the table and together, an essential part of the program.

After lunch it was to the Sport Centre for the traditional Giant Human Fusball. The lightbulb idea of former CLC leader Andy McLean has every semester led to 40-50 Year 9s tied up to string in the Sport Stadium, playing a life-size version of the classic Table Soccer game, with team work the name of the game as the kids have to move together back and forth on their “rod” (string). A classic scene always.

TERM 3 Week 6: Guest Speakers Week 6 kicked off with various on-campus work in the morning. First up, images and videos of the best Slam dunks from the Week 4 Bounce Trampolining excursion were flashed on the big screen as a celebratory reminder of previous highlights, with everyone voting on their favourite stills and clips.

Lachy Pensak took out the vote for the best still image with his double-handed Shaq slam, but Levi Smith was the unanimous winner when the videos came out to reveal the true extent of his efforts, with his “over Dylan Hooper, through-thelegs slam” drawing gasps from his peers.

Levi actually had the top 5 videos, such was his ability on the day.

The first batch of our Guest Speakers presented their potential volunteering projects for Term 4, as the kids took notes in their Guest Speaker Log. Carole Breust from Make-A-Wish told some harrowing and powerful stories of children with lifethreatening illnesses she has been able to grant wishes to.

Di Duursma had similarly powerful stories about the Homeless she works with as part of the Night Shelter and Zac’s Place.

Tony Lane delivered his always-popular options down at the Mullinmur Billabong. And representatives from both the St. John’s Respect and Iloura Aged Care homes shared great ideas and willingness to have our kids volunteer with them assisting their oldies.

Our kids were commended on their ability to sit through a sustained period of time listening respectively, and quite a few had probing questions and showed genuine interest in various causes they heard. Great stuff, with more speakers to come in next time from various other organisations including Wang West PS and others. Thanks as always to all of those speaking and being willing to host our kids in Term 4.

With the Weather Gods doing the right thing again, outside went the Trestle Tables for another feet-on-the-grass CLC Family Lunch, with Mr Manning doing a pearler of a job on the BBQ cooking up Sausages in bread as the sun beat down on our backs.

TERM 3 Week 6: Random Act of Kindness # It was straight from the Snags to the Bus, then up to the Main Street for one of our favourite in-town CLC excursions. First stop was King George Gardens, where Bina Chuahan and Zoe Taurega-Green, who jumped at the opportunity, to take the reins of this challenge, set about picking a stranger in the park with which to give a bouquet of flowers in a Random Act Of Kindness.

With many of their peers frantically trying to suggest recipients, Bina & Zoe, flanked by lads Parker Lappin & Lachy Pensak for “morale support”, made the sterling choice of picking out a mum at the park with her 3 young children, one in a pram.

Mrs Newman reported the mum said she’d had a tough morning, and hadn’t been given flowers many times before, so it was greatly appreciated.

As the flowers were handed over by Bina, the rest of the 40 CLC kids, all sitting on the nearby concrete stage, applauded with a loud clap, which turned the heads of everyone else in the park, with nods and smiles and thumbs up given in our direction. Tremendous to witness.

TERM 3 Week 6: Ten Pin Bowling Ten Pin Bowling capped off a great day.

With the 40 kids split into groups of 5 or 6, they hit the lanes in their Clown Shoes and with the Classic Rock Radio channel blasting and the nightclub lights flashing, it was extraordinary to see so many Year 9 laughing and smiling in the one place.

With the announcement that prizes would be on offer to the champion individual scorers, competition was fierce, but it was our champion Indoor Climber Callem BoxCorsini who again seized the chocolates, his 118 just pipping the 114 of good mate Lachlan Pensak. Others to round out the Leaderboard were the multi-talented pair of Kade Hadley and Levi Smith both with 95, Parker Lappin (92), Zierra Melbourne the top girl with 87, Dylan Hooper (86), and then Tegan Stewart and Brando Moore (82).

Concluding back at school with the weekly routine of Thank Yous and daily prizes, it was a three great characters who drawn out by Ms Ronald from the many nominations in The Kindness Box. Marcus Iley got one for being genuinely thankful when thanking staff for lunch.

Markus Mibini’s was well-earned for carrying outside (and back in) more than one Trestle Table and chair during set up, and Alec Armstrong got his for his “thanks for taking us bowling,” a simple but notable show of gratitude which comes more naturally to him than most.

TERM 3 Week 7: Team Challenges With many of our Year 9s on Ski Camp in Week 7, a smaller cohort of our Semester 1 CLC group spent the day on campus completing various challenges.

A Board Game Morning eased the kids into the day, with small groups competing against each other in the classic game The 5 Second Rule, socialising across tables.

A campus-wide Scavenger Hunt then saw them swarm the schoolgrounds searching for 16 clues in teams as an exercise in Trust & Teamwork, two major CLC concepts which are coming more and more important as they get closer to being let our in the community in Term 4 volunteering. With prizes on offer for the first group to return with all clues found, competition was fierce.

The group of Billy Hiskins, Kade Hadley, Gus Jayet, Luke Macklan and Hamish Tanner were the first back, but inspection of their Clipboard found they had unfortunately missed one clue. That left the door open for eventual champions Lia McKeown, Levi Smith and Zierra Melbourne who had a flawless sheet.

The weekly tradition of CLC Family Lunch was a hit again, with Ham & Cheese Toasties served by staff on chopping boards as the kids ate in groups as usual.

After lunch the cohort was split into groups choosing either Cooking, Painting or a Working Bee. Painters Zoe Taurega-Green, Teagan Stewart and co worked on touching up our CLC Mural with Ms Ronald.

Over in the CLC Kitchen, the group of lads worked hard in cooking up a postlunchtime Dessert, including pancakes on the frying pan (Luke Macklan), kneeding dough for Scones (Billy Hiskins) and whipping up cream for the scones (Hamish Tanner). Jayden Laxton was the standout worker in the Working Bee, helping clear rubbish & debris as we straightened up the CLC building and store room.

A CLC Dessert Circle topped off the session, with everyone sitting in a circle eating the pancakes & scones with the Sister Sledge funk hit “We Are Family” soundtracking it all on the loudspeaker.

In the afternoon it was out the hill down at One Mile Creek at the back of the school for another team challenge, this time a Nearest The Pin Golf Challenge. In another activity completely unfamiliar to most of the kids, they took turns teeing off down the hill with varying results and a fair bit of grass being hacked out of the ground. In the end it was the persistent Dylan Hooper who won it all, finishing with the top 2 closest balls to the pin (the closest falling 2.5m away) with his final 2 attempts.

TERM 3 Week 8: Speakers & Stick Bombs Week 8 began with presentations on further options for the Term 4 Volunteering Phase of CLC. There will again be 3 opportunities at Wangaratta West Primary School, either assisting in Demi Walker’s senior P.E classes, helping in junior classrooms with Literacy & Numeracy, or getting their hands dirty as part of the outdoor “Grounds Crew”. Thanks again to Principal Kristy Mullins, Demi and the team at The West, for always being willing to host so many of our CLC students each Semester, despite everything else going on down there as Wangaratta’ largest primary school. There looks like there could be another 15 or so down there again, making them again the CLC’s biggest supporter.

We’ve got another terrific addition this semester in the Wangaratta District Specialist School, who have put their hand up to take a couple of our kids. Thanks to Principal Alysha Jackson and her team for jumping on board. Having spent some time umpiring some All Abilities Footy Carnivals recently, with many current WDSS students in the local Merriwa Magpies side, I believe this will be a great thing to experience for the 2 lucky CLC kids that get the chance to work there.

Another opportunity has popped up via Wangaratta Council, in educating the Wangaratta public about the working of Recycling. The kids were amazed to learn that the Recycling Centre has a full-time employee whose sole job is to watch the conveyer belt and pick out the Vapes that have been wrongly placed into Recycle Bins.

After another CLC Family Lunch of Ham & Cheese Toasties, we screened a 60 Minutes piece on the inspirational Aussie Nick Vujicic, who was born with no arms and no legs, but who exudes positivity and now is a motivational speaker inspiring people across the world. The kids watched images of him diving into and climbing out of swimming pools, playing golf and driving boats, and then they added to the balloons on our CLC Gratitude Tree, populating them with things they are grateful for in their life. Where themes of Family & Friends were popular answers last time, this time Health started to appear more.

To follow, the traditional challenge of Persistence saw the kids attempt the Stick Bomb Challenge, weaving large Icy Pole sticks together. Framed as something most kids struggle to master, but that not giving up is the key, sure enough after 10 minutes not a single person in the room had it happening, despite a YouTube tutorial playing on repeat on the Big Screen.

However, Levi Smith, sitting alone in front of the screen with laser focus, eventually cracked the code. In a great show of Persistence, he created the core section of what would eventually become a Group Snake of 4-5m. In other corners of the room, Dylan Hooper was the other standout, with Faith Mayer-Young also able to master it, as well as the boys group of Ethan Rhodes, Markus Mibini, Aurelio McIllroy & Marcus Iley. Loud celebrations rumbled the room as Levi pulled the trigger causing the sticks to explode successfully.

TERM 3 Week 8: Random Act of Kindness #2 Then it was on the bus to King George Gardens for another Mini-Excursion.

Another Random Act of Kindness saw another bouquet of flowers presented to a group sitting on a bench seat - three generations of females in a family (young child, her mother, and grandmother), the perfect choice. Luke Macklan & Hamish Tanner jumped at the chance this time, with Luke writing a great personal WHS Postcard, and Alec Armstrong, Markus Mibini & Noah Simmons alongside as Support Crew.

.Watching the boys approach them from a distance, with big Hamish ambling up with his elbows out, and a couple of Rough Mullets in the group, onlookers quipped we were lucky Mrs Wilson was approaching with them to make them look less terrifying. Hamish apparently did a great job doing all the talking, and the recipients loved it.

Again, the whole CLC cohort, waiting secretly nearby, clapped in celebration and as the boys returned to the group we noticed they looked very happy with their tremendous deed.

TERM 3 Week 8: Main Street Scavenger Hunt The CLC Scavenger Hunt was the Main Event, with the kids in small teams tasked with finding clues dotted around the main 2 CBD blocks. A major exercise in Team Work but especially Trust, it was the first time they had been somewhat “let loose” without strict supervision, a precursor to Term 4.

Markus Mibini was the standout, literally sprinting around the city, leading his group, winning the challenge by returning first and with all clues correctly recorded.

Back at school, nominations drawn from The Kindness Box saw prizes won by those witnessed doing something kind throughout the day. Levi Smith got one for sacrificing himself at lunch by allowing his mate Jayden Laxton to take the last Toastie on the plate, and Hunter Boruch scored one, nominated for always being kind to others.

TERM 3 Week 9: Parkour at Apex Park Our lucky Year 9 CLC cohort got to experience two new excursions in Week 9, aimed at pushing themselves out of their comfort zone.

Callem, Lachie Pensak, Luke Macklan, Alec Armstrong and Gus Jayet were the first to scale the 3m Vertical Wall, on which many fell short.

First up was a 3-hour adventure at the Apex Park Parkour Park, with expert instruction courtesy of Jorge & John from Risky Kids Albury, who specialise in building resilience and mental health through movement. The instructors did a stellar job of keeping the 40 kids engaged, going through activities such as tag games and teaching Parkour moves such as the Precision Jump, Lazy Vault, Underbar etc. which appeared to be new skills for most.

Usual athletic standout Callem Box-Corsini took to it quickly and confidently, graduating across the high Stepping Stones with ease and bravery, and then being the first to climb the 3m high steel pillar.

Levi Smith who stood back initially, decided to enter the fray and promptly blasted everyone away, scaling the Vertical Wall like cat, being the first to nail a Precision Jump onto the concrete barrier, (both he & Dylan Hooper admirably tried it so many times that they had grazed palms from the concrete), then shocked the crowd by jumping from one 3m pillar across the 2m gap to the highest Concrete Cylinder, the only one to manage the feat.

Levi has been a standout on CLC excursions, with his mix of athleticism, persistence and courage enabling him to master most skills put in front of him.

TERM 3

Parkour, Apex Park

TERM 3

Parkour, Apex Park

The attitude of our kids was a highlight of the morning. There were moments we saw 30 CLC kids running through the complex playing tag and “Snake” smiling and giggling with no less enthusiasm than what you would see in a Kindergarten playground, such was the vibe. Many scenarios had the kids challenging themselves and breaking through barriers of a fear of heights, as they attempted the various components of the park at their own pace.

Calls of encouragement their peers rang around the complex, with Khara Reeve a standout in that regard. She at one point held the hand of her mate Lia McKeown as Lia attempted to scale the formidable Stepping Stones. Khara later encouraged Maddy Drage and Zierra Melbourne, trying to teach them how to get to the highest Concrete Cylinder. Taylah Newton also was spotted helping Lia on a challenge. It was great stuff.

The weekly tradition of the CLC Family Lunch was served by staff this time at the park, with Salad Wraps going down a treat, and Muesli Bars for dessert. After it was over, many kids exhausted, it was to the River Walk, as we snaked along the Ovens on the beautiful 25-minute walk back to school.

TERM 3

Parkour, Apex Park

TERM 3

Parkour, Apex Park

TERM 3 Week 9: Waldara Golf Driving Range A visit to the Waldara Golf Club’s Driving Range topped off the day. Former Wangaratta Superdeckers Basketball coach Trevor Trimble volunteered his time to show the kids the technique of hitting a golf ball, something quite a few had never done before. Then in groups, the kids spent an hour hitting as many balls down the fairway as they could.

The kids had a ball, but it was a classic “Harder Than It Looks” realisation for most, as not many were able to master the skill, one of the hardest in Sport.

The best was Gus Jayet (pictured, top) who had easily the best natural and full golf swing, and was able to cream the ball crisply.

To nail the longest drives The other natural talent was Ryley “Luna” Yorke (pictured, bottom), who surprised even himself with his ability to cleanly strike his first few iron shots perfectly.

The Kindness Box closed the day, with Jackson Bell and Jorja Vanbree both winning prizes for being generous with their friends. Gus Jayet was noted for opening gates for the group, and Hamish Tanner & Alec Armstrong both were highlighted for offering food to staff. The Kindness Box has been a massive and effective hit, as we’ve seen a significant rise in good manners across the term.

TERM 3 Week 10: Volunteering Preparations The final morning of the CLC Term had the kids work in their Volunteer Group preparing for the Volunteering in Term 4.

Working through a Checklist, they wrote Proposal Letters to their organisations, prepared Name Tags, planned walking routes via Google Maps, set goals, took Team Photos and much more. In Term 4 they will spend each Wednesday out in the community helping orgs such as the Night Shelter, the Make A Wish Foundation, the Care Van, Iloura Aged Care, Wangaratta West Primary School, and the Wangaratta & District Specialist School.

CLC Family Lunch comprised again of Chicken, Ham & Salad Wraps served by staff over the CLC Kitchen Bench, with a box of Fruit provided as usual by our great Wellbeing team.

TERM 3 Week 10: Frisbee Golf & Staff Gifts After lunch it was on foot to the beautiful leafy surrounds of the HP Barr Reserve Disc Golf course. Tasked with completing the 9-hole course in their Volunteer Groups as a training exercise in Team Work and Trust, they spent the next 90 minutes hurling frisbees around the course having so much fun that some started their 2nd round before time ran out.

The top 2 on the Leaderboard happened to be the 2 boys recently selected in the Under 15 V-Line Cup North-East-Border Football squad, Kade Hadley (38) and Gus Jayet (42).

They were followed by others to come under 50 - Noah Simmons (43), Xavi Bennett (44), Dylan Hooper (45), Callem Box-Corsini (47), Levi Smith & Billy Hiskins (both on 48) and Brando Moore (49).

The day & term ended withs something really special. The kids spent time preparing three gift packages containing a Thank You card and two chocolate bars, tied up with ribbon. Then, in a Random Act Of Kindness, they were tasked with setting off across campus delivering their 3 packages to staff members of their choice.

TERM 3 Week 10: Frisbee Golf & Staff Gifts

It was fitting seeing how much the kids took to the task. Some were adamant about who they were going to deliver to.

Their two Year Level Coordinators Lee Unwin and Elly Gales (as well as Subschool Leader Jack Nolan) often mentioned without hesitation, with kids describing how much those to have helped them this year.

The kids were so eager that some couldn’t wait for others, dashing across to other buildings wanting to get to their people first. Others had the forethought to spread to other buildings, with Alec Armstrong notable for mentioning he was going to buildings others hadn’t thought of, to “share it around”.

Markus Mibini even took a bag-full to the Admin & Principals offices, as someone mentioned they may have missed out Great stuff, and CLC staff crossed their arms & nodded with satisfaction, proud that the term’s work on all of the CLC values we try hard to instil in the group -Kindness, Empathy, Connection, Community, Gratitude, Respect – appears to have rubbed off.

Thank you to all of the great Year 9s for their efforts in CLC this term. You have been a great cohort, and we wish you well with your Volunteering in Term 4.

TERM 4

Volunteers Make Massive Impact - Weeks 1 and 2 Our Year 9 CLC students have been sinking their teeth into their all-important Volunteering Projects, at various organisations across Wangaratta every Wednesday.

Wangaratta West Primary School are hosting almost 20 of our kids across 3 groups. On the Sport Courts with Wang West P.E teacher Demi Walker and guided by our own P.E legend & CLC mentor Newmo, nine “Clinic Takers” (Billy Hiskins, Gus Jayet, Kade Hadley, Lachy Pensak, Jackson Bell, Jayla Keys, Xavi Bennett , Parker Lappin and Callem BoxCorsini) split into two groups are taking P.E lessons for Grade 6, Grade 5 and even Prep classes. Billy Hiskins apparently especially shone on the very first day with his delivery.

It was an extraordinary scene on Wednesday looking across the new courts in freshly painted blue, the sun beating down, with two classes running through drills taken by our kids, just kids themselves. Great stuff, and in fact so great that there is high demand for other classes wanting to come out and get a taste of it.

In the Wang West PS classrooms, five “Classroom Helpers” (Ethan Rhodes, Marcus Iley, Faith Mayer-Young, Zoe Jeffries and Aurelio McIllroy) have been having a blast in Prep and Art classrooms. As usual they are coming back with stories of hilarious and powerful moments helping the littlies.

Again, there are reports of Preps speaking of the CLC kids by name at the Dining Table. Just so powerful.

TERM 4

Wangaratta West PS “Grounds Crew” Our “Grounds Crew” debuted at Wang West this past Wednesday like a volcano, managing to complete 4 separate jobs itemised for them by gun VicePrincipal Danielle Ashmead. The five boys (Jayden Laxton, Brando Moore, Ryley Yorke, Noah Simmons and Levi Smith) worked flawlessly and hard. With mallets and string, they first drove new stakes beside 15 new Ornamental Pear Trees planted along the front of the school.

They then split into various jobs including using Power Sanders to sand down 3 of the large wooden lunch tables ready for varnishing, whipper-snipping grass the mowers couldn’t reach, and blowing pathways of debris.

Levi & Noah in particular were workhorses, powering on like seasoned tradies without any need for reminding. At one stage it was mentioned we could pack up tools after the 2nd table was completed, and Levi quashed the thought, grabbing the sander and urging he group to finish the whole job, spending another 20 minutes on the task.

TERM 4

Ex-Wangaratta West Kids Give Back There were great moments involving our ex-Wang Westers. At one stage Leadership came out to thank the boys, and Levi & Noah proudly showed off their work and new haircuts.

We noticed a plaque on a nearby tree labelled “The Jayet Family” while 50m away from that tree on the courts there was Gus Jayet and his old Wang West mate Kade Hadley, suddenly young men standing twice the height of the Preps they were chest passing balls to. Aurelio was able to catch up with his little brother at Lunchtime, Ethan popped into his grandmother’s office, and so many of the Wang West staff came out to say hi to their old students. Brilliant stuff.

TERM 4

Wangaratta West “P.E Helpers”

TERM 4

Volunteers Make Massive Impact - Weeks 1 and 2 Elsewhere around town similarly great things are happening At Iloura Aged Care Home, Stevie Driscoll, Luke Macklan, Alec Armstrong and Hamish Tanner have been spending time with the residents, playing games, helping deliver food, and even eating with them.

Working under the wings of Patti Stafford from Inner Wheel, the trio of Jaymie Law, Emily McMurray and Markus Mibini made a massive impact on their first day, helping to cook and package almost 50 meals to be given to the Wangaratta Carevan who provide free meals to Wangaratta’s Homeless.

Down at the Wangaratta & District Specialist School, three of our girls in Zoe Taurega-Green, Sharni Hepworth and Meagan Young have been helping in classrooms.

Others have been planning fundraising for the Make-A-Wish Foundation (Hunter Boruch, Teagan Stewart and Jorja Vanbree) which begins with a Cake Stall in a fortnight’s time, and the Wangaratta Night Shelter (Dylan Hooper and Kyle Boldt) including involvement in the concert fundraiser for Zac’s Place, the day time retreat for Wangaratta’s homeless community.

The CLC team is very proud of our kids and we thank them for their efforts so far. We of course thank all of our wonderful people at the community organisations willing to host and help our kids. Looking forward to reporting back on the achievements over the next fortnight.

TERM 4

Volunteers Making Waves Again- Weeks 3 and 4 Huge successes are being celebrated in our much-loved Year 9 CLC program, with our students having just completed their 3rd and 4th weeks of volunteering around the community.

Our Make-A-Wish Foundation crew of Hunter Boruch, Teagan Stewart and Jorja Vanbree ran a successful Bake Sale on campus during both breaks on Wednesday, with staff and students filing through buying goods such as cupcakes, brownies and cookies made by the girls themselves at home and in our CLC Kitchen. It was a great sight to see everyone smiling and chipping in to fundraise for such a powerful cause, with well over $100 raised on the day.

Up at Inner Wheel based at The Centre, Emily McMurray and Markus Mibini were again busy preparing, cooking and packaging meals for The Carevan to provide to Wangaratta’s homeless. They had extra cooks in the kitchen too in Week 4, with new group members Khara Reeve and Lia McKeown eager to assist. Again, dozens of meals were made by our empathetic Year 9s.

TERM 4

Iloura Aged Care Home - Weeks 3 and 4 The group at Iloura Aged Care Home continue to return to CLC each Wednesday with glowing faces and stories to tell. Stevie Driscoll, Luke Macklan, Alec Armstrong and Hamish Tanner are having a ball interacting with and assisting the residents in any way they can.

Alec had a great story of helping a resident write a letter to a family member, as well as finding a box of chocolates for him which were thought to be lost. Some apparently epic card games were the highlight of Week 4, and the photos clearly display both sides having as much fun as each-other.

TERM 4

TERM 4

Classroom Helpers - Wang West & Specialist School In the junior classrooms of both the Wangaratta & District Specialist School (Zoe Taurega-Green, Sharni Hepworth and Meagan Young) and at Wangaratta West Primary School our 8 Classroom Helpers (Ethan Rhodes, Marcus Iley, Faith Mayer-Young, Zoe Jeffries and Aurelio McIllroy) have been returning with stories of their own, and that unmistakable CLC Glow the kids routinely return to CLC Headquarters with.

TERM 4

Wang West “P.E Helpers” - Weeks 3 and 4 The two Clinic Taker groups at Wangaratta West PS have continued running lessons for both Grade 5-6 and Prep P.E students. With both Newmo & Wang West P.E Specialist Demi Walker mentoring them, the 9 CLC kids (Billy Hiskins, Gus Jayet, Kade Hadley, Lachy Pensak, Jackson Bell, Jayla Keys, Xavi Bennett, Parker Lappin and Callem Box-Corsini) are improving all sorts of skills including lesson planning, communication & behaviour management, all while having a heap of fun.

Again, the Wang West kids are telling their families all about it at the Dining Table, and remembering our kids by name, such is their adoration of them.

TERM 4

TERM 4

Wang West “Grounds Crew” - Weeks 3 and 4 In the Wang West PS yard, our Grounds Crew have again completed numerous jobs, with school leadership thrilled at their contributions. The results of their weeding, gardening, whipper-snipping & blowing work outside their Out of School Home Care Centre in Week 3, was so impressive that apparently a number of guests at an event held there the following day commented on how beautiful it was.

In Week 4, our boys (Jayden Laxton, Brando Moore, Ryley Yorke, Noah Simmons, Levi Smith and Seth Williams) managed to solve an issue with their Green Wheelie Bins which had been hampering the school for a number of weeks, again delighting leadership. Levi Smith has routinely been a standout in terms of his work ethic.

TERM 4

Reflection Circle & Photo Wall Our weekly Reflection Circle closes each Wednesday, with everyone in a circle sharing their highlights from the day. It is so powerful to hear the stories and see the pride they feel in having helped others. The best photos of them in action get added to our CLC Photo Wall, which they love to look back on and celebrate. Very powerful scenes.

As you can imagine, extremely positive feedback is coming in from those organisations hosting our kids, and we thank them all for being willing to be involved in the program. Of course, congratulations to all of our CLC kids for their efforts.

TERM 4

Volunteers Get High Praise Again - Weeks 5 and 6 High Praise has flooded in again for the kids in our Year 9 CLC program, after their 5th and 6th weeks of their Volunteering Project.

The girls at the Wangaratta & District Specialist School (Zoe TauregaGreen, Sharni Hepworth and Meagan Young) have drawn plaudits from multiple staff down there, working with kids in classrooms as well as helping to set up the school’s new library. They’ve been described as being “outstanding helpers” and “terrific with the kids.”

Our team visiting Iloura Aged Care Home (Alec Armstrong, Hamish Tanner, Stevie Driscoll and Luke Macklan) have again returned home with anecdotes of powerful moments shared with the elderly. One highlight involved a Choir Ensemble visiting to entertain the residents, with Luke Macklan joining the Choir and singing along. That’s certainly an all-time CLC first - a Boxer singing in a Choir at an Aged Care Home.

Our Make A Wish Foundation of Jorja Vanbree, Hunter Boruch and Teagan Stewart have been busy creating more fundraising items and trinkets to sell at an upcoming market, aiming to add to their fundraising tally so far for their wonderful cause.

TERM 4

Wang West PS - Weeks 5 and 6 Wonderful scenes too down at Wangaratta West PS with close to 20 of our kids working in various groups.

The Grounds Crew (Levi Smith, Seth Williams, Jayden Laxton, Brando Moore, Ryley Yorke, Noah Simmons and Sam Magri) have continued their massive job of sanding & oiling the many outdoor wooden tables, and showing resilience working through the heat in Week 6. Those passing by the front of the school will also notice a cleaner-than-ever footpath, after the boys scraped off multiple wheelbarrow loads of caked up dirt and debris.

Inside, our Classroom Helpers (Aurelio McIllroy, Ethan Rhodes, Marcus Iley & Zoe Jeffries) are being described by teachers as "outstanding with the kids" in their respective Prep classrooms.

TERM 4

Wang West “P.E Helpers” - Weeks 5 and 6 Our two P.E Helper Crews (Gus Jayet, Kade Hadley, Billy Hiskins, Sonny McCormack, Lachy Pensak, Jackson Bell, Jayla Keys, Xavi Bennett, Parker Lappin and Callem Box-Corsini) have again enthralled the youngsters on the Sport Courts. It’s somewhat comical watching some of our most strapping and masculine lads juxtaposed against their tiniest Preps.

Newmo captured one moment with Billy Hiskins tapping my own daughter (the smallest Prep at the school) on the head during DuckDuck-Goose and she chasing him around the circle. One of many such moments replayed to parents at Dining Tables around town.

TERM 4

Sonny McCormack - King of the Kids Sonny McCormack proved a standout after joining the P.E Helpers group this fortnight. One of the most charismatic kids we’ve ever seen come through the High School, Sonny instantly became King Of The Kids, being swarmed by Preps literally hanging off him.

Sonny this week was seen teaching one of the Prep boys how to handshake, and then after the P.E class finished, the Preps dragged him back to their classroom, where he was later found, his knees squeezed under the tiny table, sitting with a Prep girl sincerely helping her with her Story Writing work.

Like Jackson “Jimi” Tilly last year, Sonny has something special about him that the little kids just gravitate to.

Hilarious and powerful.

TERM 4

CLC’s Biggest Supporter- Wang West PS We thank Kristy and the Wang West PS team for hosting so many of our kids every Wednesday, and being so cool about it. It’s quite staggering to witness how calm and orderly you have everything running down there, and it’s not hard to see why you won a State Award a couple of weeks ago.

TERM 4

Plaudits As Volunteers Finish 7th Week Plaudits go out to our Year 9 CLC group who yesterday completed their final week of Volunteering, capping off a massively successful seven weeks of "giving back" to the community.

Epic scenes down at Wangaratta West PS, where despite them having a school full of Kindergarten students on Prep Transition, along with many of those parents, over a dozen of our kids were trusted to assist in classrooms and in the yard.

The "Grounds Crew" also chipped in to help another group, heading out to the Industrial Estate to sort out a storage shed for the Night Shelter, where the Shelter stores sleeping gear provided to the town's Homeless "Guests".

TERM 4

Plaudits As Volunteers Finish 7th Week Wonderful photos and feedback again flooded in from the Iloura Aged Care Home and the Wangaratta Specialist School, our Make-A-Wish Foundation group worked tirelessly on their fundraising project, and our Inner Wheel cooking crew again showed empathy while making a heap of meals for The Carevan to provide to the Homeless and vulnerable.

Next week they begin preparing their PowerPoints which they will present to our Year 7 and 8 cohorts in the traditional biannual CLC Presentation Event at our school's PAC in a fortnight's time.

Thank you to all of our CLC kids for their efforts over the last 7 weeks, and thank you of course to all of our generous community groups that hosted us. It has been Extremely Powerful to say the least.

TERM 4

Plaudits As Volunteers Finish 7th Week

TERM 4

Plaudits As Volunteers Finish 7th Week

TERM 4

Plaudits As Volunteers Finish 7th Week

PRESENTATION Public Speaking, Large Audience

Our Year 9 CLC cohort impressed yesterday on Wednesday 29th November at the Semester Two CLC Presentation Event, ​where they took to the stage at our Performing Arts Centre to present their 7-week Volunteering Journey.

After a rousing intro from Principal Mr. Armstrong, each CLC group alternated at the lectern and inspired the crowd with their many wonderful achievements, with their meticulously prepared PowerPoints flashing on the brand new state-of-the-art screens behind them.

In what was for many their first taste of Public Speaking, they did a sterling job with approximately 200 people in the audience, including parents, special guests, teachers and the entire Year 7 and 8 body. Our own CLC Emcees in Alec Armstrong and Hunter Boruch were especially outstanding, running the event and introducing each group to the stage.

PRESENTATION Public Speaking, Large Audience

A special highlight came when Patti Stafford from Inner Wheel and 4 of her colleagues from The Carevan, spoke about how much they appreciated the help from our kids cooking for the homeless, and presented them with special certificates.

Another huge moment occurred when former WHS teachers Carol Myles and Elaine Mudge, now part of Zonta, presented a special award to Hannah Dods, CLC student from Semester 1, for her outstanding work helping raise over $5000 for new lockers for Wangaratta's homeless

Overall, a great success. Thank you to our CLC students who we are extremely proud of.

Thank you to the CLC staff in Mrs Wilson, Mr Manning, Newmo and Ms Ronald.

We also thank the Year 7s and 8s for being an extremely respectful audience. We look forward to having the Year 8s in this life-changing program in 2024. .