mod the best in the west - perth modern school 2017 newsletter.pdf · mod the best in the west ......

WACE award winners.

NEW

S JA

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0Inaugural Colour Run

Page 1624 ICAS medals won

Page 32Years 7 and 8 students cruise the Swan

in this issue

Mod the Best in the WestThe Class of 2016 have been rewarded with the number one position in school rankings based on their median ATAR and they have also topped the School Curriculum and Standards award table.

Students from Perth Modern School won 205 awards including the Beazley Medal: WACE, nine General Exhibitions, fi ve Subject Exhibitions, 39 Subject Certifi cates of Excellence, 114 Certifi cates of Distinction and 37 Certifi cates of Merit.

Caitlin Revell won the Beazley Medal: WACE for achieving the highest School Curriculum and Standards Authority award score.

Forty-four students made the ‘99 Club’ for achieving an ATAR score of 99 or higher.

Three students, Caitlin Revell, Rebecca Green and Alan Cheng achieved a perfect ATAR of 99.95.

The nine students who won a General Exhibition—Caitlin Revell, Rebecca Green, Nicole Tan, Elizabeth Knight, Alan Cheng, Isha Singh, Bedanta Dhal, Edi Singh and Daniel Ho—were amongst the top 50 students in the State based on the average of fi ve scaled scores with at least two each from the humanities/social science list and the mathematics/science list.

The Class of 2016 achieved a median ATAR of 95.55 with the State average being 82.05.

Beazley: WACE medal winner Caitlin Revell said her teachers at Perth Modern had been extremely supportive and allowed her to grow and develop skills for learning.

‘Studying for me was predominantly writing out notes, making sure I understood the concepts and then reciting the notes orally,’ Caitlin said.

As a break from study Caitlin said she played sport, went swimming and enjoyed doing art.

Principal of Perth Modern School Lois Joll said the school had three equal duxes in 2016 —Caitlin Revell, Daniel Ho and Rebecca Green—because their Year 12 marks were too close to separate.

‘Topping the State by achieving the highest median ATAR was a wonderful group eff ort,’ Ms Joll said.

‘Our students are enthusiastic about learning and embracing opportunities,’ she said. ‘They support and inspire each other to do their best and should be very proud of what they have achieved.’

‘Any school with great kids combined with really committed staff , it’s a fabulous combination.’

Beazley Medal: Caitlin makes it three in a row for Perth Modern School

—see page 4.

Head of Year 12 Ian Hunt, Beazley: WACE medallist Caitlin Revell and Associate Principal Val Furphy.

2 Perth Modern School | NEWS January 2017 Exceptional schooling.

From the PrincipalThe Class of 2016 have proved themselves to be the best in the west by achieving the number one school ranking based on their median ATAR score and for topping the School Curriculum and Standards award table. This was a fantastic team eff ort by every single Year 12 student as the number one school ranking is based on how all students achieve. For the third year in a row, Mod was awarded the Beazley Medal: WACE with Caitlin Revell taking out the top honour. Alongside Caitlin, Rebecca Green and Alan Cheng achieved a perfect ATAR of 99.95 while nine students, Caitlin Revell, Rebecca Green, Nicole Tan, Elizabeth Knight, Alan Cheng, Isha Singh, Bedanta Dhal, Edi Singh and Daniel Ho achieved a General Exhibition. Subject Exhibitions were awarded to Caitlin Revell in Biology and Politics and Law, Raeann Ng in Japanese: Second Language, Rebecca Green in Philosophy and Ethics and Alex Chi in Psychology. While we know our students are smart, these results represent a great deal of hard work, determination and drive that have been put in over many years by students, their teachers and parents. The Class of 2016 certainly proved they are ‘a class above.’

I wish to express my appreciation to the School Board under the leadership of Professor Michael Henderson for their commitment and work throughout the year and I thank outgoing Board member Mark Ogden for his valued contributions and welcome new parent representative Professor Dale Pinto. I would also like to acknowledge the President of the P&C Andrew Stevens and the P&C Executive for their great work in supporting the school and students in 2016.

The Raise the Roof campaign for our new 700 seat multi-purpose auditorium is progressing very well with hope a tender for a ‘warm shell’ version will be made possible in the near future. More than $198,000 has been raised so far by our supportive school community.

The 2016 Year 12 Presentation Ceremony was held in the Tyler McCusker Sports Centre on Saturday, 19 November. This very special event was a wonderful occasion for Year 12 students to have their hard work and many achievements acknowledged in front of their families and peers.

Many thanks to Lauryl Wallace, Ian Hunt, Steve Jurilj, John Harris, Val Furphy, Year 11 student helpers, Heads of Departments and the many staff and students for their work in organising a very successful event.

Prior to the Presentation Ceremony, the Pin Ceremony for incoming Years 7, 9, 10 and 11 students was also held in the sports centre and was a delightful occasion to welcome our new students and present them with their Sphinx badges in front of their families. The new gym looked magnifi cent, our orchestra was impressive and Student Councillors Cerys Wileman and Joseph Newman in Year 7 spoke beautifully. Thank you to Micaela Pereira, Thalia Cole, Steve Jurilj, John Harris and Year 8 peer support volunteers for their hard work in producing an excellent ceremony.

Sphinx Society students really enjoyed the presentation by Modernian Lesley Parker Reynolds AM for the annual Modernian Oration. Lesley is a passionate advocate for education for women and girls, especially in the sciences, and as an academic has written one hundred and forty-eight publications, is a member of the Order of Australia and was awarded the Centenary Medal. Afterwards, Sphinx Society students mingled with Modernians, Perth Modern School Board members Michael Henderson and Mark Ogden and members of the School Executive.

A Charity Day, Colour Run for Raise the Roof and a Variety Concert was a fabulous way to end the term with students thoroughly enjoying participating in the day’s events. Thank you to Rosie Leece, John O’Loughlin, Jarrad Strain, Nikki Reilly, Deb Leske and the Student Council for their wonderful organisation of events.

Perth Modern School was a fi nalist in the 2016 Governor’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) Awards. A panel spent several hours at school interviewing myself, selected staff and some students about the School’s STEM off erings. The winners will be announced at Government House on November 24. Jasmine Schmidt and Luke Uden in Year 10 were the student representatives who spoke to the judges and represented the school at the ceremony, alongside head of Science Ant Meczes and myself.

More than 200 Year 7 students participated in a fun and exciting Year 7 Camp held at Woodman Point. It was a great success with students participating in a variety of fun team-bonding and physical activities designed to bring them closer together as a year group. Thank you to Head of Year 7 Paul Green, Nikki Reilly, John Harris, advocacy teachers and all staff who participated.

The Year 9 Wellness Camp held at Ern Halliday Recreation Centre was a great success with students participating in a variety of fun team-bonding and physical activities designed to bring them closer together as a year group. Thank you to Head of Year 9 James Giles and all staff who were involved.

Perth Modern School | NEWS January 2017 3Exceptional students.

Student Councillors attended a Student Council Camp where they participated in planning events and other activities for next year and further honed their leadership skills. Thank you to Deb Leske and John Harris for their organisation.

At the end of Term 4, Manager of Student Services John Harris, Head of English Danae Brazier and Languages teacher Natalie Rimando escorted 35 students to Nepal for three wonderful and life-changing weeks as part of World Youth Adventures.

Teaching staff attended a workshop presented by Rowena Ulbrick on 21st Century Learning Design which focuses on the importance of collaborative learning in the classroom. Many staff also attended a workshop on Creating wellbeing, mindfulness and resilience in gifted and talented students presented by Graham Watts.

Head of Year 12 and Operations Manager Ian Hunt won the People’s Choice Award at the WA Education Awards.

Perth Mod had 17 teachers nominated for a People’s Choice Award as part of the WA Education Awards. Congratulations to: Jackson Best, Christine Cheng, Tania Elliott, Monica Franz, Ross Fuhrmann, Matthew Healy, Moira Hearne, Ian Hunt, Nakita Kitson, Roseanne Leece, Rick McMahon, Rachel Miller, Jane Nicholson, Alistair Norrie, Jarrad Strain, Walter Wilson and Simon Zhou.

I congratulate the following students on their successes in Term 4:

• Twenty-three students won 24 medals in the International Competition and Assessment for Schools (ICAS), a record for Perth Modern School. The full list is available on page 16. I particularly acknowledge Sithum Somarathna in Year 7 who achieved medals in Science and Mathematics.

• Tina Soodi Shoar in Year 8 has been awarded an Australian Mathematics Competition (AMC) medal, one of only 22 medals awarded from 300 000 participants.

• 36 students from Years 7– 9 attended the Western Australian Junior Olympiad (WAJO) held at UWA. Hariharan Shankar, Huxley Berry, Ryan Joseph Anson, Andrew Chang, Micah Sinclair, Sithum Somarathna and Bertrand Nheu all won an individual award. The Year 7 team of Sithum Somarathna,

Minjae Kim, Jordan Fisker and Micah Sinclair and the Year 8 teams featuring Peng Sheng, Nathan Townshend, Walter Wang, Mark Sim, Huxley Berry, Nicholas Mahoney, Ethan Gibson and Jake Cho won Merit awards. The Award for Excellence went to Bertrand Nheu, Victor Sun and Andrey Lugovskoy.

• Keith Wong in Year 7, Ishita Kanada and Ke Liao in Year 8, Ethan Dowley and Louisa Lok in Year 9, Revant Bisht and Yuqing Lu in Year 10 and Bilal Rasheed and Zhong Xien Yeoh in Year 11 were awarded Certifi cates of High Distinction in the Mathematics Challenge for Young Australians.

• Arun Jha and Phoebe Sun in Year 11 were invited to attend the 2017 Australian Science Olympiad Summer School after achieving gold medals in the 2016 Australian Science Olympiad examinations. Zhong Xien Yeoh also achieved gold medals in the examinations.

• Sarah Tang in Year 12 was named National Historian of the Year in the Democracy category for her work investigating the Portuguese Carnation Revolution.

• Tanisha Dunuwille in Year 8 and Rana Ibrahim in Year 9 were named UNYouth Voice State champions in the Junior and Senior Divisions respectively. Aditya Bose Mandal in Year 8 was named runner-up in the Junior Division and Shraddha Bose Mandal in Year 10 received a highly commended in the Senior Division.

All four students will be participating in the national competition to be held in Hobart.

• Yi Shan Lim in Year 9 achieved a High Distinction in Division III of the Deutsch-Australischer Sprachverein (DAS) German language examinations.

• Davina Staneva in Year 11 has passed her fi nal AMEB piano exam at UWA.

• Louisa Lok in Year 9, Claire Chua in Year 12 and Radheya Jegatheva in Year 12 were recipients of awards in the 2016 Katharine Susannah Prichard Writing Competition.

• Radheya Jegatheva in Year 12 won the Open International Category of the Port Shorts Film Festival in Port Douglas, Queensland for his fi lm Journey. The fi lm also won two awards at the Raw Science Film Festival.

• Rahul Jegatheva in Year 10 has won a gold medal in the 15 and under male category in the Kawana Aquathlon.

• Kiran Tibballs in Year 10 has broken the State and All-comers record in the 1500m and achieved a silver medal in the Australian All Schools Championship.

• Heyang Guo in Year 9 and Natasha Hartono, Max Hu and Phil Yang in Year 10 have won the Live lighter Middle School Badminton Tournament.

• Megan Grove in Year 8 was named Best Player on Tour in the Under 14 Girls’ Australian Futsal team that toured England, Wales and Scotland.

Lois Joll, Principal

A farewell to staff

The Perth Modern School community is sad to farewell a number of our valued staff members who have retired or taken up part-time positions elsewhere.

Head of Languages Jenny Spearman, Careers Coordinator Mary Anne Baljic and Health and Physical Education teacher Robyn Winter have made the decision to retire. Head of Year 12 and Operations Manager Ian Hunt is transitioning to retirement by teaching science part-time at a school closer to home and Business Manager Stacey Burton has accepted a part-time position with the Education Department.

Ian, Stacey, Jenny, Mary Anne and Robyn were dedicated professionals who gave their all to the school and students and we wish them all the best for their lives post-Mod.

Jenny Spearman, Ian Hunt and Stacey Burton at their farewell.

Caitlin Revell with the 2016 Beazley Medal: WACE.


A Modern Wonder

A Class AbovePerth Modern School has topped the State for academic achievement, based on the results of its Year 12 students.

The method used to compile the school comparison rankings has changed following reforms to Year 12 courses. The top 50 is now calculated based on the median Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) achieved by students in each school.

Students at Perth Modern School recorded a median ATAR of 95.55, which means that half of its 222 students attained a rank that was even higher than that, a very signifi cant achievement.

Beazley medallist Caitlin Revell says award is recognition for diligence

KATE LEAVER, WESTERN SUBURBS WEEKLY

Caitlin Revell shed a tear of joy and relief when she found out the prestigious Beazley Medal was hers.

Caitlin’s achievement marks the third year in a row a student at Perth Modern School has been awarded the highest honour for WA’s top exam results.

‘I was completely surprised and in shock when I found out,’ the 17-year-old said. ‘I learnt a lot about dealing with pressure, which was a big thing for me and also about being diligent with study each night.’

‘Caitlin’s work ethic is second to none, she put in so much heart, soul and focus as well as hours and hours of study—we were telling her to go to bed and she would be setting the alarm for 6.30am the next morning,’ her mother Sally said.

‘She has always had self-motivation; whatever she chooses to do she gives it 110 per cent.’

Despite thinking she had failed her fi rst exam of six, Caitlin said resilience was the most important lesson for students going into Year 12 this year.

‘The hardest thing is turning it around the next day and sitting the next exam—it really was about the high standards I placed on myself,’ she said.

‘I think as a year group we defi nitely supported each other—particularly towards the end.

‘The teachers were equally as supportive and so many of them were willing to put in extra time when I had extra questions—I had a lot of questions to ask.’

In between her dedicated study schedule, she said art and athletics kept her going.

Caitlin plans to study a double degree in physics and engineering this year.

99.95 Club

Congratulations to the following students who obtained a perfect ATAR of 99.95:

Caitlin RevellRebecca GreenAlan Cheng

99 Club

Congratulations to the following students who obtained an ATAR of 99+ (this list does not include the students above who scored 99.95)

Luna-Faye VeldElla Fox-MartensRadheya JegathevaAlex PanJane PankhurstJoshua OngEmma ChenAmy KimAlex ChiAngela Antoff Owen Taylor-WilliamsPersis ChiaPriya FisherSimone Pandit

Arka Prava ChandraInes Real-RodriguezSarah TangJesse HafnerKaizan Xia Wei Hong Lauryn CoombesAlex RohlEdi SinghAnh NguyenEmily WangIsha SinghFelix Von PergerMax YapBashkim Arifi

Sean LiKaruna NairGiulia VillaMatthew CollinsSupisara Suk-UdomElizabeth KnightVirinchi RallabhandiBedanta DhalShivangi GuptaDaniel HoEugene HuangNicole TanSean Bong

99+ Club: Radyeha Jegatheva, Alex Chi, Giulia Vila, Alex Rohl, Daniel Ho and Elizabeth Knight. Photo courtesy Trevor Collens.


Beazley Medal: WACE

The Beazley Medal: WACE is awarded to the student attaining the highest score in the determination of the general exhibitions.

Caitlin Revell

General Exhibitions

General Exhibitions are awarded to the 50 eligible students with the highest School Curriculum and Standards Authority WACE award scores based on the average of fi ve scales scores with at least two from each of the humanities/social science list and the mathematics/science list.

Caitlin RevellRebecca GreenNicole TanElizabeth KnightAlan Cheng

School Curriculum and Standards Authority award winners

Associate Principal Val Furphy, Head of Year 12 Ian Hunt and Associate Principal Steve Jurilj with General Exhibition winners Daniel Ho, Isha Singh, Rebecca Green, Alan Cheng, Caitlin Revell, Elizabeth Knight and Bedanta Dhal. Absent: Nicole Tan and Edi Singh.

Isha SinghBedanta DhalEdi SinghDaniel Ho

Subject Exhibitions

A Subject Exhibition is awarded to the top eligible student obtaining the highest combined mark in a WACE course.

Biology Caitlin RevellJapanese: Second Language Raeann Ng (Year 11)Philosophy and Ethics Rebecca GreenPolitics and Law Caitlin RevellPsychology Alex Chi

Certificates of Excellence

A Certifi cate of Excellence is awarded to an eligible student who is in the top 0.5 per cent of candidates based on the WACE course score of the top candidates (whichever is greater) in a WACE course.

Accounting and Finance Ines Real-RodriguezAncient History Alex Pan Biology Lois Affl eck Manul Koralage (Year 11) Jane Pankhurst Virinchi Rallabhandi Caitlin Revell Phoebe SunChemistry Alan Cheng Rebecca Green Shivangi Gupta Arun Jha Caitlin Revell Edi SinghDesign Michal CzepielEconomics Jesse Hafner Emily WangEnglish Stephanie Beckham Anuki Jagodage Radheya Jegatheva Annie TranHuman Biology Shivangi Gupta Robert KingItalian: Second Language Karuna NairJapanese: Second Language Raeann Ng (Year 11) Yi Si WongLiterature Alex ChiMathematics Applications Matthew PoultneyMathematics Methods Jonathan DarmagoModern History Matthew CollinsPhilosophy and Ethics Rebecca GreenPhysics Alan Cheng Eugene Huang Sean Li Caitlin Revell Max YapPolitics and Law Caitlin RevellPsychology Alex Chi Elizabeth Knight


Certificates of Distinction

A Certifi cate of Distinction is awarded to each eligible student who, in their last three years of secondary WACE enrolment, achieves 190–200 points.

Lois Affl eckEsther AllanAngela Antoff Bashkim Arifi Stephanie BeckhamBrandon BoccolaAlden BongSean BongJack BroadbridgeSarah BurstonHayley CarlsonArka Prava ChandaEmma ChenAlan ChengAlex ChiPersis ChiaClaire ChuaJames ColasanteMatthew CollinsLauryn CoombesFinlay CooperBedanta DhalBrianny EvansPriya FisherElla Fox-MartensCrystal GohEmily GosdenRebecca GreenShivangi GuptaJesse HafnerAaron HamiltonOlivia HartwigGreta HaysDaniel HoEugene HuangJack HutchisonAlex IsraelAnuki Jagodage

Radheya JegathevaKaran JhaveriGrace JonesAbby KendellAmy KimJames KingRobert KingElizabeth KnightAnnette KongAlistair LangtonAngela LeTheodore Letch-FanciulliSean LiJacinda LohSascha LoneraganAleta LuuVivian LuuEmily LyonAlex MajriEllie MaslinScott MayThomas MayesJacob McDermottChristie McKerihanStephanie MelvinMelanie MiddletonHiva MousaviKaruna NairVictor NgoAhra OhPatrick OlofssonLachlan O’NeilJoshua OngLexman PalanirajanAlex PanSimone PanditJane PankhurstSophia Park

Reid QuekettVirinchi RallabhandiAlex Rayfi eldInes Real-RodriguezCaitlin RevellAlex RohlZenn SawYash ShitholeAvanish ShresthaEdi SinghIsha SinghSupisara Suk-UdomNicole TanAmanda TangSarah TangOwen Taylor-WilliamsEliza TesterNicola ThomasEric TianAnnie TranWillem van SchieLuna-Faye VeldGiulia VillaVaishnavi VirupakshaFelix Von PergerEmily WangPatrick WangMilindi WeerasingheKira WoodKaizan Xia Wei HongMax YapAmshalaykha YogarajShandralaykha YogarajJames YoullKatrina YuLuyao Zhang

School Curriculum and Standards Authority award winners (continued)

Duxes of

Perth Modern School

Caitlin Revell Rebecca Green Daniel Ho

Principal’s Award

for Academic Excellence

Alan Cheng Supisara Suk-UdomBedanta Dhal Nicole TanKaruna Nair Sarah TangVirinchi Rallabhandi Emily WangIsha Singh Kaizan Xia Wei Hong

Commitment to

Excellence Award

Brandon Boccola Nhi Danh

Presentation to

Student Councillors

Priya Fisher Elizabeth Knight Radheya Jegatheva Joshua Lindsay

House Awards

GOLD BADGEBrandon Boccola Virinchi RallabhandiAlan Cheng Caitlin RevellAlex Israel Nicole TanJoshua Ong Eric TianJane Pankhurst

GOLD BADGE PREVIOUSLY AWARDEDPriya Fisher Rebecca Green

PLATINUM AWARDPriya FisherRebecca Green

Australian Defence Force

Long Tan Leadership and

Teamwork Award

Hayden Krammer

The Clare Casey Service

Award

Kalini Stevens

The Caltex All Rounder

Award

Caitlin Revell

Subiaco Service Above Self

Award

Priya Fisher

Presentation Awards

Duxes Caitlin Revell, Rebecca Green and Daniel Ho.


Subject Awards

Arts And Technology AwardsComputer Science Felix Von PergerDesign-Photography Radheya JegathevaDrama Greta HaysFood Science and Technology Vivian LuuVisual Arts Anuki Jagodage

English AwardsElla Mackay Award for English Matthew CollinsLiterature Lauryn Coombes

Humanities and Social Science AwardsAccounting and Finance Ines Real-Rodriguez Katrina YuAncient History Karuna NairEconomics Emma ChenGeography Milindi WeerasingheMike McGinley Award for Modern History Emily LyonPhilosophy and Ethics Rebecca GreenPolitics and Law Caitlin Revell

Languages AwardsChinese (Background) Vivian LuuChinese Heritage Shi Han Su (Year 11)French Matthew CollinsItalian Felix Von PergerJapanese Raeann Ng (Year 11)

Mathematics AwardsMathematics Methods Bedanta DhalMathematics Applications Sean Li Matthew PoultneyMathematics Specialist Virinchi Rallabhandi

Music AwardsMusic Jane Pankhurst Lachlan D Whang (Year 11)Outstanding Instrumental Music Student Jane PankhurstDettman Music Scholarship Jane PankhurstIrene Jolley Memorial Choral Award Joshua LindsayTom Kent Scholarship Finlay CooperJohn Peter Coles Award for Top Vocal Student Greta Hays

Physical Education AwardsPhysical Education Studies Robert KingSports Person of the Year Eric Tian Nicola ThomasSports Citizen of the Year Nicola Thomas

Science AwardsBiological Sciences Caitlin RevellChemistry Caitlin RevellHuman Biological Science Shivangi GuptaPhysics Caitlin RevellPsychology Karuna NairThe Dr Albert Walkington Prize for Chemistry and Physics Caitlin Revell

‘Engineers Australia’

Certificates for Excellence

in Science and Mathematics

Bashkim Arifi Jack BroadbridgeAlan ChengBedanta DhalRebecca GreenShivangi GuptaDaniel HoEugene HuangSean LiAleta LuuJacob McDermott

Victor NgoHoang Anh NguyenVirinchi RallabhandiAlexander RohlYash ShitoleIsha SinghNicole TanOwen Taylor-WilliamsEric TianKaizan Xia Wei HongMax Yap

Youth Ambassadors Awards

Summer Bailey-KerberSean BongArka Prava ChandaEmma ChenGeorgia CroweNhi DanhShivangi GuptaAmy KimAngela LeRenee LeechenAleta LuuAlex MajriAnneliese NgHoang Anh NguyenAhra OhJoshua Ong

Aoibhinn O’SheaSophia ParkVivi Phan-TranIsha SinghEdi SinghKalini StevensPhylicia SuhartonoSupisara Suk-UdomAmanda TangSarah TangOwen Taylor-WilliamsNicola ThomasEric TianWillem van SchieAnuradha VenugopalClara Yuen

Yearbook Award

Angela LeAhra Oh

Perth Modern School Board Chair Michael Henderson with winner of the Clare Casey Service Award Kalini Stevens.


Inaugural Colour Run for Raise the RoofNIKKI REILLY, MANAGER MIDDLE YEARS

Clouds of yellow, green,

blue, red and purple fi lled the sky as over 300 excited

Perth Modern students ran, walked and crawled their way through the

inaugural Colour Run.

White shirts turned to rainbows as staff and House Representatives displayed their Physical Education skills as they hit runner after runner, showering the crowd in fun and good times! The funds collected

went towards the Raise the Roof fundraiser for our new 700 seat multi-purpose auditorium, but the real winner on

the day was fun!


Modernian spirit inspires Charity Day

A beautiful sunny day was the perfect backdrop for the second annual Charity Day with students enjoying a much-deserved break from classroom activities as they mingled with each other enjoying delicious food and fun activities such as sumo wrestling and face painting.

Year 9 students ran a range of interesting stalls and interactive activities, putting their heart and soul into making their stall stand out from the crowd. A wonderful, collegial atmosphere ensured everyone had a good time while raising money for the Kids Cancer Support Group at PMH. In total, Charity Day raised $4215.31, a fantastic result.

y DDay


Modernian Oration

Refl ections on being a ModernianEXTRACT OF ANNUAL ORATION PRESENTED BY

PROFESSOR LESLEY PARKER AM FTSE

Good morning to you all. I chose to speak today about ‘being a Modernian’ because I feel that this is something we can all relate to in our diff erent ways. I’m a Modernian, my parents were both Modernians, my sister and many of my lifelong friends are Modernians. You of course are Modernians—I wonder how much you have thought about this? Perhaps my short talk today will provide you with some food for thought in this regard—I hope so!

My own journeyI spent fi ve years at Mod submerged in a rather exclusive, debatably coeducational, academic, meritocratic environment and with a culture marked by high expectations. I emerged as a rather naïve young woman with a commitment to intellectual excellence and with a passion for science, for music (although not actually taught at school) and for sport. I toyed with the ideas of becoming a musician or a scientist and I always had a hankering to be a teacher, perhaps to pass on my passions to coming generations. I had an emerging concern for those who were less well-off in society. I was also aware that, even in places such as Mod, there could be a tendency, to put down those who appeared to be over-achievers. Overall, I realised that I had received a privileged education, but I rather took it for granted and I gave little thought to whether this was actually compatible with my embryonic concerns for fairness and equity in society.

At a personal level my family tried to convey that there were few limits on what girls could achieve. I was actively encouraged to study science and mathematics and in both areas, became well

used to being one of a small minority of females in predominantly male areas. In my subsequent education and working life, I was able, through a combination of circumstances, to combine science and education and equity concerns, and, at the same time, exploit my predilection for actually running things. My time as Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Curtin University remains one of the highlights of my career. When I took up the position in 1997, I was the fi rst woman appointed to such a senior role in the university.

Despite progress in equality, there remains much to do and, in some areas, the scenario is still bleak. As Ginsberg has highlighted recently: all over the world, most people in poverty are women and children, women’s earnings lag behind those of men with comparable education and experience, workplaces have yet to accommodate adequately the demands of child bearing and child rearing and sexual harassment at work and domestic violence in our homes remain problems to be solved. Thus, signifi cant inequities remain, perhaps for you to address.

Whither Generation Z?I now arrive at your generation, variously referred to as Generation Z, the iGeneration or the millennials. Born between approximately 1995 and 2009 you are the fi rst generation never to have experienced the pre-internet world and the pre-9/11 world. Compared with the miniscule fi ve per cent who completed 12 years of schooling in my parents’ time, around three quarters of your cohort, State-wide, will achieve this.

As a generation, you have already been the subject of a lot of quite well publicised research and conjecture (both in Australia and overseas), typically focused on the challenges which you face and perhaps less often on the strategies you have devised to meet those challenges. One of the most recent ones was reported in Time


magazine in an article entitled The Kids Are Not All Right. It pointed out that your generation is experiencing adolescence at a time when technology and social media are transforming society and lamented that, for some post-millennials this has led to a situation which is detrimental to their mental health, because there is no fi rm line between the real and the online worlds.

Another piece of research (this time Australian) recently addressed the litany of skills you are alleged to be in need of in order to embark on the world, asserting that, as university graduates you

will be need to be socially intelligent, subject matter experts, independent learners, highly innovative, creative, and collaborative; [you] will need portable skillsets, a solid CV with relevant work experience and new media literacy. All this, plus [you] will need to be open-minded to have a successful career in a job market that will be dominated by casual employment and short-term contracts.

Third, we have seen recently in Perth the attempt by The West Australian to give voice to your generation. I wonder how many of you read or engaged with the views expressed there by a selection of WA school students. The list of their concerns is impressive: euthanasia, marriage equality, shortage of jobs (and the potential of internships in this regard), the plight of regional youth, e-waste, concerns about social networking, continuing inequality in the world, organ donation, the under-recognition of women’s sport and ways of celebrating Book Week.

I think the wonderful thing about all of this is that there is the opportunity for your voices to be heard, in ways that youth voices, when I was your age, were rarely taken into account. I urge you to make the most of such opportunities.

In drawing this oration to a conclusion, I wonder also how you are going to recognise, confront and resolve possible contradictions and dilemmas such as those I have raised this morning:

• between selective education and fairness to all

• between the tall poppy syndrome and valuing everyone equally

• between meritocratic principles and the pressure created by tests and examinations

• between the good and the evil of social networking

• between the plethora of opportunities available to you and the pressure of selecting from amongst these opportunities.

I am confi dent that you will succeed in this. I recall that one of the pleasanter duties of my professional career was to sit for many years on the WA Rhodes Scholarship Selection Committee. Every year, my optimism and awe at the achievements and commitment of young people were renewed and I rejoiced in this. I remain hopeful that your experience as benefi ciaries of Ginsberg’s ‘enlistment of talent’ and your heritage as Modernians will stand you in good stead.

I fi nish by sharing with you a reference from the Book of Tobit from the Apocrypha, which I’ve always found very moving. This is my take on a blessing given by a parent when farewelling a youth:

‘Go in peace my children. I hope to hear nothing but good of you, as long as I live’.

From top: Peter Farr, Abigail Campbell-Young and Thomas Morrison. Pooja Ramesh and Sallie Davies. Perth Modern School Board Chair Michael Henderson, Hye Kang Kim, Belinda Luu and Kevin Parker AC RFD QC. Lydia Hill-Almeida, Barrie Baker and Millie Muroi.

Left: Principal Lois Joll, 2017 Head Girl Naomi Cha, Professor Lesley Parker AM FTSE and 2017 Head Boy Sagar Badve.


Students fi nd rewards in CambodiaSOPHIE DUTHIE, YEAR 11

The 2016 Cambodia Tour has been the most incredible and rewarding experience that we could ask for. On the fi rst day, we explored the city and visited many of the sites including the Royal Palace, Independence Monument, and the deeply confronting Genocide Museum.

The rest of our tour days were fi lled with community work in Andong, a local village just outside Phnom Penh. In the fi rst week, we cleaned and painted the local school and Stellar Children’s Trust Centre. We created and ran activities with the kids and overall had an amazing time working alongside the teachers and students at the school.

One of the highlights of the tour was spending a day with some kids from the Centre. We went to an arcade, watched a movie and, to top it all off , had pizza for dinner. We also met Srey Roth, one of the former students at the Centre, who we have very proudly helped in funding her further education in university. The following week, we continued on with our community work at another school, this time building a playground for the students.

Throughout the tour we also experienced the local cuisine and markets, working on our bartering skills in the process and spending pretty much every penny we had!

We all had an amazing time learning about Cambodia and hope that our work will have a positive impact on the community. We believe that ongoing involvement in Andong will help to further improve the local educational facilities for the students. A sewing centre run by The Stellar Children’s Trust makes and sells unique, handmade products such as bags and purses to aid in the funding of the organisation’s facilities.

All products are available for purchase through Perth Modern School.


Rollercoaster tour of JapanLUCY ROHL, YEAR 10

December is always a fun time of the year. School is ending and Christmas is only beginning. However, December 2015 was truly an unforgettable experience for 20 Perth Mod students as we received a letter from Ms Spearman and Mr Asano Sensei.

All in all, the trip was tiring. We were often short on sleep and would walk around for hours on end with no rest in sight. Furthermore, talking nothing but Japanese for two weeks put us under a lot of mental strain as well. By the time we were back in Australia, we were ready to hibernate for at least a month.

But, I wouldn’t have had it any other way. We learnt so much, not only about the Japanese language but also the culture and the history. We made friendships with our host families and solidifi ed those amongst each other. The 2016 Japan Tour was a rollercoaster and one we’ll remember for the rest of our lives.

‘Dear Parent/Guardian,’ the letter read.

‘Thank you for expressing your interest for the 2016 Study Tour to Japan.’ *gasp* This is about the tour? Please tell me I got in. Please, please, please!

‘After the selection process, your child has been selected to participate in the 2016 Study Tour to Japan.’ YEEAAH!!

It was just like receiving our entrance letter for Perth Mod, only better. We were ecstatic, hardly believing that we would actually get to go to the Land of Toyota, Nintendo and Sports Anime. However, our happiness was quickly crushed when we were told the lengths of our fl ights: fi ve-and-a-half hours from Perth to Singapore and seven hours from Singapore to Fukuoka, Japan. And to top it all off , all these fl ights occurred from 5.10pm Perth time to 8.35am Japan time. Hip hip hooray.

When we arrived in Japan (understandably shattered, mind you) we started a day of sightseeing in Hiroshima. We would be sightseeing that entire week, travelling to Miyajima, Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo. We were blessed with seeing beautiful shrines, shopping for hours on end and eating food worth drooling over. A highlight was defi nitely the day we visited Universal Studios Japan for a whole day. Being chased by someone dressed as a zombie whilst Mr Jurilj, Associate Principal of Perth Modern School, laughs at you is truly an unforgettable experience.

In the second week, we participated in a homestay with students and their families from Tamabe Junior High School in Akishima City Tokyo. We met them on Friday evening and spent the weekend with them. We all did a range of activities, from going to Disneyland to shopping to our heart’s content.

We then spent four days attending Tamabe Junior High School. We had three periods where we shadowed our host student and the rest was a variety of Japanese cultural activities. We wore kimonos while visiting local shrines and temples, attended a Judo session, played wadaiko (Japanese drums) and made mochi. All too quickly, the tour was coming to an end. After a tearful goodbye full of blubbering and snivelling, we were shepherded onto a bus that would take us to Haneda Airport.

And suddenly, we were back in Australia.


Canberra Sydney TourPAIGE DHU AND SHIVANGI SHARMA, YEAR 9

The Year 9 Canberra Sydney Tour was absolutely awesome. Every day was something diff erent from Parliament House to Taronga Zoo and a Macca’s run in between.

It was great to learn more about Australia’s history, see some of the most important places in the country and do it all with amazing students and teachers. We made memes we’ll never forget and built friendships we will always have. From Kishen adopting the fi rst aid kit and naming it Walter, to Rana diving into a pane of glass every moment was memorable for its own reasons.

We’re so glad to have gotten the opportunity to be part of this experience with such amazing teachers, awesome students and the world’s best bus driver @michaelkinnard.

Mongolia Tour for Bright Blue

In September a group of eight students from Perth Modern School, with the guidance of the Police Commissioner’s Bright Blue Mongolia Project, undertook an expedition to the mountainous northern border of Mongolia where the Dukha people live.

WA Police Commissioner Karl O’Callaghan and Associate Principal Val Furphy accompanied the students on tour. The students fundraised before the trip to help send a volunteer medical team to Mongolia to mentor surgeons and treat children with severe burns.


Sustainability Club

Homeward Bound ProjectAAYUSHI SHAH AND YASMINE HOSSEINI, YEAR 10

Climate change is among the most pressing global issues we face today, and whether you believe in its severity or not there is no question that it is a subject of discussion and research within the global community.

As students of the Sustainability Form group, we have recently been in touch with Kathleen Patrick, one of the 78 female scientists who embarked on a brave journey to Antarctica late in 2016 to conduct climate change research on the ice masses, as part of the crowd-funded ‘Homeward Bound’ project, an initiative for women in science.

Kathleen works as an Indigenous Education Coordinator at Scitech and through visits to our advocacy group, we have come to understand her personal backstory, scientifi c

career and her devotion to the Homeward Bound mission. We also engaged in the research and presented our own questions and ideas for Kathleen to take on board when she travelled to Antarctica.

To help fund the trip and the equipment required to conduct tests, the Year 10 students of the Sustainability Form organised a viewing of the classic movie Ice Age and served delicious home-made nachos and brownies. The Lecture Theatre was transformed into mini cinema complete with beanbags, cushions and comfortable high jump mats. The event was a huge success and we would like to thank everyone who gave up their Friday evening to come along and particularly those who helped us organise the evening,

Mr Fuhrmann and Ms Burton, staff at the school café, Boris from the IT Hub, the school Finance Department and the Food Technology teachers and staff . Above all, we thank every Year 10 student in our Sustainability Form who put in hours of work behind the scenes and helped us organise and manage an event like this.

We are excited to see the results of the expedition’s studies and to hear from Kathleen about what the trip was like and gain the answers to our questions. Climate change may not be an issue we can tackle on our own, but we certainly can be directly involved in understanding its causes and eff ects, through our affi liation and support for initiatives such as the Homeward Bound Project.

Rio Tinto Earth AssistStudents from the Sustainability Club were selected to participate in a review of the Rio Tinto Earth Assist program being conducted by Murdoch University.

Dr Amanda Woods-McConney and Dr Katie Roe visited the school last week and interviewed students to gain an insight into their Earth Assist experience. The students participated in a coastal dune re-vegetation activity learning about the natural movement of primary dunes and the erosion caused by tides and storm surges. Students learnt the value of dune vegetation in generating dune stability and also the ongoing management required to keep our beaches user friendly.

The City of Subiaco Sustainable Verge and Garden Awards

Sustainability Form members participating in dune restoration at CY O’Connor Beach. Right: Natasha Hartono.

Wildlife Revegetation Project.

The Perth Modern School Sustainability Group is the joint recipient of the Schools Award in the City of Subiaco Sustainable Verge and Garden Awards.

The award recognises verges and gardens that demonstrate a notable contribution to the city’s wider landscape, help strengthen green corridors and have features that contribute to sustainable living practices. Students won the award based on their work turning a weedy unkempt patch along the Perth to Fremantle rail line into a beautiful biodiverse native planting.


Twenty-four ICAS medals won by Perth Mod students

ICAS: Perth Modern School ICAS medallists with Principal Lois Joll.

An incredible 24 International Competition and Assessment for Schools (ICAS) medals have been won by 23 students which is a record for Perth Modern School.

In 2016 more than 980,000 entries were received but only 514 students from Australia and 100 students from New Zealand and the Pacifi c Region were awarded medals for their outstanding achievement. Winners will be presented with their medal at a special ceremony.

Congratulations to the following students:

EnglishAurora Nelson (Year 9)Ethan Dowley (Year 9)Alice Clark (Year 9)

Digital TechnologiesKeith Wong (Year 7)Nathan Townsend (Year 9)Kishen Saai Prabakara Rao (Year 9)Triyoga Ara Warddhana (Year 9)

MathematicsSithum Somarathna (Year 7)Micah Sinclair (Year 7)Christopher Stuart (Year 7)Horang Yang (Year 7)Akash Jayaram (Year 8)Abhin Bhandari (Year 8)Bertrand Nheu (Year 9)Mohammad Ismail Siddiqui (Year 11)Alan Cheng (Year 12)Chinmay Garg (Year 12)

SciencePierce Evans (Year 7)Alliana Young (Year 7)Sithum Somarathna (Year 7)Eshaan Singh-Tham (Year 7)Nicholas Mahoney (Year 8)Walter Wang (Year 9)Lincoln Van Halen (Year 10)Zhong Xien Yeoh (Year 11)

Tina Soodi Shoar in Year 8 has won an Australian Mathematics Competition (AMC) medal.

Only 22 medals were awarded in 2016 from more than three hundred thousand participants.

Tina says she has always enjoyed mathematics as ‘it is logical, makes sense and there is only one correct answer.’ When Tina was told she had won the medal she said she ‘pinched’ herself as it was the fi rst time she had won an award for maths.

She said she was proud to be a girl awarded the medal as most mathematics competitions tend to be dominated by boys. ‘I hope my success in the competition will inspire other girls to believe in themselves and challenge themselves in maths,’ Tina said.

As for a future career using mathematics, Tina is planning to study biometric engineering so she can help people with replacement limbs and, potentially, organs.

Tina was presented with her medal by Governor-General Peter Cosgrove at a special ceremony in Canberra.

Her Excellency Lady Cosgrove, Jacqui Carter, Tina Soodi Shoar, His Excellency Governor General the Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrove and Payam Soodi Shoar at Government House in Canberra.

Tina wins an Australian Mathematics Competition medal

Yi Shan achieves a High Distinction in German


Mod a fi nalist in the Governor’s STEM Awards

Principal Lois Joll, Head of Science Ant Meczes, Luke Uden, Jasmine Schmidt and WA Governor Kerry Sanderson AC.

Australian Science Olympiad Summer SchoolYear 11 Perth Modern School students Phoebe Sun and Arun Jha were selected to attend the elite Australian Science Olympiad Summer School after achieving an outstanding performance in the qualifying exam in August in which over 5000 students took part.

Arun Jha, Phoebe Sun and Zhong Xien Yeoh.

There are four languages off ered at Perth Modern School: Chinese, Japanese, French and Italian.

So it was a remarkable achievement for Yi Shan Lim in Year 9 to be awarded with a High Distinction in Division III of the Deutsch-Australischer Sprachverein (DAS) German language examinations. Yi Shan was presented with a certifi cate at a special ceremony by Torsten Ketelsen, Honorary Consul of the German Consulate in Perth.

Yi Shan Lim and Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany Torsten Ketelsen.

Perth Modern School has been named a fi nalist in the Governor’s STEM Awards for the second year in a row.

The awards recognise excellence in the provision of enrichment and extension activities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths.

International Science Olympiads. The summer school is held at The Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra.

The students live on the ANU campus and have access to lecturers, tutors, laboratories and support staff to help hone their theoretical and practical science skills. During this rigorous program students learn the equivalent of a fi rst year university course in biology, chemistry, Earth and environmental science or physics.

Phoebe was awarded a gold medal for Biology and Arun a gold medal for Chemistry.

Fellow Year 11 student Zhong Xien Yeoh won two gold medals for Biology and Chemistry and a silver for Physics but is not eligible for the summer school as he is yet to become an Australian citizen.

They will join 91 of Australia’s most talented science students at this intensive residential program, working hard to earn a spot representing Australia at the 2016

Chess team come third in nationalsCRAIG GANNON, CHESS COORDINATOR

Charles Underwood, Anthony Hicks, Andrey Lugovskoy, Jarvis Wileman, Victor Sun and Jay Sharma.

The school chess players had another successful year in 2016. After placing third in the open division of the State competition we were invited to compete in the nationals.

We entered the Middle Years Division and fi nished third overall. We also received the shield for being the top ranked interstate team. Our top player was Andrey Lugovskoy who fi nished in 13th place overall, closely followed by Charles Underwood who was 14th. It was a real team eff ort to come third.


Louisa Lok, Radheya Jegatheva and Claire Chua.

Three Perth Modern School students have been awarded prizes in the 2016 Katharine Susannah Prichard Writing Competition. Radheya Jegatheva in Year 12 was awarded two fi rst places, one for a short story and one for a poem.

Radheya was awarded First place in the KSP Poetry Awards in the Youth section for his poem Seven Billion and First place in the KSP Speculative Fiction category in the Youth section for Silence.

Radheya was also the recipient of a young Australian writers Award in the Fortescue Metals Literary Award for Best Poetry in the Secondary School category for Seven Billion.

In the KSP Short Fiction Youth category, Louisa Lok in Year 9 was commended for her short story, Man vs Machine.

In the KSP Speculative Fiction Youth category, Claire Chua in Year 12 was commended for her story, Virid.

Alisa Krashostein from Twelfth Planet Press said this about Radheya’s writing in Silence:

In ‘Silence’ by Radheya Jegatheva our protagonist is alone fl oating in space. Silence is both evocative and moody and manages to balance both the majestic beauty and suff ocating loneliness of being stranded in space. The mood of this piece has stuck with me long after I read it, which is for me the sign of a good piece of writing.

2016 Katharine Susannah Prichard Writing Competition

Perth Modern School is full to the brim with dedicated and knowledgeable teachers who go above and beyond to ensure their students are receiving the best educational opportunities.

It is fabulous that 17 of our teachers were rewarded for their excellence by being nominated by a member of the school community for a People’s Choice Award as part of the WA Education Awards.

Congratulations to Jackson Best, Christine Cheng, Tania Elliott, Monica Franz, Ross Fuhrmann, Matthew Healy, Moira Hearne, Ian Hunt, Nakita Kitson, Roseanne Leece, Rick McMahon, Rachel Miller, Jane Nicholson, Alistair Norrie, Jarrad Strain, Walter Wilson and Simon Zhou.

Head of Year 12 Ian Hunt was the overall winner of the People’s Choice Award.

Seventeen teachers nominated for WA Education Awards

People’s Choice Award winner Ian Hunt.

Seven of our 17 teaching awards nominees: Walter Wilson, Christine Cheng, Simon Zhou, Tania Elliott, Rachel Miller, Jarrad Strain and Jane Nicholson.


Sithum is a mathematics whiz

Sithum Somarathna in Year 7 has been awarded the Most Outstanding Year 7 student in the WA Junior Mathematics Olympiad.

He was part of the Perth Modern School team also featuring Micah Sinclair, Minjae Kim and Jordan Fisker that was awarded highest scoring Year 7 team in the competition. Micah Sinclair was awarded second highest scoring Year 7 student.

In addition, Sithum has been awarded with two ICAS medals for topping the State in Mathematics and Science.

Sithum Somarathna receiving his two ICAS medals.

Micah Sinclair, Minjae Kim and Sithum Somarathna. Absent: Jordan Fisker

Victory in the First LEGO League CompetitionPerth Mod has achieved more great success in robotics with our victory in the First LEGO League Competition.

The competition involved Middle Years students in teams of up to 10 build and program a robot while also learning about a modern problem in science and engineering a solution for it. Our students won the Presentation Award, Robot Performance Award and all-round Champion’s Award.

Claire Lee, Caryanne Koh, Walter Wilson, Reef Kitaeff , Isuri Liyanage, Nathan Townshend, Angela Deng, Anuththara Kuruppu, James Townshend and Shimaa Ibrahim.

Perth Modern School students hard at work in the First LEGO League Competition.

Glorious result for Davina in piano

Davina Staneva with her piano teacher Larisa Mecheriakova.

Davina Staneva in Year 11 has passed her fi nal AMEB piano exam at UWA, achieving a grade of eight which is the highest grade before the Conservatorium.

The result qualifi es Davina to teach up to grade fi ve and was a most satisfying result after two years of solid piano practise and refi nement.


National Young Historian of the Year: Sarah Tang with Foreign Minister Julie Bishop MP.

National History Challenge winners Angela Le, Sarah Tang, Persis Chia, Mathilda Hunt, Ahra Oh, Aaron Xu and Simone Pandit.

‘Triumph and Tragedy’ was the theme for the 2016 National History Challenge. Once again, Perth Modern School has participated in the National History Challenge and achieved some excellent results. Students from across all year groups were invited to undertake research into any aspect of History and connect it to the theme.

Students deserve commendation and acknowledgement for their participation in this extra-curricular endeavour. It required time, commitment and persistence. A special mention needs to be extended to a few students.

Aryan Singh in Year 8 focused on the French Revolution and placed in the top three for his age category and the special category of Democracy.

Inspired by Dr Fiona Wood’s address to their year group, Angela Le, Ahra Oh, Simone Pandit and Persis Chia worked together to produce a media production on the Bali Bombings and the subsequent medical breakthrough of spray on skin. They were awarded as top three winners for their age category.

National History ChallengeLOUISE SECKER, HEAD OF HASS

Aaron Xu and Mathilda Hunt both researched the impact of white settlement on Aboriginal Australians and placed in the top three within the Indigenous category.

Year 12 student Sarah Tang, inspired by guest speaker Dr Sue Boyd, looked at the Portuguese Carnation Revolution. She was awarded National Young Historian of the Year in the Democracy category and was fl own to Canberra to accept her award.

The theme for 2017 is ‘Making a Better World?’ It’s never too early to start thinking about ideas and researching an aspect of History that interests you.

UNYouth Voice State ChampionsLOUISE SECKER, HEAD OF HASS

Tanisha Dunuwille, Aditya Bose Mandal, Rana Ibrahim and Shraddha Bose Mandal.

This year we have seen a number of infl uential speeches by national and international leaders discussing the state of the world. They have generated discussion about what the issues are within society and highlighted the power of speech to motivate people.

Fifteen students from Perth Modern School participated in the UNYouth Voice competition, testing their ability to deliver speeches that off ered innovative and sustainable solutions to contemporary issues. The issues addressed ranged from bullying in schools to extremist nationalism.

Six students were invited to participate in the Grand Final comprising of 10 fi nalists for each division. Aditya Bose Mandal, Julia Aguinot and Tanisha Dunuwille participated in the Junior Division whilst Shraddha Bose Mandal, Rana Ibrahim and Benjamin Caulfi eld participated in the Senior Division.

After some wonderful performances, Tanisha Dunuwille was named winner of the Junior division and Rana Ibrahim the winner of the Senior Division. Aditya Bose Mandal was named runner-up in the Junior Division and Shraddha Bose Mandal in Year 10 received a highly commended in the Senior Division.

Rana, Tanisha, Aditya and Shraddha have been invited to the national competition to be held in Hobart in 2017.


Radheya’s fi lm Journey wins more international prizes

Radheya Jegatheva’s hit fi lm Journey about two astronauts lost in space has won more international awards.

The fi lm achieved two awards at the Raw Science Film Festival at 20th Century Fox Studios in Los Angeles. Radheya won the ‘Best Youth Dramatic’ category as well as the ‘Janet-Ivey Duensing Permission to Dream’ award. In his acceptance speech, Radheya made a special presentation to Professor Kip Thorne (who discovered gravity waves) on behalf of the School of Physics, University of Western Australia.

The Raw Science Film Festival is an off shoot of the Raw Science website which is devoted to STEM.

Journalist Rod Pyle writing for Space.com wrote the following about the Raw Science Film Festival and Journey:

The fi lm festival dominated the fi rst part of the day, featuring fi lms notable for their interpretations of science aimed at a general audience. The screenings began with the space-based short fi lm ‘Journey’ by Radheya Jegatheva, a 17-year-old Australian student, artist, writer and now fi lmmaker with a gift for both prose and visual engagement. The piece is elegant, polished and deeply thoughtful.

Raeann Ng

Raeann comes third in the national Japanese Speech Contest

Karina Abrahams and Abby Longmuir.

Art Speaks Japanese ContestYear 10 Japanese club students, Abby Longmuir, Karina Abrahams, and Sifan Wu participated in the Art Speaks Japanese Contest organised by the Japan Foundation in Sydney.

The students designed Japanese fans using kanji characters beautifully. Their art work received fi rst prize in the Middle Years division of the Class Award category.

Radheya Jegatheva at the Raw Science Film Festival with one of the judges Raff ety Jackson.

After Raeann Ng in Year 11 originally achieved fi rst place in the WA Japanese Speech competition, she fl ew to Sydney to compete in the National Speech competition, placing a very creditable third. Her success is motivating her to continue studying Japanese post-secondary.

Entering this speech contest is a decision that I will never regret. Although the preparation was hard and the stress did build up when the contest was near, it was nevertheless a rewarding and challenging experience. This contest enabled me to share with others my thoughts and ideas in a language I don’t usually have the chance to use in my daily life. The Speech Contest Finals not only provided an invaluable opportunity for me to travel to Sydney for the fi rst time but also to interact with like-minded people from the other states, who share a similar interest in the Japanese language and culture. This experience has encouraged and motivated me to further my study of the Japanese language. As it is an experience that you cannot get elsewhere, I would defi nitely recommend people who study Japanese to participate in this contest!


Year 7 House CampPAUL GREEN, HEAD OF YEAR 7

Students demonstrate the strength of their unityThe Year 7 House Camp was a highlight of the calendar with over 200 students attending the three day event.

The camp was a chance for the students to let their hair down and enjoy the challenges of the outdoor world and work together in House teams to overcome a wide range of challenging situations while getting to know their teachers and classmates on a more personal level.

Following a loud bus trip to Woodman Point, students were quickly bustled into their dormitories to deposit their months‘ worth of clothing and head out for the fi rst of many activities. These included indoor rock climbing, a fl ying fox, raft building, archery, orienteering and various team building activities. Evenings were fi lled with Theatre Sports, talks on cyber safety and then quiet time in the dormitories ready for a restful slumber in preparation for the busy times ahead.

The students all demonstrated the strength of their unity, working cohesively and showing the high levels of respect that we value as a school. I am extremely proud of the conduct of every student on the camp, with all staff who attended commenting on the high level of maturity and good behaviour

displayed by the group. Thank you to all who supported the camp.


Year 9 Wellness Camp

A focus on wellness contributed to a fabulous two day camp at Ern Halliday for Year 9 students who enjoyed time out from the classroom to be active, play games, get to know each other a little better and test their boundaries.

Wellness is more than just a buzzword. It is a way of life. Being ‘well’ involves living a balanced life by participating actively, taking time out for relaxation, eating healthily and connecting with others.

Year 9 students were positively engaged in the act of living well and arrived home energised and enthused for the rest of the Term 4.


Mo’s galore for MovemberMIKE BRUTTY, HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Sphinx Foundation Scholarships

Congratulations to the following students who are recipients of a Sphinx Foundation Scholarship or Bursary.

The Jean and Jim Cundill Creative Writing Scholarship Roisin Callery

The Jean and Jim Cundill Creative Writing Bursary Joshua Green

The Daniel Girling and John Down Music Scholarship Benjamin Caulfi eld

The Daniel Girling and John Down Music Bursary Eloise Oakley

The Don Tyler Physics Scholarship Kartikeya Bisht

The Don Tyler Chemistry Scholarship Rachel Taylor

The Don Tyler Biological Science Scholarship Emily Tang

The Perth Modernian Society Mathematics Scholarship Mandar Karkhanis

The Shirley Randell Social Sciences Scholarship Orlagh Latawski

The Malcolm Evans Foreign Languages Scholarship Robert Glyde

The Ling and Chris Hayes Economics-Accounting Scholarship Shaun Doss

Volunteer Task Force gets to work

CAMILLE FRENCH AND NADIA CARTER,

YEAR 9

Kourosh Roohi, Jan Sonder-Sorensen, Luke Forte, Scott Marshall and Mike Brutty.

During Semester 2, over 120 Year 9 students have been involved in the new Volunteer Task Force initiative. Volunteer Task Force integrates environmental sustainability and community service.

It allows students the opportunity to help elderly or residents with disabilities with their gardening chores and off ers a sensory break from the classroom. Our recent personal experience with the program was full of hard work, laughs and a sense of doing something good for someone else.

After arriving at the site of our fi rst project, we picked up gloves and glasses and got to work.

As the day progressed, we rotated around diff erent roles to get the job done. Whether we were raking, weeding or picking up leaves, it was a rewarding day and we encourage other students to get involved with the program in the future.

A group of staff members carefully handpicked due to their propensity to grow dense facial hair were involved in the increasingly important ‘Movember’, which raises awareness about the importance of men’s mental health.

Sphinx Scholarship recipients with representatives from the Sphinx Foundation and scholarship donors.

Over $400 in sponsorship was accrued and we raised awareness throughout the school and the wider community for a cause that is not talked about enough. Hopefully a lot

Mo money and a lot Mo awareness can be raised for the cause.

Thank you to all those that donated and a big congratulations to the members of the ‘Mo Club’.

Volunteer Task Force members hard at work in the garden.

Volunteer Task Force members ready to start work.


A strong fi nish to the year for Youth AmbassadorsSCOTT MARSHALL, YOUTH AMBASSADORS COORDINATOR

Youth Ambassadors at the Balga Salvation Army.

Floretta Susilo, Anoushka Rastogi and Jemma Cotgrave raising money for the Cancer Council.

Year 12 students at the Youth Ambassadors Breakfast.

The Youth Ambassadors team had a strong fi nish to the year, again being involved in numerous philanthropic and community service based activities.

Perth Modern School has a small army of volunteers who give up their time to contribute in any way they can. To honour those who help make Perth Modern School a wonderful learning environment for students, a morning tea was held to say thank you.

Alison honoured at Volunteers’ Morning Tea

During the morning tea, a very special volunteer, Alison Woodman, was awarded with Honorary Membership of the Perth Modernian Society. A retired high school principal, Alison began her involvement with the school after being invited by principal Lois Joll to assist with the P&C Association coff ee table book Past, Present and Future: Perth Modern School.

Alison put in a great deal of eff ort in helping to digitise the Photographic Collection held in the Modernian Archives. Afterwards she became a regular History Centre and Archives volunteer.

Following the production of the P&C book, Alison was again commissioned by the Principal to oversee the development of the Centenary Panel and the Prefects/School Council panels which can be viewed in the Andrews

Volunteers: Gay Albillos, Sallie Davies and Petrice Judge.

Building. The latest project Alison has been involved in is the publication of 166 biographies of former students in A Celebration of Contribution: Tales of the courage, commitment and creativity of Modernians 1911–1963, with photographs sought from far and wide.

These projects have hastened the knowledge and understanding of the wealth of history and the heritage which is available to past, present and future students at Perth Modern School and to the wider community. She has also contributed many biographies of PMS staff , Perth Modernian Society Members and Volunteers to the wider school community through the School Magazine.

The Youth Ambassadors Breakfast held on October 14 recognised the almost 50 Year 12 students who had contributed either 50 or 100 hours of community service. Students were treated to croissants and muffi ns before listening to a talk by Modernian Kirsty Stewart who encouraged students to continue their community service responsibilities after graduating from high school.

Some of our Youth Ambassadors looked pretty in pink on October 21 for Pink Ribbon Day, having fun shaking tins and collecting money for the Cancer Council. Ambassadors also sold poppies on Remembrance Day at school and it was a credit to Mod’s community spirit that they were sold so quickly.

Students also travelled to Balga Salvation Army where they went all ‘Masterchef’, making a mess while preparing, cooking and serving a feast to nearby residents of the area. The students handled themselves extremely well on the day and the food actually tasted ok.

Finally, Youth Ambassadors helped out on Charity Day, whether it was cooking sausages on the BBQ, setting or packing up stalls, or just generally helping the Year 9 students run their stall, they were a tremendous help in ensuring the smooth running of the day.

Left: President of the Perth Modern Modernian Society Peter Farr presenting a speech honouring Alison Woodman. Right: Alison Woodman.


Year 10 students gain valuable work experienceSAMANTHA BENNETT-BREMNER, WORK EXPERIENCE CO-ORDINATOR

In early December, more than 220 Year 10 students took part in Skills Week where they sourced companies of interest to see if they would ‘hire’ them for a week of work experience.

The students went to many wide and varied placements as far, wide and diverse as Singapore Zoo, equine centres, medical research laboratories, retail shops, wildlife parks, schools and opportunities closer to home such as the Telethon Kids Institute right next door to the school!

Here is a snapshot of what some of our work placement providers had to say about Year 10 work experience students:

Tyler Mathewson

Cameron Cassells

Claudia Walton-McDermott

Georgia Burden

Rebecca Ye

Sunny Lu

Henry Miao: ‘I think it was a new experience for him (Henry) to work with children so young, yet he ably adapted and fl ourished in the environment. His keen attitude, manner with the students, enquiring mind and willingness to assist with all tasks was appreciated. He was a delight to have and we would welcome him back at any time.’

Jessica Nguyen: ‘Thank you for ‘loaning’ Jessica to us and we wish we could bottle her enthusiasm for our aged clients.‘

Tyler Mathewson: ‘Tyler is welcome back anytime next year again if he likes—what a great young man!’

Pooja Ramesh: ‘It was great having Pooja with us for a week. I hope she enjoyed as much as we enjoyed having her.’

Natasha Hartono: ‘Nothing was too much trouble for Natasha, from the worst tasks to the best she was great.’

Oscar Wilson: ‘Oscar was a great addition to our offi ce while he was here, and we’re sure he’ll excel in his fi nal year of schooling and in whatever career he chooses.’

Carlson Z Whang: ‘Carlson was excellent; he cracked on with the tasks assigned without issue or complaint. I hope he does come on board as one of our volunteers!’


2016 Report of P&C PresidentANDREW STEVENS, P&C PRESIDENT

Financial Summary for P&C 2016Income Expenses Profi t/LossP&C events for fundraising & social $ 87,285 $ 7,674 $ 79,611Non-fundraising events $ 387P&C operating expenses $ 2,364

Total profi t before contributions to school $ 87,672 $ 10,038 $77,634

School Support Contributions in 2016– Music lab renovation $ 25,000– Staff accolades $ 500– Projector for Beasley auditorium $ 18,285– 3D Printers $ 12,190

Total Contributions during 2016 $ 55,975

Current Year Net Profi t/(Loss) $ 21,659

The Parents and Citizens is a support body which aims to provide benefi t to Perth Modern students in ways that are not supported by Government.

As President of the P&C, I fi rstly wish to thank all those who supported P&C activities during 2016 by attending events or paying the voluntary P&C donation. I am delighted to report on the activities and results of this enthusiastic and strong year during which we have undertaken new fundraising activities and enjoyed a tremendous evening of entertainment and networking.

Who are the P&C?We are parents, ex parents and staff , who care to give a little of our time to enrich the student’s school experience. We are organised into a main committee plus active subcommittees for the Friends of Music and Second Hand Uniform Shop.

The Friends of Music (FoM) is an invaluable and tremendously energetic group who support the music program and all of its events, not only through various fund raising activities but also with volunteers’ assistance during concerts and events. Parents contribute enormously as caterers, stage hands and chaperones during the many orchestra and choir events and on the European Music Tour.

The Second Hand Uniform Shop (SHUS) is an invaluable facility for parents, enabling them to buy uniforms at reduced cost or sell their used uniforms. The SHUS raises money by selling donated clothes and by charging a small levy for sales of ‘consignment stock’ as well as making alterations such as hemming. If you feel you can give a little time to help out in the shop, please contact the P&C.

2016 Events in briefCommittee MeetingsThe P&C committee meet twice each term on the third and seventh Tuesdays to hear about the school activities and to discuss P&C events. Everybody is most welcome to come along and the AGM is the fi rst meeting held during Term 1. During that fi rst meeting, all of the committee positions are re-elected. Nominees must come in person and proxy voting is not allowed.

P&C PicnicOn a warm evening in March, the oval was illuminated for the biggest ever turnout of people to enjoy the free annual P&C Picnic,

this time with fabulous entertainment by the Music Department. We were treated to a range of superb performances from fi ve orchestras, while parents and their families made new connections and met their children’s buddies.

Fundraising EventsDuring 2015, volunteers from P&C joined with Friends of Music to park cars for the three pop concerts with P&C proceeds being used to buy 3D printers. Some parking events are being scheduled for 2017. We hope to see new, energetic and cheerful volunteers attracting and marshalling the cars. The P&C supports the Raise the Roof campaign for a new 700 seat multi-purpose auditorium by assisting at fundraising events and organising activities such as the sale of wine. We expect to nominate specifi c events towards this goal in 2017.

Social MeetingsSocial coordinators and Friends of Music perform an important role to give a focus for contact outside of school. Meetings were arranged in cafes and parks throughout the area, usually every two-three weeks. Sunday picnics held in various parks were popular family events giving parents the chance to network while the children play team games. They are worth going to, especially during Years 7 and 8!

WACSSO conferencePerth Modern School sent two delegates to the annual general meeting and conference of WA Council for State School Organisations across a weekend in August at the Crown. WACSSO is the body who guide and advise P&Cs so it is always interesting to learn about their workings and attend workshops

that enhance our P&C activities. During 2016, one of the featured student speakers was one of our very own from Year 9!

School BoardThe President of the P&C holds the double responsibility as a School Board member, to whom I report on P&C activities and participate with setting and assessing the school’s strategic plans.

CeremoniesP&C representatives are invited to perform various other duties during the year, such as meeting with new parents at the Pin Ceremony. It was my particular honour as President of the P&C to present a well-deserved prize at the Year 12 Presentation Ceremony.

SummaryI would like to reiterate my thanks to all parents who participated with the P&C, FoM and SHUS last year as we have undertaken new ventures and supported the school with items to enrich the students’ experience. I would kindly ask that all parents pay the voluntary contribution for 2017 but if you can aff ord to donate more, or can off er your time or skills, then we would be even more grateful.

Andrew StevensPresident P&C

Perth Modern School

Andrew Stevens presents Hayden Krammer with the Australian Defence Force Long Tan Leadership and Teamwork Award.


Year 10 Dinner Dance/CruiseLISA ANDREWS, HEAD OF YEAR 10

The Year 10 students certainly scrub up well! They looked very stylish as they boarded the lovely Crystal Swan on the evening of November 30, ready for a night of cruising the Swan River, dancing and socialising.

Some were a little camera shy, but most were happy to pose for some delightful photos that marked the occasion. The food was plentiful and delicious, coming out on platters so that students could maximise dancing time between bites to eat!

An assortment of awards were given out at the end of the evening, including the ‘Stamina Award’ for most time spent on the dance fl oor going to Navina Stevens! It was a lovely evening that I hope will be memorable for the students for many years to come. It was the perfect way to see out another successful year.

Roisin Callery, Adya Ranjan and Rebecca Ye.

Lachlan Spickett, Ben Brooks and Mackenzie Tulip.

Amira-Jade Carver-Kriege, Amy Whittle-Herbert and Georgia Burden.

Pieta Sparrow, Naoko Uemoto and Lucy Bowman.

Senuri Liyanage, Zeba Zia and Kylie Tan.Ronan Pettit, Joel Scott and Chantel Chen.

Jasper Cottle, Daniel Waits, Karrison Driver, Kiran Tibballs, Tyler Mathewson and Oskar Nivison.

Hemant Loganathan, Achyut Rajesh, Jacinta Carroll, Pooja Ramesh, Damien Piccin and Alex Wyatt.

Madeleine O’Hearn and Sarah Dang.

Charlotte McEwan and Eve Matson. Sunny Lu and Anusha Ambati.


LAW Society of WA Mock Trial CompetitionMONICA FRANZ, HASS TEACHER

This year three teams from Years 10, 11 and 12 competed in the Law Society of WA Mock Trial Competition.

The competition gives students an authentic experience of a court hearing. They receive a bundle of case materials and must prepare their case for hearing in the Supreme Court of WA. The students played various roles including witness, barrister, solicitor and court orderly. The students involved deserve high praise for their commitment and dedication to the competition, coming to school for early coaching sessions and working diligently to get the most out of the competition.

Our Year 11 team got into the fi nals in a very competitive fi eld, a feat in itself. They performed valiantly in the fi nals but lost to the competition runners-up. Thank you to coach Stephanie O’Connor as the teams would not have had the success they did without her.

Mock Trials Year 11 Team. Front row: Millie Muroe, Senuri Liyanage and Kylie Tan. Second row: Abby Longmuir, Yasmine Hosseini, Eloise Oakley and Julia Seitz.Third row: Miss Monica Franz, Kashvi Dutta, Jenny Ngo and Maxine Williams. Back row: Julian Juhas, Alice Colvin, Naomi Cha, Coco Banh and Sara Cresswell.

Dr Max Messi is interviewed by Year 9 students.

STEAM Writing DayJOSHUA STARK, YEAR 9

In the Year 9 ‘Thinking to Make Change’ course we looked at the way we learn in English and Science and decided to contact eminent scientists, conduct interviews with them and using the material gathered create a website of student writing. We were excited about making the ‘incomprehensible, comprehensible’ and making important scientifi c discoveries made by local scientists accessible to our peers by using clear and engaging language.

This venture was a result of a partnership between Perth Modern School Board member Erica Smythe and our class which provided access to The Mega Data Cluster and the CSIRO resulting in many willing and eager scientists who wanted to participate in this project.

The project culminated in a ‘STEAM Writing Day’ on November 15. Dr Oliver Berry, a marine scientist using genomes to investigate the connection between a species’ geographical location and its genetics, was one of our guests. Another guest, Dr Max Messi, explained the wonders of chemistry and how it is helping doctors diagnose medical conditions with luminescent cells.

Dr Kristen Nowak from the Harry Perkins Institute researches the genetic causes of muscular disease and was another fascinating visitor. We fi lmed our interviews to help us produce reliable and engaging writing to post on our website for the education and enlightenment of future generations.

South West Photography CampStudents in Year 11 Photography – Design enjoyed a wonderful camp in the South West where they honed their photography skills in the beautiful natural surrounds.

It was a busy few days with students up bright and early to make the most of the early morning sunlight conditions.

Alannah Paton. An early morning photography session.


Inaugural MOSCARS Ceremony

DR CAITLIN MCGUINESS,

ENGLISH TEACHER

At the end of an exciting year in which Year 7 English students studied metaphors, thinking routines, novel studies, drama and poetry, we wrapped up the year with a unit on documentaries. Students examined clips and short documentaries and then set about making their own, based on sub-cultures or other areas that piqued their interest. This unit culminated in a fabulous, inaugural, MOSCARS Ceremony, where students dressed up and walked a red carpet before awards were given out for the best documentary in diff erent categories.

The MOSCARS were hosted with much aplomb by Year 7 student Abhinav Govindan with Ms Kitson putting together a slide show of clips and bloopers from the various documentaries presented for the awards. The MOSCARS was a great way to wrap up an exciting year and we hope to repeat the unit and ceremony again in 2017.

Host with the most Abhinav Govindan.

Arriving on the red carpet.

Year 10 Geography students enjoyed a trip to Western Australia’s very own Penguin Island. The trip wasn’t purely for sight-seeing. We were there to study the various geographic processes and assess the sustainability of the island.

A trip to Penguin IslandRAMITHA KOTUWEGEDARA, YEAR 10

Year 10 Geography students on Penguin Island.

After arrival, we set about our task of gathering our bearings and familiarising ourselves with the island. We split into fi ve groups and walked around the island boardwalk, surveying and gathering info. After an hour to ourselves to observe, we congregated together to see the cute Little Penguins.

The Little Penguin is native to Australia but they are sadly endangered due to the introduction of feral animals. However the eff orts of the Department of Parks and Wildlife over the past 10 years have seen

their numbers grow. We met a researcher in the discovery centre who showcased some of the many penguins they had taken in to look after. We also met Kevin, a 20 year old penguin who was orphaned at a young age and had been nurtured under the Department’s care.

Afterwards, we went on a guided tour where we learnt about the formation of sea caves, sand dunes, the native fl ora and fauna and much more. It was defi nitely an unforgettable experience!

Winning streak for Sampson in House DramaLISA ANDREWS, DRAMA TEACHER

Sampson have remain undefeated as the House Drama Champions—but not without a challenge!

Downing came very close to stealing the crown from them with their original musical Hairspray: The Untold Sequel, written by Year 10 student Julia Seitz. Brown and Parsons also

produced theatrical gems, treating the audience to bumbling gangsters, the longest gun gag in history and badly behaved TV presenters.

Of course only one House could win, and it was Sampson’s cleverly staged Simply Cinderella that worked its magic on the invited adjudicator. We can’t wait to see what House Drama brings next year, and if Sampson can fi nally be beaten!

Sampson was once again the winner in House Drama.


Visit to the Fiona Woods Foundation burns unit

Artist Cherryn Girdwood visits the Senior Mod Art ClubKATIE CHIN, ART TEACHER

Cherryn Girdwood presents to the Senior Mod Art Club.

On a recent visit back to Perth from her adopted American home, Modernian Cherryn Girdwood was eager to visit the school, a place that holds some of her happiest memories. In her early 20s she moved to the US and now lives on a farm with her husband and four sons. She paints every day and describes the process as:

‘a freeing of the soul and art gets you there on the fast track’.

Cherryn describes herself as a colourist and working with oil paint and a palette knife creates small and large textured colourful paintings that range from abstract to landscapes.

Student volunteers had the opportunity to visit the facilities at the Fiona Wood Foundation at UWA.

Students taking part in the laboratory based experiments at the Fiona Wood Foundation.

An insightful Chinese excursionMEI LI, CHINESE TEACHER

in daily life. It was great to learn about Chinese culture not only in the culture centre but in the restaurant where we learnt about Chinese food and table manners. It was very insightful and enjoyable.Daniel Ng, Year 11

I found the Chung Wah Cultural Centre a very enriching and enjoyable experience, and it was eye-opening to know that this association had been established over 100 years ago. The activities were very enjoyable and were a great way to spend an afternoon with our peers.Brian Chi, Year 10

Above: Students learning with abacus counters.Below: Students on the Chinese excursion.

The tour was conducted by Dr Tristan Clemons who gave an insightful presentation on the wonderful work done by Professor Fiona Woods and her team at the Foundation, in particular the invention of spray-on skin and the signifi cant diff erence it has

made to burn victims all around the world. At the end of the tour we were thrilled to take part in several fun lab-based practical experiments. Thank you to Miss Miller and Miss Corr who organised and chaperoned this event.

Senior School students learning Chinese went on an excursion to a Chinese restaurant in Northbridge where they experienced Xinjiang and Shang fl avours.

On the way to the restaurant students were required to use Chinese to ask passing people for directions. Afterwards, students went to the Chung Wah Culture Centre to experience a variety of Chinese cultural related activities, including abacus, dressing up in traditional Chinese costumes, table manners and calligraphy.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Chinese excursion. It was great to apply our Chinese knowledge practically


A wonderful evening was enjoyed by Years 7 and 8 students as they cruised the Swan River in late November.

All students looked very smart and stylish in casual dress as they basked in the city lights and participated in a groovy disco and delicious supper on board. The balmy weather aided the fun atmosphere with students enjoying letting their hair down after a busy year. Thank you to staff members Nicola Reilly, Paul Green, Jackson Best, Ann Sashegyi, Shaunna Powell, Jenny Bickers, Quin Evangelista and Moira Hearne who made the night possible.

A delightful night on the SwanELIZABETH HAMER, HEAD OF YEAR 8

Lavanya Goel and Gwendolyn Hunt.

Alisa Prayurasiddhi and Sophie Kemp.

Isabella Setterfi eld, Georgia Knights, Sophie Kirk and Indira Blycha.

Jasmine Trinh, Leah O’Callaghan, Ananya Prakash and Talisha Lee-Karuthiru.

Akash Jayaram and Hariharan Shankar.

Jaceline Nangoy and Annisa Endro. Sithum Somarathna and Jack Blyth.

Patrick Caddy and Isindu Rajakaruna.

Aakash Annadurai, Joel Chee and Alan Lee.

Jaceline Nangoy and Annisa Endro.

Jack Major


The Health and Physical Education Department awards the Hugh Francis Year 10 Sports Person of the Year to the student, or students, who have excelled in sport during the year. The award is named after a former highly respected and long serving teacher at Perth Modern School.The 2016 award has been jointly won by Georgia Burden, Rahul Jegatheva and Kiran Tibballs. Georgia has been an outstanding performer in netball, basketball, volleyball, AFL, athletics, cricket and has coached younger students in netball and AFL. Rahul has excelled in cross-country, triathlon, swimming and has achieved at a very high level in community swimming events. Kiran has excelled at cross-country, triathlon, athletics, swimming, coached a number of teams and excelled in state and national athletics competition. Congratulations to all three very deserving winners.

Year 10 Sports Person of the YearMARK MUIR, HEAD OF HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Rahul Jegatheva, Kiran Tibballs and Georgia Burden.

Big Bash Super 8s Cricket

Kiran breaks State 1500m record

Kiran Tibballs

With small boundaries to tempt and big bats in hand the Perth Modern School students entered the annual Big Bash tournament with a glint of hope in their eyes.

Powerful hitting, desperate fi elding and tight bowling were the order of the day, with all the eight teams playing well. The Year 10 Girls team qualifi ed for the semis while several other teams narrowly missed a place in the fi nals. In the end our bats weren’t quite as big as the opposition but a great day was enjoyed by all.

Full Big Bash school squad.

Perth Modern School is home to another State champion in Kiran Tibballs who has broken the State and All-comers record in the 1500m running race.

The Year 10 student broke the record in qualifying for the Australian All Schools Championships in Canberra before shaving another fi ve seconds of his personal best and state record in the fi nal of the championships and winning a silver medal.

Year 10 Girls team.


Megan named Best Futsal Player

School Sport All Schools Triathlon ChampionshipA record number of fi ve teams from Perth Modern School competed in the 2016 School Sport All Schools Triathlon Championship at Champion Lakes on Thursday, November 3.

Excellent performances were recorded by all teams with outstanding individual results achieved by Cassia Boglio who placed third in the Senior Girls division and Rahul Jegatheva who placed fourth in the Intermediate Boys. The team event had the crowd on their feet as our Year 9 and Year 10 teams sprinted for the fi nish line with Year 10 student Kiran Tibballs just overtaking Year 9 student Blake Glossop.

Perth Modern School Triathlon Squad.

Megan Grove in Year 8 has been named Best Player on Tour in the Under 14 Girls Australian Futsal team that toured England, Wales and Scotland in October.

This is a fantastic achievement as Megan had only taken up futsal in July 2015, joining the West Coast Futsal team coached by Greg Farrell. Prior to taking up futsal, Megan had played fi eld soccer for around two years.

Megan said she was really enjoying the game of futsal as the surface, balls and rules create an emphasis on improvisation, creativity and technique.

Megan trains around six times per week and is hoping to maintain her skills and fi tness so she can continue to represent Australia.

Megan Grove with her Best Player on Tour medal.

Rahul Jegatheva.

Rahul gets gold in the Kawana AquathlonRahul Jegatheva in Year 10 has won a gold medal in the 15 and under male category of the Kawana Aquathlon in Queensland.

VWA Beach Volleyball Junior League CompetitionMIKE BRUTTY, VOLLEYBALL COORDINATOR

With summer slowly poking its head out, the allure of beach volleyball captured our Year 10 Girls volleyball squad. With training ramping up towards the end of the year, nine of the girls decided that three sessions of training a week just wasn’t quite enough so decided to sign up for the VWA Beach Volleyball Junior League Competition.The girls quickly found that everything is harder on sand. They all adjusted well, refi ned their passing skills and came away with some good wins. In the end, Liana Aho, Anna Duan, Evelyn Yong and Rebecca Ye fi nished mid-table whilst Erika Ng, Natasha Hartono, Saskia McDonald, Emma Williams and Kimberley Sorensen made it to the semi-fi nals but were unfortunately knocked out. All the girls are to be congratulated for their eff orts this term and if the end of this year is anything to go by, 2017 should be a very exciting year.Erika NgSaskia McDonald

The event is the Queensland State Championships as well as the fi rst qualifying event for the National team for the World Aquathlon Championships to be held in Canada in August. Rahul was fi fth overall out of 150 participants across all age groups.

The Aquathlon involves a 1km swim and a 5km run. Rahul’s result puts him in great shape to qualify for the national teams with two more qualifying rounds to come.


School Sport Track and Field Carnival

Heyang Guo, Natasha Hartono, Max Hu and Phil Yang.

Live Lighter Middle School Badminton TournamentThere are few schools that can match the size of the Perth Modern School Badminton team and as it turned out in the Live Lighter Middle School Badminton Tournament, we were unmatched in skill as well.

Our top ranked pairings of Max Hu and Phil Yang and Heyang Guo and Natasha Hartono were far too strong for the opposition in the fi nals. Their comfortable wins (21–2, 21–4 and 21–8, 21–6 respectively) add another badminton title to the school’s collection won over the past fi ve years.

Girls’ Junior Dockers CupSOPHIE KIRK, YEAR 7 AND ABBEY GREEN, YEAR 8

Years 8 and 9 Girls’ AFL team receive coaching from Georgia Burden.

Some excellent individual performances and the presence of a number of Year 12 students were highlights for our team at the School Sport Division A Track and Field Carnival in October.

Congratulations to Year 8 Boy Champion Lachlan MacNeill and Year 10 Boy Runner-up Champion Kiran Tibballs. Other outstanding performances were recorded by William Bailey, Danielle Spicer, Lara Ilievski, Luca Fry, Cassia Boglio and Rahul Jegatheva.

Luca Fry (left)Zara Edmond.

Two teams from Perth Modern School participated in the Girls’ Junior Dockers Cup held on November 4. For many players in the Year 7 team it was a new sport but we managed to work well together as a team. We improved dramatically throughout the day and fi nished in third place overall for our age group. We all liked the game and had many laughs throughout the day.

The combined Years 8 and 9 team worked cohesively to get a well-deserved win against Churchlands SHS. Coming up against a strong side, Shenton 1, the girls put in their all but were outclassed by a better team. Unfazed, they faced Shenton 2 next and came out on top. It was a great day that everyone enjoyed and we all learnt some new skills, whether it be in AFL or in teamwork.

Thank you to Mr Marshall and Mr Forte for organising the teams and Georgia Burden, Lucy Bowman, Liana Aho and Emma Williams for coaching.


Perth Modern School

Roberts Road, Subiaco, WA 6008

Tel: +618 9380 0555

Fax: +618 9380 0550

www.perthmodernschool.wa.edu.au

Sphinx Society MembershipSEMESTER 2, 2016

The following students obtained Sphinx Society membership in Semester 2, 2016.

Year 12

Angela Antoff

Bashkim Arifi Brandon Boccola Jack BroadbridgeSarah BurstonHayley Carlson Arka Prava ChandaEmma ChenAlex ChiMatthew Collins

Bedanta DhalPriya Fisher Crystal GohRebecca GreenShivangi Gupta Jesse HafnerOliva HartwigDaniel HoJack HutchisonRobert King

Aleta LuuVivian LuuEmily LyonEllie MaslinJacob McDermottHiva MousaviKaruna NairAnh NguyenJoshua OngAlex Pan

Simone PanditJane PankhurstVirinchi RallabhandiInes Real-RodriguezCaitlin RevellAlexander RohlEdi Singh Isha SinghSupisara Suk-UdomNicole Tan

Amanda TangSarah TangEric TianWillem van SchieLuna-Faye VeldFelix Von PergerEmily WangKaizan Xia Wei HongMax YapKatrina Yu

Year 11

Coco BanhNicholas BaxterAbigail Campbell-YoungStephanie CastledenJenny ChangAlice ColvinNathanael CrouchJonathan DarmagoKatherine DumasElizabeth EllisSanchita GeraChristopher GuneratneCindy Guo

Vivian HaAnezka HamdaniSamuel HicksLydia Hill AlmeidaJasper HuynhLara IllievskiFinn JacksonArun JhaMia JudkinsSeonwoo KimEunice LaiGrace LawXing Yuet Lee

Riley LehrSally LeongYean Han LimBelinda LuuCameron McCrackenSri Sai NallanchakravartulaRaeann NgVinny OngFynn OppermannJae Min PaeJoshua PoiNisargi PrajapatiChayanin Prayurasiddhi

Laura PrinceOliver PulsfordWendy QuLester SeetAda ShackletonJasneet SinghLucy SkeltonShi Han SuPhoebe SunSarah SunPranav SunilDana TanJoo Kai Tay

Andrew ThanurShintaro UmekiCaitlyn ViskovichCleo WeeKevin WellalagodageLachlan D WhangLuke WinterLok Yiu WongYi Si WongYi Wen WongZachary XiaoZhong Xien Yeoh

Year 10

Mehul AggarwalMichael ArmaniosKartikeya BishtRevant BishtEvgenija BlazeskaBenjamin BrooksChauntelle BonserLucy BowmanBenjamin Caulfi eldJubilee ChanChantel ChenKai ChenClare ChengBrian ChiHannah ClappertonAgampodi De ZoysaNicholas Doan

Shaun DossXin Hui EngSwarna GajendranSahil GeraParmida GhorbanianRobert GlydeAmelia GoodingJoshua GreenRachel Guizzo DriGeorgia HendersonSu-En HiaCatherine HillAngela HoYasmine HosseiniMathilda HuntRahul JegathevaLacey Klompmaker

Joanna KoAkshit KotianRamitha KotuwegedaraAnnora Ai-Wei KumarQian Yu LaiJai LawlorRuo Yan LeeAbby LongmuirJemima LovelandYuqing LuCydney MarringtonTyler MathewsonAshley McAvoyKai Lyn NgCaroline NguyenJessica NguyenRiuna O’Neill

Eloise OakleyChloe OngSeamus PanditAli ParkJunho Park Sara PezhhanXian QiuPooja RameshAdya RanjanAnoushka RastogiConnor RedfernLucy RohlJoel ScottAayushi ShahYasmin SmithPieta SparrowJessica TakedaEmily Tang

Racheline TantularMei Qi TayKelsi TaylorRachel TaylorMandy TruongMackenzie TulipLuke UdenNaoko UemotoJames Van RavesteinCarlson Z Whang Emma WilliamsSifan WuAaron XuPhil YangRong YangEvelyn YongYi Ming ZhangZeba Zia

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