Newhaven College celebrates excellence

To celebrate the conclusion of the 2023 school year, last week Newhaven College held two Presentation Evenings for the Junior School and Middle/Senior School.

Both events were held in the College’s gymnasium, overflowing with teachers, staff, students and their supportive families.

The Year 5-11 Presentation Evening was hosted by the 2024 College Captains Tahlia Williams, Max Arceo, Tom Bird and Alice Mabilia, who performed their first formal captaincy duties.

The Junior School Celebration Evening hosts were 2022 Captains, Harper Perry and Alfie Russo, and Vice Captains Edith Jamieson and Flynn Wright.

Junior School

The Junior School Celebration was a fitting end to the school year as the success of all students was celebrated. Junior School students were presented with a certificate of achievement for completing a wonderful year of learning and improvement. The students demonstrated their talents with singing and music performances onstage. 

Mr Ralph Arceo, reflecting on his 10 years as Head of Junior School spoke about the Junior School philosophy.

“Throughout my years in Junior School, there has been one collective obligation that has driven our every action: the commitment to positively impact the well-being and academic outcomes of the young students entrusted in our care,” Mr Arceo said.

“Every student who has walked through our doors has been valued, and our expectations have consistently been reinforced. In this nurturing environment, we have fostered self-esteem, independence, empathy, and equipped our students with the skills to make informed decisions to have success in life.”

Mr Arceo will be commencing as Head of Middle School in 2024. Mrs Cath Huther, who will be replacing Mr Arceo, attended the evening.

Middle and Senior School

There were songs, words and awards during an evening which celebrated the successes of students in academics, sport, values and music.

The procession of award presentations was interspersed with some stunning musical performances. The Middle School Choir performed “Easy on Me” by Adele, Senior School band The Dropkicks pumped out “Chelsea Dagger” by The Fratellis and the final performance of the evening was from the Senior School Ensemble, “Waka Waka” by Shakira.

This year, three staff members, Chris Appleby, David Arnott and Sue Mitchell received recognition for twenty years or more of service and dedication to the school.

Six staff were recognised for fifteen or more years of service:  They were Nathan Leys, Marcelle Krieg, Carmel Roberts, Stewart Bathgate, Melanie Flower and Ric Pearce.

A further 25 staff were recognised for 10 or more years of commitment to the college.

]Mr Greg Price was named a Life Governor after 20 years of dedicated participation on the College Board, including over 10 years as the Board chair, and for his many years of support of Newhaven College.

Student awards

A wide range of awards was presented to recognise outstanding achievement in Academic Studies, Music, Sport, Values, Theatre and Drama, Design, Visual Arts, Technology, and Building and Construction.

Senior School Dux Awards: The following students achieved the highest grades for their year level: Year 9 – Tilly Stecher; Year 10 – Maisie McMurray; and Year 11 – Gabriel Winterson.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award is an internationally recognised program for young people, building their skills to equip them for life and work. Twenty-six Year 9 and 10 students attained their Bronze award by completing Voluntary Service, Physical Recreation, Skills and an Adventurous Journey. This year one student completed their Gold Award, Year 11 student Mackenzie Wain.

“This is a wonderful achievement and speaks highly of Mackenzie’s dedication, discipline and leadership,” the College said.

The Australian Defence Force Long Tan Youth Leadership and Teamwork Award recognises a student who demonstrates leadership and teamwork within both the school and the broader community and who displays strong values, such as doing one's best, respect for others and "mateship", values that are integral to Australian society.

The ADF Long Tan Leadership Award is the top values award at Year 10 and carries a certificate and cheque for $250. This year’s recipient is Thomas Scott (Year 10).

The Australian Defence Force Future Innovators Award highlights the value the Navy, Army and Air Force place on STEM skills and STEM career opportunities within Defence. This award formally recognises a student who has demonstrated motivation and innovation in the areas of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) within the school, and who displays strong personal ethical values, such as doing one’s best. This academic award carries a certificate and cheque for $250. The winner of the 2022 Year 10 Australian Defence Force Future Innovators Award is Isaac Savona (Year 10).

The Kwong Lee Dow Young Scholars Program is an academic enrichment program provided by the University of Melbourne. It is designed to support high achieving Year 11 and Year 12 students.

The Year 10 student is selected based on the endorsement of their school, academic performance, leadership potential, as well as community and extracurricular involvement. The recipient of the Kwong Lee Dow Young Scholars Program for 2024/25 is Lara Smyth (Year 10).

Luke Bolding Memorial Award is given in memory of Luke Bolding, who was a proud Bass House Captain in 2014. Contenders for this award make a written application and interview which takes three categories into consideration: Sporting achievements, commitment to and involvement in College life and desire to complete Year 12. The award is made possible by Alex Scott and Staff who generously provide the recipient with $2000 towards their school fees. The 2023 recipient of the Luke Bolding Scholarship is Gabriel Winterson (Year 11).

St Vincent de Paul Society Frederic Ozanam Award is a new Award for 2023 for Year 6 students who have displayed the qualities of a quiet achiever, with compassion and thoughtfulness towards others while at school. Frederic Ozanam founded the St Vincent De Paul Society and in the ‘Spirit of the Society’ this award recognises two students. This award comes with $1000 towards school expenses.  The winners of the 2023 St Vincent De Paul Society Frederic Ozanam Awards are Zachariah Coldora and Bonnie McBride.

The Bendigo Community Bank Awards recognise students in Year 9 who have displayed strong community values and includes $1000 per year for the next three years. The Bendigo Community Bank is sponsoring four of these awards for Year 9 students Tilly Stecher, Felix Fothergill, Jasmine Ruffin and Meyanna Christensen.

The Reverend John Leaver Award, established by Ecumenical Schools Australia, is named after the Reverend John Leaver, a man whose belief in an Independent Ecumenical school in the region was a driving force behind the establishment of Newhaven College. The student is chosen for embodying the values and attributes of Reverend Leaver. This year’s recipient is Jack Ryan (Year 11).

Donald Cameron OAM Award is a legacy of a Life Governor of Newhaven College, and that of a family whose contribution to the creation and ongoing success of this school is recognised in the award. The award is enabled by the Lion’s Club of Phillip Island. This year it goes to Zoe Scott (Year 10).

The inaugural Peter Reith AM Memorial Prize goes to the Year 9 student who demonstrates the ideals Peter Reith upheld of strong community values, pursuit of excellence and a willingness to make a positive contribution to their world. The inaugural winner of the Peter Reith AM Memorial Prize is Tilly Stecher (Year 9).

The College community congratulates all award recipients for 2023.