Semester One

From the Principal

Kaya, bonjour and hello. Despite the COVID19 restriction with which we have been operating under, “the show must go on”.  That has certainly been the order of operations throughout Term 2. After only 50 days as the Principal I have seen a lot of “action”.  The staff around me have worked very hard in trying conditions to continue to bring engaging, relevant education to our students.  I would like to thank Ms Catherine Symmons and Ms Karen Edwards for stepping up into HoLA positions during Term 2 and give an extra special thank you to Mr Adam McGill.  Mr McGill has filled in as Deputy Principal during the changeover in administration. He has been invaluable in that position and a great support for me.  Mr McGill has chosen to return to his former position – a reflection of his priority on the teaching and learning process.

In this issue of our newsletter we take a look back through Semester 1.  Remembering all the outstanding student achievements and highlights for our school.  Beginning with the farewell of long standing and well respected Principal, Craig Pettit - through to the most recent developments.  I will let the newsletter speak of the past achievements.  Here is a glimpse into the future of things to come for Bunbury Senior High School.

Our Specialist programs continue to unearth outstanding talent both within our school and region. BEST and VASP testing is complete.  The coordinators of these programs are anyalising these results and notification of placement will come out in Term 3. This year has unearthed a large GAT cohort for 2021 – twenty-one students. Differentiating the GAT program to provide more relevant research based projects that extend the opportunity for deep learning is a priority for 2021 and beyond.

In an effort to ensure our students are best prepared for life after school, two new pathways will complement the current pathways available at Bunbury SHS. 

• A 12 month ECU Uniprep course, available for Year 11 general students who have realised that their pathway may be at University and are looking for a limited entry to ECU, and
• A two year, mixed year group course for students who are unable to achieve the requirements for WACE. The course has international ASDAN units that we will couple together with a certificate course and life skills experiences.

Feedback from students and parents have indicated that more flexibility is needed for course offerings.  The 25 period timetable has been a limiting factor.  Although it is too late to have a different timetable structure for 2021, we are investigating different models and structures.  A new time table structure will be created for 2022.  

The new cafeteria building is really taking shape and with more scaffolding from storm damage than the Trevi Fountain, the school will soon be looking in great shape.  In the second half of 2020 we will be working on a 10-year property plan to give the school a cohesive direction of the infrastructure required to ensure our students have the necessary resources to achieve at their best.

All of these things point to a simple view of the future. Honour the traditions and history of Bunbury SHS.  Put the achievement of excellent results, student wellbeing and future success at the heart of all decision making. 

En Avant.

Mike Sinagra

Craige Pettit, Principal 2008 – 2020

Principal, Craige Pettit, officially retired and hung up his suit and tie after 12 years at the helm of Bunbury SHS and 42 years with the WA Department of Education.

Craige’s decision to retire was not an easy one. “I procrastinated for about three years before I decided I needed to move on. The school was due for a different leadership style and I was approaching the age of retirement” he said.

In Craige’s first Kingia Magazine in 2008, he wrote, “This would have to be one the best schools in the state”. He must have truly believed that and certainly his contribution to the school led directly to Bunbury SHS receiving that very title last year, winning the prestigious WA Education Awards - WA Secondary School of the Year 2019.

Craige was also part of many changes to the school such as becoming an independent public school in 2011, the attainment of the GAT (Gifted and Talented) program in 2013, Year 7’s transitioning into high school in 2015 and was also part of one of the school’s biggest celebrations in 2018 commemorating 100 years of Bunbury High educating students in the region. Craige took his responsibility to honour this momentous occasion very seriously, arranging a variety of fabulous celebrations that included past and present students and staff. 

Over the 12 years at Bunbury SHS, Craige was part of significant capital building projects including a new state of the art library, major renovations to the administration building and science labs and the addition of the Kingia Building. Craige’s final building project for the school commenced this year with the development of a new cafeteria. This building has been at least a decade in the making and Craige has lobbied politicians, negotiated with architects and passionately advocated for Bunbury SHS to have a modern facility to meet the needs of students.

Although Craige is now officially retired, he is not ready to kick back just yet. “As silly as it sounds, I want to keep working” he said. “I have been in education a long time and think I have a lot to offer other Principals. I would really like to mentor other Principals and fill in any vacant principal positions at regional schools”.

We must congratulate Craige on an amazing career in education. He has made a tremendous and lasting difference to this school, its staff and its students.

Tyril Houghton, Teacher 2013 – 2020

Friday, June 19 marked the official retirement date of former Head of Maths, Tyril Houghton. Tyril has been a passionate educator for 47 years and has won many prestigious national, state and local awards during her amazing career. Although Tyril has retired from the Department of Education, she is not ready to fully retire just yet. Her wealth of experience and passion for education will be passed on to new teachers entering education providing them with the valued support they need at the beginning of their teaching journey.

We must congratulate Tyril for her many years of service to the education of young people during her time at Carine Senior High School, Newton Moore Senior High School and here at Bunbury Senior High School. She will be missed by many and has had a lasting impact on the lives of many students and on this school. 

P&C Twilight Picnic

On Friday 13 of March, Bunbury Senior High School welcomed its newest students and their families with our second ever Twilight Picnic. The Bunbury Senior High School Junior Concert Band and Bunbury Senior High School Jazz Band performed, impressing the crowd. The P&C ran the sausage sizzle to raise funds for the school and a movie night was held afterwards in the amphitheatre attracted more than 200 people to raise additional funds to support the school and the students. 

School Ball - The Great Gatsby

The 2020 Bunbury Senior High School Great Gatsby Ball held at the Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre on Saturday 7 March was a spectacular event with students and staff dressed to impress. Our wonderful Year 12 Ball Committee did a fantastic job decorating the ball room. Students spent the night dancing to the tunes of our amazing DJ and dressing up with the funky props in the photo booth.

Congratulations to the following people:

Natasha Wildshut – Belle of the Ball

River Evans- Beau of the Ball

                                                 Zaya Black and Bryce Fiorentino- Cutest couple

                                                 Ebony Wallin- Best dancer

                                                 Mr Nguyen- Best dressed teacher!

Year 8 HASS Market Day

Year 8 students put their entrepreneurial skills to the test in Term 1 with the Humanities and Social Sciences Year 8 Market Day where students needed to apply their understanding of economics in HASS to an actual small business with goods or services being bought and sold with the aim of making a profit and supporting a charity.

Students had to collaborate with their “business partners”, other peers and staff to produce a product that could be sold at market day. There was a wonderful variety of products sold on the day from cupcakes and sausages to succulents and hand-made keyrings. We even had a gaming stall for the first time where students could show off their gaming abilities in a simple knock out competition. Students demonstrated courage and collaboration.  

2020 Premier’s ANZAC Student Tour

In 2019, Year 9 Gifted and Talented student Darcy Reid was selected to attend the 2020 Premier’s ANZAC Student Tour. Darcy’s application focused on the history of the 11th/28th Australian Infantry Battalion and his own involvement with the ANZAC tradition through Army Cadets. Judges commended Darcy for his interest in Australian History and his deep understanding of the ANZAC tradition. During the COVID-19 lockdown, Darcy participated in online video conferences with other ANZAC tour participants, discussing the ANZAC tradition and what it means to them. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 restrictions, the tour to Darwin and Singapore has been postponed, however, a new tour is planned to the Australian War Memorial for Remembrance Day 2020.

Mr Duffield and Mr Woodland

Year 7 BEST Camp

Year 7 BEST students went on a three day training camp to Dunsborough and Yalllingup in Term 1 to develop their physical education skills whilst also fostering good relationships with others in their class.

Students went mountain biking, some for the first time, in Boranup Forest; participated in continuous soft sand running up and down dunes at Indijup beach; explored Lake Cave and challenged themselves with ropes courses at Forest Adventures. Students had a wonderful time.

Yr 9 and 10 VASP Perth and Fremantle Trip

In March, 35 Year 9 and 10 VASP students engaged in a two-day camp, staying at the Fremantle prison, to enhance their understanding of the art industry and myriad forms.

Students visited a range of outstanding exhibitions including the Year 12 Pulse Perspectives gallery at the Art Gallery of WA before engaging in a visual analysis lecture and art creation workshop run by local artists.

That night students learnt about the heritage of the prison, Fremantle and Western Australia through a torchlight goal tour.

The following day, students visited Cottesloe beach to explore the Sculptures by the Sea art exhibition. The Year 9 students participated in a practical sculpture activity led by one of the exhibiting artists while Year 10 students were taken on a tour of the sculptures by an artist who discussed the forms, construction and interpretation of the installations.

VASP Recognition

Year 7 VASP student, Izzy Davidson, received a Highly Commended for a piece she entered in the South West Virtual Arts Spectacular that ran during lockdown and has been invited to exhibit her work at the Bunbury Regional Art Gallery.

Year 10 Project Based Learning

Students in the year 10 Project Based Learning class had a choice of two projects for Semester 1: a recycled pallet or a Bunbury tourism advertisement project. The students will be presenting information on their projects to parents, carers and family.

Students who chose the recycled pallet project had the task of researching, planning, designing and creating something from the wood of discarded pallets. Once planned the students visited the SHED (an off-campus school site) on a weekly basis to construct their design. With the assistance of Mr McKenzie, the students learned various carpentry skills and how to use the tools required to construct their objects. Students chose a repertoire of design ideas and all had their own problems to solve and, in the process, learnt how to persist through difficulties to achieve a set goal. Projects included a desk, coffee table, mirror, art canvas, storage box and shelves.

Students who chose the Bunbury tourism advertisement had the task of researching, planning and creating a short video to promote Bunbury. Once a week, students walked supervised to different areas of Bunbury including Back Beach, Koombana Bay, the Dolphin Discovery Centre, the Queens Gardens and throughout the town centre to take photos and videos to use in their advertisement. With assistance from Mr Waddell, the students learnt some tips and tricks to construct and edit their advertisement on Adobe Premiere Pro.

Doug Hancy Award for Athletics

Congratulations to BEST student Erin Lever for receiving the Doug Hancy Award for Athletics, awarded to a student who shows sportsmanship, courage, honesty, friendliness and demonstrates a willingness to support the club and help others whilst maintaining a consistent effort.

Erin’s passion for athletics has made her an invaluable member of the Bunbury Districts Little Athletics Centre.  She has persevered through times of injury and contributed to the club in other ways including:

• Coaching level U6-U10’s two nights a week
• Completing Level 1 Practical Community Athletics Coach
• Officiating at State and National events without fear or favour
• Developing four to six different athletics programs and delivering them twice a week to over fifty athletes
• Improving the skills and personal bests of junior and senior competitors through training programs

Erin loves the comradery that little athletics offers and has used this for positive reinforcement of athletes.

New Staff

Mychelle Mahar

As a Visual Arts specialist in WA Secondary schools for over 20 years, I have taught in a range of schools from Mandurah to Albany and out to Kalgoorlie. Four years ago, I relocated from the stunning rainbow coast of Albany to the light filled South West.

Teaching in a diverse range of schools has provided me the opportunity to work in other Learning Areas and develop an understanding of the complexities and diversity of schools and the curriculum. I am a professional practicing artist whose art has transformed and evolved alongside my teaching career. I am a passionate advocate for the arts providing a safe exploratory space for staff and students to develop confidence in self-expression and as a healthy balanced practise in mindful wellness.

Brooke Cleggett

Graduating in 2018 as a Humanities and Social Sciences Teacher specialising in Geography. I began my teaching career at Kelmscott Senior High School where I honed my craft of teaching, passion for HASS and importance of developing meaningful relationships with students to enhance student outcomes. Bunbury Senior High School is a wonderful school and has provided me with some outstanding experiences that have been challenging and enjoyable. I am passionate about encouraging disengaged students to pursue their education to their fullest.

Jess Gratte

I entered teaching through a Graduate Diploma of Education after working in the Environmental Science industry for several years. I began my teaching career here at Bunbury Senior in 2019 and have enjoyed every minute of it. I hope to use my background in Genetics and Environmental Sciences to inspire more students to choose STEM pathways after they leave high school.

Have Sum Fun Senior School Competition

Friday 13 March two Bunbury Senior High School teams of six students competed at the South West Have Sum Fun Mathematics Competition requiring students to race against the clock to solve four intense rounds of eight challenging mathematics problems.

It was a nail biting finish, with three teams ending on the same score for 1^st place, requiring a tie breaker that placed us second overall.

International Mathematical Modelling Challenge (IM2C)

The Year 7 Gifted and Talented students worked collaboratively over 5 days in Term One to solve the International Mathematical Modelling Challenge requiring skills in Mathematics, English, Science and Humanities.

The students’ task was to work on a centrally set modelling problem requiring them to prepare and submit the report of their solution to the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) IM²C administration centre. This year’s problem asked teams to determine how a ‘bricks and mortar’ store should arrange its goods during a flash sale to minimise the risk of damage.

The students used a variety of strategies including online simulations, including Minecraft, and analysing data using Excel to assist them in developing a solution. Students learnt about working in a team and utilising Office 365 software to work simultaneously, producing solutions that were creative and structured.

National Youth Forum

Jess Armstrong (Yr11) was nominated by the school to attend a National Youth Forum in NSW as part of the nationwide review of senior secondary schooling. Jess said:
“On the 9th of March, an early Monday morning, I set out to travel over to New South Wales to attend a conference concerning youth and the many pathways when transitioning out of high school.

We arrived at Wagga Wagga international hotel where I met some of the other young people attending the venue. It turned out I was one of the youngest there, many were in university and either in or finishing with their bachelor or masters degrees.

The conference itself started by having people pair up and interview each other on what were the positives and negatives when going through the transition, or what they would be nervous about going through.

We were then given four prototypes the education system wanted to implement into the senior school system, to not characterise students by a single ATAR number and a certificate, but a compiled list of their strengths and skills and experiences.

The first prototype was an assessment that resembled NAPLAN, continuing from year 9 to year 12 which would be monitored by teachers. This would show capabilities of a student’s literacy, cognitive thinking, problem solving, creativity and so on.

The second was a journal based log of work experiences, volunteering and any other skill building experiences.

The third was to help students get work experience and history in order to almost guarantee a job after completing school. It would take into account skills built through work experience, extracurricular activities and even hobbies and interests to better diversify a student’s economic profile.

The fourth was a type of ‘student profile’ in which you would mark how literate you believed you were in different subjects, skills you had, which would also be backed up by the student’s teacher.

The young people attending were able to make comments on what we thought were benefits, what is missing, what doesn’t work and if it worked for everyone.

I was able to give my own opinion on how the first prototype would put extra stress on students and staff, which would not accurately display the student’s best behaviour.

The experience in its whole was invigorating and gave me the opportunity to slowly dip my toes into the deep end which was adulthood. I hope to hear what will come of it, and how it will better senior schooling in the future.”

2020 Zonta International Young Women in Public Affairs Award

2019 Bunbury Senior High School Head Girl Amber Ramage

Leadership Skills Earn High Praise

Jackson Barrett - South Western Times, Thursday, 16 April 2020

Amber Ramage is the 2020 Zonta International Young Women in Public Affairs Award winner.  A desire to improve the lives of others drove Amber Ramage to become a leader at school and in the community as she pursues a career in the health sector.

Amber’s work as head girl at Bunbury Senior High School in 2019 has seen her recognised by the Zonta Club of Bunbury with the 2020 Zonta International Young Women in Public Affairs Award.  The award recognises commitment to the volunteer sector and a dedication to the empowerment of women.  Much of Amber’s work originated at school as she thrived in her role as head girl.  “I learnt a lot about leadership and time management but also that my opinion matters and that I could really make a difference,” Amber said.

“By having the connection with staff we were able to bring ideas forward and get the support to help put them into action.”  One of her finest achievements at the school is her leadership of the Coat Donation Campaign, encouraging people to donate a coat that could be used by somebody in need.  “Anyone in public can leave a coat that they don’t need anymore and anyone who needs one can take one,” she said.

Amber has been accepted into a physiotherapy course at Notre Dame, but deferred for a year.  “The plan for this year was work and travel but circumstances are making that a little bit difficult,” Amber said.  “I’m using the time to research different options and do some planning and personal development while we wait for everything to settle down.”

While she is yet to make a final decision on her area of study, Amber has her heart set on a profession that will allow her to improve the lives of others.  “I know I want to do something in the health field and I want to help people to get healthy mentally and physically so they feel they can get the best out of life,” she said. “Physio feels like a good way to help people get past obstacles they otherwise might not be able to.”

Amber’s nomination for the Zonta award was testament to her impact on BSHS.  “One of my teachers wanted to nominate me after the work I had done as head girl,” she said.  “I think it was that she had seen my progression from being really quiet and not really putting myself out there, to Year 12 where I was trying to make an impact.”

Time in quarantine after overseas travel has left Amber with plenty of time to reflect on her achievements and the importance of this award is not lost on her.  “It’s huge, it’s such an honour,” she said.  “The Zonta Club is amazing, they do so much work for women and girls.  “To think that I’ve made enough of a difference to be recognised by them makes it feel a lot bigger to me.”

Kim Hughes Shield Cricket

20 January saw Bunbury Senior High School Cricket team compete against Dalyellup College in a highly contested game that unfortunately saw a loss to BSHS. The WACA umpire was complimentary of the game generally, stating it was a great game with strong performances on both sides. The cricket team demonstrated outstanding sportsmanship and represented the school with pride and honour.

26 February Bunbury Senior High School Cricket team competed against Bunbury Cathedral College at Forrest Park North in a challenging game resulted in a loss despite the teamwork and comradery of the BSHS team.

Year 11 Outdoor Education

The Year 11 Outdoor Education class attended a canoeing excursion at Potters Gorge, Wellington Dam in Term 1. The weather was perfect and students were given the opportunity to put into practice the skills they had learnt during class in a new environment. Students prepared and cooked their own lunch using a Trangia stove with some very gourmet meals.

Jump Rope for Heart

Jump Rope for Heart is an awareness campaign for the Heart Foundation that encourages people to be active and support medical research into heart disease. March 12 saw the prefects organise activities including dressing in red, skipping events and free fruit that raised funds for the organisation whilst also getting students active and talking about the importance of health. The day was a great success with lots of students and staff getting involved in the fun!

Halogen National Young Leaders Conference

Monday 9 March, Bunbury Senior High prefects participated in the Halogen National Young Leaders Conference at Perth Convention Centre. Halogen aims to inspire and influence generations of young people to lead themselves and others well. Speakers John Coutis, Eamon Sutherland, Jade Slater and Dana Hooker talked about the power and importance of leadership in the community and the prefects came away with ideas they hope to implement at BSHS.

Jan Cooper Cup

South of the River Women’s AFL Team

Megan Bain and Emily Bourne were selected to represent the South of the River Women’s AFL Team in the Jan Cooper Cup. Both played exceptionally well and demonstrated great sportsmanship, a wonderful reflection of Bunbury Senior High School. 

Megan and Emily were invited to join the West Coast Eagles Next Generation Football Academy and have been training each week with them in Perth.

Where are they now?

Zeke Tinley

After graduating as head boy of Bunbury SHS in 2018 what you have you been studying? I’m now 18 months into a Bachelor of Philosophy at UWA, majoring in Medical Sciences. Basically, it’s a research-oriented degree which will lead into my postgraduate study in medicine.

How have you found the course and the transition from a high school student to a university student?  So far, I’ve found the course really stimulating. I’ve been challenged and found it really engaging to be introduced to different ways of learning, seeing how theoretical concepts that we’re learning in the classroom apply in real-world scenarios. I’ve also really enjoyed branching out and taking classes on other interests of mine and finding the links between different areas of study. There’s certainly a lot more flexibility in the university setting than at high school, which means there’s even more freedom to create the right balance to achieve what you want in different areas of your life. The other side of that is you’re not told what to do and when to do it anymore, so you definitely have to take on more ownership of your studies and hold yourself accountable rather than relying on others so much. 

You were a recipient of a Fogarty Scholarship in 2018, how has that supported you over the last 18 months?  Being a Fogarty scholar has been great. Aside from the financial support, which has enabled me to live on-campus, it’s afforded me so many opportunities to develop as a person. The scholarship program has given me access to some really inspiring and influential people from all walks of life. It’s also really nice to be a part of a small group of scholars, who I can always count on for support and mentorship. One of the goals of the program is to create ‘transformational leaders’ and we’re encouraged to approach our studies and extra-curriculars with a social conscience, to recognise where we might have the potential to make positive change, to make the world a better place. 

When you were at school you represented WA and Australia as a triathlete and hockey player. Are you still competing and what are your goals as a triathlete?  Moving up to Perth for uni, I decided to take a step back from hockey and focus my energy on triathlon for a while. Last year I gained my professional licence and earlier this year I competed in my first elite continental cup in Thailand. Currently, I’m really enjoying the training and finding fulfilment in that process. Looking to the future, I hope to keep balancing sport with my studies, I’d love to keep progressing in triathlon and travel to different places around the world to race against the best.

How has COVID-19 impacted your life this year?  Things have been really different this semester at uni. After a few weeks, we went completely online, which was challenging in classes which generally have large practical components. Just like our lecturers, we as students had to adapt quickly to new ways of content delivery. I feel very fortunate to live in WA though, we’re far better off than most other people around the world. If anything, the last few months have been a good opportunity to reflect on what’s really important to us, and what we really need to be happy. 

What do you miss most about high school?  By the end of high school, I think you tend to become somewhat of a big fish in a little pond. This can lead to a somewhat false sense of security, everything’s familiar, it’s very comfortable. I do miss that feeling, but at the same time, losing it is what’s pushed me to grow as a person since leaving school. Being uncertain and taking risks can be a real source of motivation to keep on developing. The sense of comradery and school spirit at Bunbury is something I really cherish as well, and obviously all of my friends, teachers and the ocean-view will always have a special place in my heart as well. 

If you could give one piece of advice to current students at Bunbury SHS, what would it be?  Work hard whenever you’re given the opportunity to do so. As insignificant as things may seem at the time, you never know the doors you may be opening, or potentially closing, down the track. You’ll never put yourself at a disadvantage by trying your best, make it a habit. This is particularly relevant to year 12’s in the ATAR pathway. As atypical as it has been, this year is by no means a write-off, even if you have an early offer to uni, now is not the time to rest on your laurels. Continue to strive for excellence and take pride in everything you do, it’s something valued highly in the real-world and reflects greatly on your character and maturity.