On Thursday 12 September, some students from the Duke of Edinburgh and Outdoor Education classes set off on a hike. We started our hike at Bell’s Beach, with the goal of reaching Eumerella Scout Camp by the end of the day. None of us knew what to expect, and the hike was full of new experiences for all. From bush to the beach to uphill to flat, we passed through many different terrains on our way to Eumeralla scout camp. By the time we arrived, we were thoroughly exhausted but very proud of our achievement. Since we’d arrived, it was time to set up camp! We built our tents and prepared to cook dinner on the trangias. For many of us, this was our first time camping, so we were very excited to see what the night had in store for us. After dinner, Ms Tagell lit a fire and we were able to roast marshmallows around it. Finally, we went to sleep a bit sore but very proud of ourselves.
The next day, we woke up early to make breakfast before setting off on the final portion of our hike. After the previous day’s walk, it felt much easier to tackle the different terrains we encountered. The hike flew by and before we knew it, we were at Anglesea visitor’s centre. We took a quick break for lunch and then walked the final stretch of our journey. When we finally arrived at Point Roadknight, we were so proud of what we accomplished. Going on this camp was such a good experience and it couldn’t have happened without our amazing teachers. Thank you so much to Ms Tagell, Ms Bowring, and Ms Jones for accompanying us on our hike and making it a really memorable experience for everyone.
By Elizabeth Pollard 9B
On 22 and 23 August, the Year 11 Outdoor & Environmental Studies class went on camp to Lake Mountain. For some students, this was the first time seeing snow, and the first time learning how to cross country ski. The first day we made it up to the top of the mountain to have our first cross country skiing lesson. This was challenging for many of us as it was hard to keep balance and we had many falls and tumbles. We learnt how to go uphill and how to ski downhill safely and some of us even managed to ski on steep downhill sections. We were also lucky because it snowed while we were skiing in the afternoon and we all had practice catching snowflakes on our tongue. That night we bunkered down in cabins and cooked a group meal of burritos with each other and reflected on our efforts and the resilience we showed throughout the day. The second day brought sunshine and a chance for us to improve our skiing skills with some of us even making it downhill on the blue run at the end of the day. Overall, we had an amazing time on camp and learnt skills that we may not have ever had the chance to learn. Seeing the beauty of alpine environments is something that we will not forget easily.
Hayley Tagell - Outdoor Education Teacher
Junior
On Thursday 22 August, I competed in the SCSA Soccer tournament. It was a very exciting and fun day at Darebin Soccer Complex enjoyed by the whole Junior MSJ team. On the way there on the bus, all the juniors talked about our hope of winning at least one game. Everyone was very surprised and delighted when we ended the day and won the grand final!! We started the day quite rocky, losing and drawing a game but we still made the final. We were nervous at the start of the final game as we all wanted to win. After the final whistle, it was tied 0-0 so we were going to a penalty shootout. We won the shootout 5-4 and we were all very happy with the end result and the other MSJ teams were there to barrack for us. Our coach, Mrs Matthews, was also very proud. I was awarded the most valuable player (MVP) of the whole junior tournament and everyone was happy when we were awarded our plaque. Our whole team did a great job each game trying their hardest to win and on the way home on the bus, we all had big smiles on our faces. We were all so happy to have represented MSJ at SCSA Soccer and come home as the winners!
By Mila Fanjek Year 8
Intermediate
The intermediate team played really well and improved each game. We played 6 games throughout the day and then placed 3rd overall. In the final 3, we played against Ave Maria and it came to a 0-0 draw but before it could go to penalties we ran out of time so Ave Maria and MSJ drew at 3rd place. It was a fun day for everyone and it was great to see everyone being really encouraging to one another and just giving it their best go. Go MSJ!
By Zoe Nicolaou Year 10
Senior
Just like the weather that day, the Senior Soccer team's game play was unpredictable, inconsistent, but suprisingly quite pleasant. After a close loss in the first game, the girls soldiered on to win the next 2, then draw the last of the pool. We ended up playing for third place; through unexpected rain and all - we came out on top with a 1 - 0 victory! It was indeed a commendable effort by all with amazing teamwork skills as we all quickly adapted to our teammates needs. A special thanks to Mr Meilak for coaching us out of out defeatist attitudes and turning us into (bronze) winners!
By Gemma Srijian Year 12
After training for most of the season, the week had come to agonise over the worries of how well I would do. All week leading up to my races, I had private lessons to prepare for them.
The day had finally arrived - it was race day. My first race was on the Wednesday and that race was ski across. Ski across is a type of freestyle race. There are burns, bends and rollers and the goal is to get the fastest time. In my race, I was in division 3. In this division, there are two year levels, Year 8 and Year 7, so that put me in the younger year of the division. In this race, there were 249 kids. I ended up coming 84th with a time of 40 seconds and the fastest time in the race was 35 seconds.
One day later, it was time for my next race. This race was GS challenger. Giant slalom (GS) is an alpine skiing and alpine snowboarding discipline. It involves skiing between sets of poles (gates) spaced at a greater distance from each other than in slalom but less than in Super-G. The challenger version of this just has less people and you can't get into nationals. In this race, there were 49 girls. After the first run, I was coming in first but after the second and final run, I ended up being placed in 3rd. So that night I went to presentations and got my 3rd place medal.
It was so fun skiing and representing the school and racing. I am so grateful for the opportunity that the school gave me because I wouldn’t have had the chance to race and I can’t wait for next year to have this great opportunity again and hopefully other girls could join in as well.
By Bridget O'Connor Year 7
On Friday 6 September, MSJ participated in the SCSA Lacrosse competition. We had two Junior teams with students from Years 7-9, and two Senior teams from Years 10-12.
Senior Team
The Senior MSJ-1 team were the SCSA Lacrosse Senior Division Champions defeating Sion 1, 6-0 in the Grand Final. The team was undefeated in all seven games played on the day, which was an outstanding performance. Beth McDonald (Year 10) was named MVP in the Grand Final. MSJ-2 also played well all day and finished 5th overall ahead of PCW and Sion 2.
Junior Team
It was a tough competition, with most schools having students who play in local lacrosse teams. Both of our Junior teams played well throughout the day, with MSJ-1 finishing in 3rd position and MSJ-2 finishing 7th. PCW and MCC-1 played off in the final, with PCW coming out on top after sudden death. MSJ-1 played off for 3rd position against Academy and we defeated them 5-2.
It was a very well-organised event and thank you to Sue Sofarnos, our MSJ staff and all of the other volunteers who helped run the day. Despite the rain at the end, it was a great day and all of our MSJ girls had a lot of fun. We cannot wait until next year.
By Olivia Conlan Year 8
On Tuesday 13 August, seven MSJ students in Years 7 and 8 competed in the Inter-School Gymnastics competition, at Casey Stadium, Cranbourne. All of the MSJ students did an amazing job competing their routines on bars, beam, floor and vault. Everyone was very successful in earning first overall as a team and all students placed individually.
Well done to all who competed and we hope to see some more new faces next year competing in gymnastics for MSJ.
By Zahra Dib Year 8
