Tasmania 2023

The beginning of the year is always an exciting time for many students – the return to school, catching up with friends, and getting back into a routine. However, for the senior rowing team at Aquinas College, the start of the year meant a trip to Tasmania for a rowing tour like no other.

The tour took place over two weeks, with the first five days spent in Hobart. With the boys rowing out of The Hutchins School shed, they were treated to some of the best views of the Derwent River and surrounding hills. The first two days were used to get a feel for the river and some of the unique challenges that come with rowing in a new environment, such as negotiating the large cruise ships and active port in the centre of Hobart.

In addition to on-water training, the team was able to explore their surroundings by hiking Mount Wellington through the extraordinary Lost Field, where they enjoyed spectacular views of Hobart and the region. The group also took part in laser skirmish and visited the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA). These activities offered a chance to bond and create memories outside of their shared passion for rowing.

The on-water rowing training increased throughout the week, with additional ergo sessions at the University of Tasmania and running sessions in Sandy Bay adding to the training load. A rest from training over the weekend was well earned as the boys departed Hobart for the next leg of the tour.

The next two nights were spent on the east coast of Tasmania where the boys visited the Port Arthur Historic Site and explored the fascinating history of the region. They also enjoyed a thrilling jet boat ride around the Tasman Peninsula, which gave them a new perspective of Tasmania's rugged coastline. A lunch break at Fortescue Bay saw the boys take the challenge of plunging into the icy cold waters of South-East Tasmania for a very refreshing swim.

One of the highlights of their trip was a trek on the Freycinet Peninsula. The six-hour hike provided an awe-inspiring view of the beach and cerulean waters of Wineglass Bay. The boys descended into Wineglass Bay before trekking across to the remote Hazards Beach.

After all the excursion had to offer, the team travelled to Lake Barrington International Regatta Centre for their last week of training. As one of Australia's premier rowing facilities, Lake Barrington offered the ideal location for the team to prepare for the upcoming season. The team had been looking forward to the opportunity to train in such a well-equipped facility. The International Regatta Centre was the boys base for next five days as the focus of the tour changed to preparing for the weekends racing.

The conditions on Lake Barrington for training were perfect, with calm waters and stunning weather surrounded by the amazing forests of North-West Tasmania. The boys were able to train hard and focus on the finer details of their technique and preparation for the regatta.

During their last few days in Tasmania, the team participated in a regatta against other schools and clubs from the area. It was a fitting way to end the trip, testing their newfound skills and experiences from the previous weeks. The team was able to put into practice all that they had learned and develop into a well-oiled machine, with all boats performing to their best abilities.

Despite the challenging conditions of racing against unfamiliar crews and some extreme weather conditions on the last day, the boys did exceptionally well. Their hard work and dedication paid off as they won multiple races.

The team bonded and strengthened their connection during the trip, affirming the College's longstanding tradition of developing top-tier rowers. For many, the tour was one of the highlights of their time at Aquinas College, providing memories and experiences that will last a lifetime.

The tour to Tasmania was also an opportunity for the boys to connect with the wider rowing community in Australia, as they met new competitors and potential future teammates. The exposure and experience gained from racing against other schools and clubs will undoubtedly aid them later on in their individual careers.

As the boys departed from Tasmania for their return to Perth, they were left with newfound skills, memories, and experiences that they will take with them for the rest of their lives. As First Eight coach, Steve Saunders, reflected on the success of the tour, he spoke of the pride in the team's hard work and the joy of watching them mature and excel both on and off the water.

The tour to Tasmania was more than just a rowing trip, it was a testament to the power of shared experiences and dedicating oneself to a common goal. Every member of the team came out of the tour with a greater understanding of their teammates, the sport, and themselves. The trip will no doubt inspire the Aquinas senior rowing team in years to come, serving as a benchmark to aim for. For the younger rowers, the next tour is planned for January of 2025.

By Nick Collins
Director of Rowing

At the beginning of the week 3, we were lucky enough to visit the Art Gallery of WA to visit the PULSE perspectives exhibition, which features a selection of the top Year 12 Art students from around WA. This was a great experience for the students to view other artworks created by their peers.

They also participated in a workshop called “Exquisite Bodies”, curated by WA artist Bruno Booth. The students had to work collaboratively to create quick 3D sculptures exploring the form of the body.

Overall this was a great day out, which sparked several insightful discussions around the artworks they viewed and how they may have inspired them in their own artistic practices.

Bina Butcher
Art Technician

Through the 19^th century industrialised age, education quite ruthlessly separated those who were perceived to be capable and therefore worthy of either further education or notable employment, and those who should be relegated to menial labour who did not deserve further education. There were necessary means to measure the academic potential of individuals and groups. There became a need to analyse, categorize, separate, distinguish, and label human beings. This was done to determine who were “fit”, and which individuals were not.

Charles Spearman’s theory of general intelligence was also born in this era, based on the now outdated notion that one’s intellect is relatively fixed, inherited through genes and chromosomes. Edward Thorndike then published his “associationist” theory, suggesting that knowledge is the collection between external stimuli and internal mental responses from the individual.

When reflecting on Spearman and Thorndike’s work, unfortunately the growth of standardised testing in schools and arguably outdated instruments used to measure success seems to be a hallmark of these 19^thcentury theories which initially served as a rationale for these educational practices.

So why the history lesson here…?

This is because more recently, research supports the fact that intelligence is not fixed, and one can improve their mental capacity if they believe contemporary research to be true and are willing to improve their academic behaviours (Perkins 1995, Kotulak, 1997).

So why publish this article now, once exams are finished for Year 11 & 12 students… ?

In order to see intelligence grow incrementally, we need to develop learning goals that reflect the belief that ability is not fixed. That improved academic behaviours and effort can lead to a continuously expandable repertoire of skills and have a significant impact on one’s learning potential.

Receiving exam results or an academic report at the conclusion of a school semester is an ideal opportunity to sit together and discuss a number of things. Whilst it is easy to immediately focus on the performance, such as grades and exam scores, what really matters is the reflection on a student’s output. Fostering quality discussion and reflection in respect towards a student’s academic behaviours, their goals and their commitments for the following year cannot be understated and should be an important part of academic reporting. For a concise ‘vimeo’ summary of the research into “The Role of Noncognitive Factors in Shaping School Performance” by the University of Chicago (2011), please use the following link

Brendan Chapman
Head of Academic Studies

This year’s Senior School Swimming Carnival went spectacularly, with the Cullity Lions roaring their team-mates on, the Durack Dragons firing through the water, the Prendiville Panthers Clawing their way through into 2^nd place. But in the end, it was the mighty Wolf Pack of Chaney that howled with success, taking home the House Swimming Trophy and dowsing the Head of Chaney and alpha wolf, Mr Montgomery, in a shower of ice-cold water. Overall, the support and effort from all boys and staff present was palpable and made for a great morning and start to the Inter-House competitions for the year.

The Year 11 & 12 art students had the opportunity to visit Curtin University for a Fine Art Conference on campus last week. They first had a lecture from Dr Keiran Broadhurst on analysing artworks and some tips for art exam prep. They then had a life drawing workshop with Di Cubbit, and still life painting workshop with Tori Benz in the University studios. It was a great opportunity for the boys to learn some new skills and experience University life.

Some of the brightest minds in the Year 11 cohort have been enjoying the challenge of the Research Skills and Methods unit at the University of Notre Dame in preparation for both LOGOS and the Cambridge IPQ on Friday’s as part of the myFUTURE program. They have definitely risen to the challenge of a move from Year 10 to university standard academic research and writing! We are already looking forward to their presentations on the UN Sustainability Goals in the coming weeks.

"For the last two weeks, this Notre Dame research course has taught me very valuable research skills. This is very useful for me as I am completing the Cambridge IPQ research project after this. All of the research skills such as the CRAAP Validation Method and the ability to identify key parts of a research question will be very useful in my own literature review." – David Stopforth

"The Notre Dame Research Skills and Methods course has been a new and informative experience. My peers and I have thoroughly enjoyed experiencing a taste of Uni life and have loved our time on such a lovely campus. In the first 2 weeks, we have been able to gain skills to help us conduct high-level academic research and I look forward to what’s to come." - Nishok Nimalan

Congratulations to Year 12 students Samuel Yeow and Matthew Gardner for achieving A* (the highest grade possible) for their Cambridge Independent Project Qualification (IPQ) as part of their uniPATH undertaking last year.

As an enrichment opportunity designed through a skills-based research qualification, the Cambridge IPQ partners Aquinas College with the University of Western Australia to provide an enrichment opportunity that extends well beyond the limits of a traditional curriculum for Aquinas College uniPATH students. The IPQ framework develop skills by carrying out research into a student’s chosen topic, with an aim to foster the acquisition of higher-order thinking skills that universities and employers look for, including analysis, evaluation and synthesis of scholarly information, whilst fine tuning critical reflection and communication skills.

Matthew Gardiner leveraged upon his interest in the medical professional to investigate “How the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine adversely affects the myocardium of adolescent males?" Such a topical research question when considering the ethical implications of the COVID-19 vaccinations and how this research was developing in real time in a rapidly evolving pandemic.

Whilst Samuel Yeow built upon his passion of mathematics and higher order thinking skills in balance with the philosophical considerations of whether Formal Logic can act as a viable substitute for natural, informal reasoning to algorithmically construct the logical determination of societal policy.

Aside from a personal accomplishment and experience in research with a University of Western Australia (UWA) mentor, they will get a 20 point TEA bonus on their ATAR should they choose to study at UWA. Congratulations Samuel and Matthew and a sincere thank you to Mr Brendan Chapman, Head of Academic Studies, for his guidance during the year.

Leadership isn’t about being the best. It’s about making others better.

This year the Student Leadership Program has seen exponential growth in the participation of students from both the Middle and Senior Schools.

Feedback from staff, students and families suggests the increase in participation of the Student Leadership Program is because of the impact it has on a boy’s personal growth and development, plus the ability to add value to a boy’s character is becoming more evident throughout the school and wider community. So, what makes the Student Leadership Program at Aquinas so good?

The Leadership Program provides an authentic way to educate and develop leadership ability in boys by working around two key aspects. The first aspect is encouraging boys to become more self-aware as research into leadership has this as a common trait amongst great leaders. People who are self-aware have higher emotional intelligence, are more adaptive, resilient, and readily take on feedback, they are also more capable of effective communication.

Starting in Year 8, all students are involved in a workshop to launch the Middle School Leadership Program. This workshop focusses on teaching students to become more self-aware through activities examining their past, and goal setting for the future. Looking back at the past builds a stronger sense of gratitude and with this enhances a boy’s ability to be empathetic and show kindness. Building self-awareness continues in the Senior School with boys completing activities in the Skills of Leadership workbook by examining the importance of leaders showing initiative, being collaborative, having strong self-awareness and being resilient.

The second aspect of our Leadership Program recognises ‘great leaders are servants first’ as role modelled by Edmund Rice and Jesus. Our Leadership Program is centred around active participation of boys in the Service-Learning program at Aquinas. Service is so highly valued in our Student Leaders, that boys who fail to complete any aspect of the Middle or Senior School Service-Learning Program cannot become a Year 9 Leader or College Prefect. This philosophy is also behind the structure of the 16 Student Councils, whereby the Council shares the power amongst its members, helping students to grow under the mentorship of older boys whilst also having the primary focus of improving/serving the community of Aquinas or broader society. Promoting the importance of service throughout the Student Leadership Program reinforces the idea that great leaders put the wellbeing of others and needs of their community first.

Support Year 11 Aquinas boys Benjamin Clarke and Travis Shearer as they challenge themselves to walk or run as far as they can on January 4th 2023 in order to raise money for breast cancer.

1 in 2 Australians will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime which includes Travis' aunty and Ben's mum, which is why they are putting their bodies to the test to raise funds and show their support.

Visit https://bit.ly/3g8CEsF to donate and support the boys!