Student Achievement Award Winners 2010

FOUNDATION PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT SKILLS

Sarah-May Dykes from Caroline Springs College, Lakeview Campus and Sports Education and Development Australia

 

To help meet the growing demand for Auskick coaches, Sarah-May became an enthusiastic coaching recruit at the Newport Auskick Centre. She worked hard to attain her Level 1 coaching accreditation and quickly established a strong rapport with coaching colleagues and the kids in her care. Many of her students have gone on to join local football clubs. Sarah May was nominated by the Newport Football Club for the Australian Football Coaches Association’s Western Region Female Coach of the Year Award.

 

Jordan Wolff from Benalla College

 

Jordan’s efforts in his Personal Development Skills projects were exemplary. He helped to organise Benalla’s annual Get Out There Youth Awards, using his computer skills to design certificates, a newspaper advertisement and nomination forms for the event. Jordan also helped assess 2011 National Youth Week Grant applications and made an outstanding contribution to his school’s Black Saturday Fire Recovery Project. Jordan was named Benalla College’s Year 11 VCAL student of the year and was nominated for excellence awards by all of his teachers.

 

FOUNDATION WORK RELATED SKILLS

Ben Gillson from John Fawkner College and Sports Education and Development Australia

 

Ben performed outstandingly in his structured workplace learning placement at Coburg Leisure Centre. He wrote up gym users’ exercise programs, assisted with health assessment consultations and introduced clients to their exercise regimes. Ben also ran weekly rehabilitation training sessions for a group of multiple sclerosis sufferers. Ben developed a great rapport with his clients and earned a reputation as a mature, responsible and conscientious worker. Using what he learned at the gym, Ben has since run fitness clinics at schools and in the wider community.

 

FOUNDATION OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT

Jessica Brown from Monbulk College

 

Through VCAL, Jessica has transformed herself into a prize-winning go-getter. She organised a fire fighting activity day involving five schools affected by the Black Saturday fires and performed exceptionally in her School-based Traineeship in Community Pharmacy – Retail at Emerald Pharmacy. She was named atEAST’s 2010 Retail Trainee of the Year and won several prizes at Monbulk College’s 2010 end of year awards night, including awards for Foundation VCAL Literacy, Personal Development Skills and Work Related Skills.

 

INTERMEDIATE PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT SKILLS

Ben Swan from Nagle College

 

Ben dreamed of becoming an aviation maintenance engineer. He structured his VCAL program around developing the skills and knowledge necessary to achieve this career goal. At the centre of this program was his Personal Development Skills project: the design and construction of a four-wheel human powered vehicle to be raced at the 2010 Energy Breakthrough competition. Ben’s inventive design won the competition’s Design and Construction Award. Ben is now an aircraft maintenance engineering apprentice at Exxon Mobil.

 

INTERMEDIATE WORK RELATED SKILLS

Patrick Bartlett from the Centre for Continuing Education

 

Patrick left school at the end of Year 10, but he didn’t fit the stereotype of the disengaged teenager. A gifted musician, Patrick spent his days productively, organising band rehearsals, playing gigs at community events and practicing his guitar playing. He enrolled in VCAL at the Centre for Continuing Education and was delighted to discover that all this experience counted towards his program. Patrick completed his VCAL with flying colours and is now studying for an Advanced Diploma in Performance Music at Box Hill TAFE.

 

INTERMEDIATE OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT

Ashlee Leitch from Narre Warren South P–12 College

 

Ashlee used VCAL to develop the skills necessary to realise her dream of a career in finance. She undertook a School-based Apprenticeship at the Bendigo Bank and quickly became a highly-valued member of staff. At school, Ashlee organised a school concert, which raised $2000 for the Starlight Foundation. She was an ambassador for VCAL at school information evenings and was elected as one of four school captains in 2011. Ashlee has now secured a permanent job in Financial Services at the Bendigo Bank.

 

INTERMEDIATE TEAM ACHIEVEMENT

The Kaniva College student team:

Kayla Hawker, William Maddern, Jonty Brown & Katie Rich

 

This team designed and constructed new entrance signage to be erected at either end of the main highway through Kaniva. Their design centred on steel statues of native animals set against an iconic Australian pastoral scene. Working collaboratively, the students sourced materials locally and hand-made each component. They also restored an old windmill – a historically significant icon in the town – to incorporate into their design. When the two-year project was completed, West Wimmera Shire Council held an official opening ceremony. The students were officially acknowledged and thanked for their tremendous work.

 

SENIOR PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT SKILLS

Nathan Stavridis from Nazareth College

 

Nathan spent two mornings a week assisting St Elizabeth’s Primary School Grade 1 and 2 students with their Literacy and Numeracy program. Nathan dressed up for the students during a fairytales unit, played shopkeeper for a numeracy class, and listened to individuals read aloud. Nathan also volunteered at the SCOPE Young Ambassadors Balloon Football League, a wheelchair-based competition derived from Australian Rules football. He ran a fundraising sausage sizzle and helped organise the League’s Grand Final. Nathan even returned to school after his formal graduation to assist with a Balloon Football exhibition match.

 

SENIOR WORK RELATED SKILLS

Scott Mulgrew from Monbulk College

 

Scott’s passion and flair for media and television production quickly led to a school-based traineeship with industry frontrunner Fuzzy TV Productions. Scott quickly became a highly valued Fuzzy TV employee. He played a key role in creating many of the company’s most significant documentaries and advertorial campaigns. Scott was named 2010 atEAST Media Trainee of the Year and won the Overall atEAST Excellence Award. He has now secured a full time apprenticeship at Fuzzy TV and hopes to eventually establish his own production company.

 

SENIOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT

Brydie Harper from Catholic Regional College Sydenham

 

Brydie tailored her VCAL program around projects and activities that would develop skills essential for a career as a special needs support worker. Brydie undertook work placements with organisations including Brimbank Youth Services, Werribee Mercy Hospital and Sunshine Special Development School. She also organised her school’s VCAL graduation ceremony and Year 12 formal and coordinated fundraising activities for Swan Hill College’s sister school in East Timor. Brydie is now studying towards a Bachelor of Disability at RMIT University.

 

SENIOR TEAM ACHIEVEMENT

The Swan Hill College student team:

Rachel Black, Madina Charles, Michael Cockfield, Lyndon Perry, Thomas Mangan, and Justin Walker.

 

Years of drought and neglect had left Swan Hill’s George Lay Park practically unusable. Swan Hill College’s Senior VCAL students decided to spearhead its redevelopment. They held a series of community meetings to discuss the possibilities and conducted a door knocking campaign to gauge community sentiment. The students then worked with Swan Hill Council’s Community Planning Officer to analyse the responses and used the results as the basis for their design. They held barbecues, raffles and cake stalls to raise funds for the project. Swan Hill College’s 2011 VCAL students are now using these funds to continue the team’s good work.

 

VCAL SCHOOL BASED APPRENTICE/TRAINEE AWARD

Jessica Humphrey from Carrum Downs Secondary College

 

Jessica’s performance during a five-day work placement was all it took to convince management at Best Western Frankston International Motel to offer her a School-based Apprenticeship in Hospitality (Operations). Jessica gained experience in all facets of the Motel’s operations, including housekeeping, reception and catering. She learned new skills quickly in order to make a valuable contribution in each role. Jessica’s exceptional work won her Carrum Downs Secondary College’s 2010 Outstanding Achievement prize. She has now completed her Certificate III and is currently continuing her apprenticeship.

 

Anthony Ryan from Monbulk College

 

As soon as he became aware of sustainable landscaping business Greenmark, Anthony knew he wanted to be a part of it. He approached Creative Director Phillip Johnson to secure a traineeship and has since become an integral member of the team. Anthony is knowledgeable about water-saving designs and sustainable gardens and has proven himself to be reliable, motivated and committed to the business. Anthony has used his expertise to assist in a community landscaping project in Marysville to help rebuild what was destroyed in the Black Saturday fires.

 

KOORIE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

Shanesha Togo from Sunraysia Institute of TAFE

 

Shanesha stood out in her Indigenous School-based Traineeship in Business at the ANZ’s South Mildura branch. Working in a Teller 2 position, Shanesha provided exceptional service, assisting customers with their day-to-day banking. She has now been promoted to a Teller 1 position, a senior role in which she supervises other tellers at the branch. Shanesha won Sunraysia TAFE’s 2010 VET In Schools Excellence Award for Outstanding Achievement in VET Business. She will complete her traineeship in 2011, after which she plans to continue her career at the ANZ.