As our second term as the Extraordinary Learners Prefect team comes to a close, we would like to take the chance to reflect on the many achievements, experiences, and opportunities that have shaped this term of extraordinary learning. Across the portfolios of Sports, Academics, and Creative Arts, students have continued to show their enthusiasm and excellence, embracing every opportunity to learn, grow, and explore their talents. From extraordinary events this term to exciting opportunities that await next term, this edition of We Are dives into the Extraordinary Happenings of Terms 1 and 2.
Creative Arts Happenings
It has been a massive term for Creative Arts, with achievements in art, drama, music, and dance; much more exciting than boring, handwritten assessments!
‘Little Shop of Horrors’ has been excitedly announced as the 2026 Major Production! Featuring gruesome tales, a powerful love story, and a terrifyingly bloodthirsty plant, the show features incredible musicality that is sure to have you hooked! Featuring over 100 secondary students, the show truly is an incredible testament to the amazing talent we have in Creative Arts at the College! Keep an eye out for Connect and the College website for tickets that will soon be coming out – you do not want to miss this incredible show!
The Secondary Music showcase kicked off in Week 9 with music from Year 12 all the way down to Kindergarten! Whether it be jazz, classical, vocal, or show tunes, the students did not fail to show off their amazing skills and entertain audiences. This showcase was a fantastic opportunity for our amazing Co-Curricular Music ensembles to take to the stage and demonstrate the amazing power of music. Did you attend? Comment on your favourite piece from the showcase! Ours was definitely the College Orchestra’s performance of ‘Highlights from Wicked’, arranged by Ted Ricketts.
Dance has been lurking in the shadows this term, with Studio 1 preparing for their upcoming competitions, learning new choreography to show off the College’s amazing dance program. However, on a recent Friday night, the Primary Disco made a big hop, skip and step, with some of the best dance moves we’ve ever seen! We saw some old classics – the sprinkler, the floss, and even a frat beat? Yet once again, Lush Life by Zara Larsson came on the speakers, and everyone broke out into a TikTok dance sensation. Rumour has it that even some teachers were caught swinging the arms…
Last, but certainly not least, is art! Whilst there were no showcase events, students continued to thrive in their incredible artistic abilities. One of We Are’s very own designers, Alice H, completed a week-long residency at the National Gallery of Australia after being awarded a highly competitive National Summer Art Scholarship in December 2025. Whilst some may say this is “old news”, Alice is continuing to enjoy behind-the-scenes experiences at the Gallery and mentorship on creative projects that will continue to shape her artistry. If you’re curious about some of her designs, check out “The Life Changing Discovery” and guess what… she did that in under 2 days!
Let us know if you have any more incredible Creative Arts achievements that we can share with the College community! From drama to music, art, and dance, Creative Arts is such a wonderful expression of talent and imagination, and we love to hear about any and every achievement that occurs!
Bye for now!
Matilda S and Sam B – Creative Arts Prefects
Sports Happenings
This term brought a great range of sporting achievements and accomplishments for both our individual students and our college teams.
Our bboys’first XV rugby team competed in a range of different games, in which they showed great courage, skill, and grit in each. The Charity Shield brought an exciting day to the college, with the enthralling lunchtime final displaying our boys’ passion and resilience through adversity, as they competed until the final minute to ultimately take home the shield. Later on in the term, our boys competed in another tough and exciting game against St. Michael’s University School, which seemed to have both the age and size advantage over our boys. This did not seem to bother our team, though, putting their body on the line, and putting on a good fight, highlighted by a couple of impressive tries coming from pure footwork and speed.
Both our Boys and Girls football teams continued to impress this term as well. Our girls have not yet been troubled in the CIS cup, smashing their opposition in both games. They displayed their skill for the college to see later in the term, when they beat St. Michael’s University School in a dominant effort, with a great solo goal from halfway being a highlight of the game. Our boys’ team recently progressed through to round 3 of the CIS cup after a close game against Knox Grammar, in which we won in penalties.
In a less serious, but just as competitive game, our students went down to our staff in the staff v students touch football match. The game started with the staff dominating. It seemed the students had a plan… wait for the staff’s legs and lungs to give out. And it seemed they did, with a great comeback from the energetic and quick student side. The staff demonstrated many college virtues through this adversity, pulling themselves together and putting on a counterattack to hold off the rampaging students. What I would love more than to see the students win a staff v students match is to experience Mr Heinreich not performing well in a sport for once, but one dream at a time.
Although this term has been exciting in the sporting department, we expect even more thrilling games in term 2. Staff v Students is scheduled to take place in Week 5 of Term 2, with the students looking to come away with a win following two losses in cricket and touch footy. Term 2 will also hold plenty of opportunities for the Year 12’s to take away some wins against the Year 11’s in Grade of Origin. There will be 3 games, with each one taking place in weeks 3, 7 and 9. The cross-country carnival will also be taking place early next term,m in which the whole school can participate and look to take the win for their respective houses. The AICES Swimming carnival will take place in the closing week of Term 1 and will hopefully allow some athletes to move on to the CIS Carnival in Term 2. Overall, Term 2 will be filled with plenty of chances to get involved in sport at the college, whether you are playing against the teachers, supporting a friend, participating in HZSA sports teams, going up against your peers or looking to win your age in cross country. We encourage you all to get involved in sport next term.
Cadell B and Ruby C – Sports Prefects
Academic Happenings
With our Year 11 embarking on their Preliminary journey and our Year 12s on the final stretch of their high school journey, the Academic Prefects have been busy running and organising academic aid initiatives to make the transition smooth for the Year 11s with Springboard to Success and Senior Mentoring, and provide Year 12 with final words of advice and encouragement from Alumni on the Extraordinary Learners panel.
In the first few days of their preliminary year, Year 11 embarked on the Springboard to Success, a series of seminars run by Year 12 students to provide the foundation for the journey ahead. Throughout grade-wide seminars on study habits, exam tips and achieving a study-life balance, Year 11 students were immersed in the reflections and advice that helped them to attain a clear direction and approach towards their senior studies. On the subsequent day, Year 11 also attended four subject-specific seminars according to their pattern of study, where they were introduced to the demands and habits of the subject, upcoming assessment and some guiding study methods designed to help them achieve their best in whatever subject they study. Overall, Springboard to Success provided the driving force behind the way Year 11 approached their studies in the year ahead, and we look forward to the next Springboard to Success in 2027, where these Year 11’s turned Year 12s can then give their personal reflections and advice to the younger grade, strengthening profound continuity of the senior academic culture here at the College.
Before the Extraordinary Learner’s assembly that occurred in Week 3, we hosted a Q&A panel with the high-achieving alumni who were being celebrated and who once navigated the same pressures and uncertainties of Year 12. The session extended beyond our prepared questions, as students engaged in open conversation, asking honest questions about burnout, motivation, and managing expectations. The alumni emphasised the importance of balance, sharing that consistency and perspective mattered far more than perfection or comparison. They also reflected on setbacks, reframing disappointing results as opportunities for growth rather than indicators of failure. Hearing about their current university pathways and how many of them figured things out late helped demystify the pressure of having everything planned. Ultimately, as academic prefects, facilitating experiences like this allows us to support not just academic achievement, but also student confidence, wellbeing, and perspective during this final stage of school.
Senior mentoring kicked off in Week 4 this term, with paired Year 11 and 12 students meeting fortnightly. This has given students in Year 11 a great opportunity to get feedback and clarification in shared subject areas, hear advice and strategies, and foster more cross-grade friendships. We have loved watching this program be a positive academic support system and seeing the way it encourages balance alongside academic growth. So far, positive feedback from participants in both grades has been super encouraging, and we are looking forward to seeing how the program progresses in Term 2!
Stephanie G, Statira M-E, and Christian T – Academic Prefects
This term has once again showcased the talent, opportunities, and events that the William Clarke College community has to offer. From outstanding sporting performances and academic initiatives to amazing Creative Arts achievements, there is much to celebrate and look forward to. As we turn our attention to next term, we do so with excitement for what’s still to come. If this term is any indication, the possibilities for all you extraordinary learners are limitless.
How else can we celebrate and promote the Extraordinary Learners at the college? Share your extraordinary ideas in the comments.
