No. 1, Term Four, 2018

Over the course of the three days the students rotated through the six sessions and were led by instructors and teachers through an Eco –walk, archery, rock climbing, orienteering, and canoeing on the beautiful Clarrie Hall dam, Team challenge and Problem solving. The students were great ambassadors for the College during these sessions and they all offered their assistance to each other as they creatively attempted to solve scenarios presented to them.

We also saw the creative sides of the students during the performance evening on the last night, when the Barn turned into a Year 4 talent show during a very heavy passing shower of rain.

It was a wonderful camp with many happy, but tired campers, returning to the College on the Friday afternoon to their families.

The students were fortunate enough to be visited by Mrs Eades who happened to be an authentic Egyptian. Her story of fleeing the country and the traumatic events she had to overcome, truly touched us all. Mrs Eades also taught the students to speak five words in Arabic and rewards were given to those who had the ancient tongue.

There was also a games session, which needless to say, was enjoyed by all. The board games and Pick up Sticks were the favourites, along with creating their own marbles games.

The documentary was interesting in its own way, as it revealed what was under the bandages of a mummy when using technology today. Mummification was a fascinating process in preserving bodies that were over 3000 years old.

Over a few weeks in Term Three, students have been writing and reading about a chosen Egyptian topic based on their own research question. Whether it be about the Gods or the way Egyptians lived their day-to-day life, everyone was immediately fascinated by this culture and how resourceful they were.

Overall, I found the students enjoyed the day. The 3-D Models were amazing and it was great to see the creativity and the time and effort put into these final products.

On behalf of the Year 7 cohort I would like to thank all who helped to make this fascinating day possible.

This year, Kevin Song, was successful with his application to attend the QUT STEM camp. In his words:

Kevin Song, was successful with his application to attend the QUT STEM camp in 2018

I was given the opportunity to explore research around bio-fabrication and medical engineering. Our project involved 3D printing of a viable scaffold that would repair a fracture to the scull using different types of medical imaging. It was a valuable experience and I learnt a lot.

The camp is free to attend. Applications for the 2019 camp will open in April 2019. Information will be posted to Schoolbox.

Somerset College is notorious for its success in the Gold Coast Debating Competition; however, it is undoubtable that students participate out of sheer adoration for the intellectual activity. None of this would be possible without the immense commitment by the parents and coaches. Special mention must go to Mrs Wheeler, Mr Henderson (JUN B), Ms Lee, Ms Hyman (JUN A), Ms Coombs, Dr Margerison (INTER B), Mrs Moore (SEN B), Mr Wrigley (OPEN A) and of course Mrs Hossy, our incredibly devoted and enthusiastic Debating co-ordinator.

In terms of performance, this year the Somerset debaters once again prevailed in 2018. There are two Open A teams, both of which fought admirably and made it to the latter stages of the competition with both teams competing in the Semi-Final. Following tough-fought debate, the Somerset 1 team succeeded with the negative side of the topic “Refugees Deserve Better from Us”, putting them in the final against St. Hilda’s at Bond University. Somerset 1 fought their most gruelling debate yet with the topic “We Most Condemn More and Understand Less”, in which they were the affirmative team.

Unfortunately, in their second and final year competing for the crown in the final, they were unable to win the chocolates on the night. However, the team consisting of Jason Zhang, Charlotte Roche, Olivia Hammond, Chloe Oxnard and Uni Kyeong remain as one of the strongest teams within Gold Coast Debating. The Somerset 2 team, which consisted of Kurt Grigic, Riley Cameron, Josh Hamlin, Jason Adams, Cian Muenster and Michael Guy, were labelled the ‘dark horse’ of the competition, as they had little experience before competing. They proved that experience does not guarantee success when they defeated the All Saints 1 team during the primary finals. It goes without saying that coach and mentor, Mr Wrigley, led both the Somerset Open A Debating teams into the Semi-Finals and without his guidance it remains unseen if either of the teams would have moved past the group stages.

Credit must also go towards Somerset 1 in the Junior B competition who managed to be the only Somerset team to win any division of the Gold Coast Debating Competition. During their first year of debating, they have fought hard and given their absolute best to each debate, which is evident in the successful result. The team consisted of Tanya Hsieh, Mian Huang, Victoria Huang and Isabella Seymour. Well done to them and we look forward to more success by these young debaters in the future.

We hope many of you participate in Debating in 2019, as it is an enjoyable co-curricular competition that is highly valued by both students and the wider community. We do not doubt that the 2019 season will be as successful as 2018, and the years preceding.

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The Senior Girls had an exhausting schedule, playing five games before 1.00pm. Despite a lack of preparation and a limited amount of knowledge on the intricate rules of Rugby Union, the girls played with extreme courage and determination. With each game the girls advanced their knowledge and skills and despite playing some very adept teams they never shirked and were extremely competitive up against teams like Miami State High and Keebra Park High who have had upwards of 50 games this year alone. A good win over archrivals All Saints was one of the many highlights of the day.

Special mention must go to Madizen Wilkins who has been asked to join a girls development squad after completing a stellar tournament which included three tries, numerous try assists and some crunching tackles, one against a certain Saint Stephen’s girl that left the crowd wincing after a cacophony of ‘Oooohhhs’. Notable mentions also go to Alice Neale, Abigail Kavanagh and Solange Paige Stephens for their excellent level of play.

The Senior Boys did not quite have as intense a schedule as the girls, nevertheless their level of play was exceptional and they showed the other teams at the tournament how to play an expansive and skilful game of 7’s Rugby. They dispatched both Kings Christian College 2 and All Saints Anglican School in pool play by margins of 30 plus points. This qualified them for the final against Kings Christian College 1. The game was a much closer affair than the prior games but the team still cruised to victory with a 24 to 5 win. Sam Dalton and Rhian Stowers were at their elusive best bamboozling their counterparts at will with fancy footwork and excellent acceleration. The Senior Boys team gladly accepted the winner’s trophy, completing a hot and tiring but very successful day for both teams.