Immanuel College

Last term our students competed at the Cross-Country SSSSA Championships at Oakbank.

In somewhat uninspiring conditions, 46 brave souls represented Immanuel competing not only with the best cross-country runners from around the state but also with the rain, wind and mud.

Yes, it was tough – but our students responded brilliantly to the challenge!

Congratulations to all the students who competed with some incredible performances. Special mention to the Open Girls team who placed 2nd overall, and to the 14-year-old Girls, 15-year-old Girls and 16-year-old Boys teams who all finished 3rd in their age groups!

Our Year 10 ‘On Broadway’ Music Theatre students presented a showcase of their talents recently, spanning singing, dancing and acting themed 'Songs & Scenes'. This performance allowed our students to shine doing what they do best.

The Century Theatre was filled with family, friends, Boarders and teachers, all celebrating with the students and enjoying their hard work. It was truly a night to remember as part of the school’s busy performance calendar.

This subject is one of the 40 electives that form part of our Year 10 Discovery program. The ‘On Broadway’ Music Theatre elective provides opportunities to connect with industry professionals in workshop and performance settings and develop students' dance, acting and vocal skills in this exciting art form.

Announcing our exhibiting artists from Year 11 in the West Torrens Little Galleries.

Our students have presented beautiful artworks to represent West Torrens through 'modernisms' in the exhibition 'West Torrens Through Art Isms'.

Throughout the City of West Torrens, you will find our students' work in the ‘Little Galleries’ from now until the end of September.

The students studied the Modern era of Art called the ‘isms’ (c.1850’s to 1970’s) with each student assigned their own gallery to produce artwork inspired by the West Torrens area.

We are very proud of their efforts and invite you to visit the galleries!

You can read more including the location of each gallery here:
https://www.westtorrens.sa.gov.au/Community/Community-arts/Westside-Stories-Little-Galleries

We celebrate the continued success of our Language students, with two of our students being awarded the top Stage 2 German prizes at the annual German Teachers’ Association conference recently.

Edward was presented with the Goethe Prize awarded annually to the top overall Stage 2 German student who is a non-native speaker.

Jannik was presented with the Schiller Prize awarded to the top Stage 2 German student with some language background.

It is the first time Immanuel students have won both awards in the same year. Congratulations to Edward & Jannik.

A group of senior school students and staff recently spent 9 days with students from Nyangatjatjara College; connecting, learning and experiencing life together in the remote and incredibly beautiful Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park.

This annual student immersion exchange aims to create bridges between urban and remote locations, fostering mutual cultural understanding, collaboration, leadership skills, and respect for First Nations peoples.

“I found my time in the NT life-changing, I know we throw that word around a lot, but I felt that this experience was so meaningful in my life .” Eve

"Coming back home has created a sort of reverse culture shock and taken some time to readjust to our western ways. It's an experience I’ll never forget, and value for the rest of my life.” Laura

"As a young First Nations woman, I really enjoyed connecting with other Indigenous students from each of the three schools we visited. They reminded me a lot of my mob, which was comforting.” Marlee

“This trip enabled me to learn and understand the experiences of First Nations Australians in remote communities, deepening my personal relationship with reconciliation and reaffirming my passion for social change". Jamie

A life-changing experience for all.

Teams of students from Years 7 & 9 joined students from across SA for the 2024 da Vinci Decathlon competition.

Our amazing Year 7 team placed 1st in Code Breaking, 2nd in Cartography and 5th in Legacy on the day.

Congratulations to all our students for showing determination and commitment as individuals and team members.

The Decathlon hosted by St Peters’ Girls College, challenges students to embrace a range of academic tasks and come up with solutions to complex problems. Disciplines this year included: Art & Poetry; Cartography; Code Breaking; Creative Producers; Engineering; English; Legacy; Ideation; Mathematics; and Science.

Our SACE Stage 1 Dance Assessment night, themed ‘Dance As Breath’, was an exceptional night of dance that captivated audience members. The performances showcased the talent and dedication of our dance students.

One of the highlights of the evening was the presentation of student-choreographed solos, which left a lasting impression on all attendees.

We commend our performing artists for their hard work and commitment and extend heartfelt congratulations to these students for their outstanding contributions.

Congratulations to Year 12 student Aiden Carberry (West Beach SLSC) and Old Scholar (2021) & staff member Josh Warne (Glenelg SLSC) who took out two of the top awards at the Surf Life Saving South Australia Awards of Excellence 2024 on the weekend.

Aiden was awarded Youth Athlete of the Year, and Josh was awarded Youth Surf LifeSaver of the Year!

SLSSA said, 'These surf lifesavers exemplify exceptional commitment, passion and leadership beyond their years. They are a reflection of the many incredible youth in our movement – the future of surf lifesaving is in very capable hands!'

We wholeheartedly agree! So proud of these two outstanding individuals!

📸 SLSSA

Who doesn’t love a Grazing Table!

Our staff were recently treated to a spectacular Grazing Table for recess courtesy of our Year 11 Food & Hospitality students. They showcased their culinary skills and expertly planned, prepared and presented delicious food. The event was a huge success, with staff praising the students' talent and commitment to learning!

What if our students could talk directly to industry and education professionals to explore their future careers?

That was a reality at our Pathways Expo yesterday featuring over 150 exhibitors covering around 45 industry groups and 16 education providers (University & VET).

Students, joined by many parents, took time out to discover a huge variety of careers, skills and pathways, with exhibitors providing valuable advice to help them navigate future career directions and discover their 'thing'.

Such an important event for our students and just one part of our comprehensive Pathways program. We are so grateful to all the incredible exhibitors for making it a success, including around 60 Old Scholars who returned to give back to Immanuel.

Incredible news for Old Scholar Georgie Horjus (2019) of the Adelaide Thunderbirds, who has been selected as a debutant member of the 2024-25 Australian Netball Squad Origin Diamonds.

She joins fellow Old Scholar Sarah Klau (2012), a long-time member of the Diamonds squad, who has again been selected for the Australian Squad as well.

Big congratulations to Georgie and Sarah; we wish them and the whole team well as they build towards the 2027 Netball World Cup in Sydney.

Building towards Sydney 2027 💎

2024-2025 SQUAD DETAILS 👉 https://diamonds.netball.com.au/news/origin-diamonds-2024-25-squad-revealed

Yesterday we hosted the annual Boarders V Day Scholars Football matches; contests with a long history that are highly anticipated by our Year 12s. While there is strong rivalry on the field, the matches are always held in great spirit!

This year, the Day Scholar Girls have finally broken the drought and took out the Girls Trophy FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HISTORY! It was a well-played and hard-fought game. Final score 4–8–32 to 2–2–14.

And in the Boys match, in a turnaround from last year, it was the Boarder Boys who emerged victorious breaking a 6-year winning streak with the strong win. Final score 15–10–100 to 8–5–53.

Audiences were dazzled by our Year 12 Drama student’s breathtaking performance of Metamorphoses written by Mary Zimmerman.

The play, based on Ovid’s epic poem, explored love, loss and transformation, all while actors were immersed in a pool of water on stage, creating a beautiful and unique theatrical experience.

Visually stunning, with stories of heartbreak and humour, the Year 12 Drama class shone and delighted audiences as they performed wonderfully in a world of myths and magic.

We proudly celebrated National Reconciliation Week 2024, themed 'Now more than ever,' by making reconciliation everyone's responsibility.

Highlights included a moving Chapel presentation by Year 11s on Social Justice and Reconciliation, featuring talented Old Scholar Jayden (2020) on the didgeridoo joining our Chapel Band. The Student Representative Council's popular Vilis Reconciliation Week Donut sale supported the Tjindu Foundation, and the SRC also led a Reconciliation Walk set to music by Indigenous artists. Our Year 12 Aboriginal students and key staff attended the National Reconciliation Week Breakfast and Adelaide Thunderbirds players were presented with shoes designed by students from SAASTA Aboriginal Netball Academy, including three students from Immanuel.

And we capped off NRW with a visit today from Jessie Lloyd, a cultural practitioner of Indigenous music dedicated to the continuation of song traditions and cultural practice through the production of both traditional and contemporary Indigenous music.

Let's keep walking this path together!

Go Sam! 💪 Old Scholar Sam von Einem (2013) has reached the ranking of WORLD NUMBER 1 in the June World Para Rankings for Class 11 Table Tennis! The first time in his career! Amazing - so proud of you Sam!

Our Stage 2 Outdoor Education students had an unforgettable kayaking trip, paddling from Higgins Cutting, Victoria, to Border Cliffs, South Australia.

Over 4 days and 3 nights, they navigated the Murray River, explored the Chowilla Game Reserve, and even took a magical nighttime paddle under the stars; kayaks illuminated with glowsticks, gliding silently through the water.

They planned their route and menus, and managed risks, all while building resilience and teamwork.

These Outdoor Education experiences are not just about physical endurance; they are an opportunity for students to develop strong relationships with nature and each other. A truly memorable adventure!

We recently welcomed back some Old Scholars, Loren (2023), Ilya (2022), Max (2017), Cooper (2018), Catherine (2015) and Nicholas (2012) to talk to senior students about their careers and life after-school.

Their talks covered a variety of careers including, Engineering, Law, Paramedics, Carpentry, Music Therapy, Classical Music Performance and Music Pedagogy with inspiring stories and experiences of gap years, journeys through university, trades and employment. Each journey was unique to them.

This is just one part of our comprehensive career pathways program to support students in their thinking and planning for post-school. One of our major events is next week (6 June), our Pathways Expo which provides a real-world opportunity for our students to investigate a wide range of industries and careers - can't wait!

Our students had an amazing 2-day adventure at Japanese Camp at Woodhouse. Students immersed themselves in Japanese language and culture, creating lasting memories.

They cooked Japanese meals with one of our Japanese teachers; a former Japanese chef no less! Okonomiyaki, miso soup, curry rice, and mochi were the stars of our menu!

They engaged in Japanese speaking activities, learning new vocabulary and everyday phrases and enjoyed a presentation on Ikigai (finding purpose), led by a Japanese lecturer from UniSA.

And what JCamp wouldn't be complete without karaoke! With much laughter and positivity, we are so proud of our students who were willing to give everything a go.

We are honoured to be selected as a 2024 SASTA Science Active School, which recognises the dedication, innovation, and engagement of Immanuel College Science teaching staff.

The Science Active School Program is a new initiative by the SA Science Teachers Association (SASTA) to recognise schools that show a high level of engagement in science education within and beyond the classroom.

Teachers have a unique capacity to promote excitement about science and impact student outcomes and this Award is well-deserved recognition of our Science educators.

Bravo to our amazing Science Faculty 👏

Rock music is alive and well at Immanuel College! 🤘

A series of lunchtime concerts celebrated our inaugural Rock Week.

A professional stage and sound system was constructed in our Library to host a range of student-led rock bands and co-curricular ensembles. This unique performance opportunity was designed to give the students the experience of playing on stage to a large live audience.

Students packed into the Library and rocked out to the sounds of Nirvana, ACDC & Soundgarden; rattling the books off their shelves. 🤘

It is with great pleasure we announce that Mr Ujith Perera has been appointed Director of Boarding at Immanuel College.

He is pictured here with our 2024 Boarder Representative Council Captains Millie, Josh and Mia.

Mr Perera’s appointment comes after an exhaustive national recruitment process. He has extensive experience in Boarding, education, and schools having served with distinction as Deputy Director of Boarding at Immanuel College for over a decade. He has also previously worked in a variety of senior roles in Boarding and Residential facilities in Australia and the United States.

What a fitting announcement during Boarder Week!

We are proud to share the news that Immanuel College has been announced as an Excellence Awardee in the 'Innovation in Learning Environment Design' Category of the 2024 Australian Education Awards.

This award is in recognition of the development of the Discovery Centre, our world-class facility opened in 2023, designed to inspire and nurture the next generation of innovators, critical thinkers, and problem-solvers (read more about the Discovery Centre at immanuel.sa.edu.au/discovery/)

The annual Australian Education Awards are the leading independent awards in R-12 education across all education sectors. Category winners will be announced on Friday 9 August at a ceremony held in Sydney.

It is an absolute honour to be recognised for this facility that is central to our ground-breaking Year 10 Year of Discovery where students are guided to better understand themselves, explore opportunities, and prepare for Year 11 and 12, and life after school.

Read more about the Awards at www.theeducatoronline.com/k12/news/revealed-the-australian-education-awards-2024-excellence-awardees/284668

It was wonderful to host Digital Wellbeing Expert Dr Joanne Orlando at Immanuel this week where she shared her research and expertise on all things 'teens & technology' with our parent community, students and staff.

Her presentation on teens and technology was very thought-provoking and relevant to all of us and generated a lot of questions and some discussion starters to take home.

We are very grateful to have had the opportunity to have someone of Dr Orlando's calibre at Immanuel and thank you to our wonderful parent community for your attendance at this event.

Huge congratulations to Old Scholar Matthew Nicholls (1986) who has been elected as a Director to the Board of Paralympics Australia.

Matthew represented Australia at the Nagano Winter Paralympics in 1998 in Para-alpine skiing and is one of our original Sport Hall of Famers. His extensive experience in finance, public administration, consulting and the corporate sector will bring a valuable perspective to the Board.

Read more at: www.paralympic.org.au/2024/04/new-pa-directors-join-green-and-gold-runway-to-brisbane-via-paris/

📸Kelly Barnes/The Advertiser & supplied

Generations in Jazz 2024 is being heralded as one of the best and most memorable musical experiences for more than 5000 jazz students representing schools from across the nation.

Immanuel celebrated when it was announced that 3 students from our Big Band One were selected for the National SuperBand; a selection of 18 exceptional student musicians from across the Australia identified as the best in their craft. Representing Immanuel were guitarist Santiago (Year 11), drummer Jacob (Year 11) & percussionist Timothy (Year 12).

We also celebrated Vocal Jazz Blue placing 6th in a strong division of 34 choirs, while in Division 2, Big Band One placed 1st!

A truly spectacular result. Congratulations to each and every member of the 2024 GIJ tour as they not only represented our school well, but we can all be really proud of the fine young musicians they are.

For our recent Casual Day, the Prefects wanted to raise awareness about food insecurity and asked students to donate non-perishable foods.

Immanuel College students stepped up and generously donated a combined 565 kilograms of food to the Foodbank SA & Central Australia - enough to create 1130 meals!

Thank you to FOODBANK for all the incredible work they do in providing good food to people in need.

Let’s continue spreading compassion and making a positive impact together.

We are thrilled to host Cancer Council SA's Relay For Life at Immanuel this year. Our students have been great supporters of this event for many years raising awareness & funds for Cancer Council SA.

This year's Adelaide Relay For Life will be hosted by our amazing friends at Immanuel College!

Immanuel College have been involved in Relay For Life for over 20 years and have raised a huge $170,000 over this time. They currently have more than 90 students registered to participate in this year's Adelaide Relay For Life, raising funds that make a real difference.

We can't thank them enough for their amazing support of this event over the years and now for hosting more than 350 dedicated relayers next weekend 💜

One week to go until we Relay at Immanuel College on 4 & 5 May! Registrations close at 5pm on Wednesday 1 May so be quick! Register to join us 👉 https://loom.ly/7q7hX1Q

On this Anzac Day, we give thanks and honour those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms.

We also remember all those who served and continue to serve our country in the armed forces, particularly many Immanuel Old Scholars.

In fact, it is 80 years ago that Old Scholar, the late Raymond Graetz OAM (1935), was awarded the Military Cross in 1944 for his extraordinary acts of bravery in the face of danger. As a Wireless Operator in the RAAF, Flying Officer Graetz was posted off the coast of New Guinea and on the 20th mission the crew had flown together, their plane was shot down into the sea. After drifting at sea for hours, a wounded Ray finally made it to shore. He crawled into the jungle where he lived for eight days behind enemy lines, sabotaging enemy guns, trucks and other equipment. He was rescued by the American Coast Guard under heavy fire and subsequently provided vital military intelligence. Ray was one of only seven Australian airmen in the Second World War to be awarded the Military Cross. His life story is told in his book, ‘Mayday'. Ray’s sister Eileen (1942), and brothers Donald (1934) and Elliot (1940) also served in the armed forces.

Their legacy, and all those we honour today, is one of courage, sacrifice, and commitment.

Lest We Forget.

Read more about Ray's extraordinary story at https://anzacportal.dva.gov.au/stories/australians-wartime/ray-survived-eight-days-run-japanese

Photo Credit: Ray Graetz/Seaview Press