Welcome back to the Leaders Lounge, this addition of the leaders lounge is brought to you by Lukie Jewitt. We’ve had a busy couple of weeks at Hennessey, so let’s get into it.

Firstly, on the 28th of February, we had our Opening School Mass, where new staff and students were announced. We also held the badge ceremony, and presented the new 2023 Vice House Captains, James Payne, Esnia Brits, Lily Boda and Jasmine Sullivan, as well as announcing the 2023 Year Level Captains, which is a new position that we have introduced and we are really looking forward to the opportunity to work with the younger years. Overall, the Opening Mass was a very successful event, and all students were very respectful and reverent in the church.

This week, trials for the Jordan Mclean Cup, which is on Thursday the 30th of March, were held. It’s very exciting that we’ve had large amounts of students trialling for spots in the U13’s, U15’s, and Opens sides, as well as the League Tag teams. We are looking forward to continuing our proud winning streak this year against Young High School. 

Week 5 also marked the start of Lent and our fundraising efforts towards Caritas Australia. Last Friday, Gallagher was first; hosting a very successful drinks stall, which provided very refreshing soft drinks and spiders (popular on a hot day). They raised a total of $352 in just the span of half an hour. Following this, in Week 6, Rice and McAuley came together to cook a BBQ, sell drinks and ice cream. Nagle is fundraising in Week 7 with their “100 Club.” All fundraising has been successful so far and students have enjoyed all of the stalls hosted so far.

On the 18th of March, Hennessy is hosting the Parish Mass. We will be looking for volunteers to help with readings, altar serving, music and participating. All students who participate will also receive House Points…this brings me to my next point. The House Cup is getting heated, with Nagle and Rice battling it out for the first place spot, whilst McAuley and Gallagher are trying to claw their way back to the top.

The in-school Chess Competition is getting more intense as we enter the second round. It’s great seeing students from all year levels competing and getting involved. We would like to thank College Chess Captain Jorja O’Brien for her organisation of the competition as well.

It has also been fantastic to have representatives from Charles Sturt University and the Australian National University visiting the College. Students have loved having great conversations with them especially Year 12 who have handfuls of questions as we head into busy university applications season. 

In Week 8, Year 12 will be embarking on a five day excursion to Sydney, where they will be experiencing all myriad of activities, many built around their chosen courses and what they would like to pursue after high school, as well as competing in the Urban Challenge. It’s great to watch the excitement grow from the year group as we edge closer to the trip. 

The Leadership Team are excited as we have lots of student activities and events in the works particularly Lunch on the Lawns which will be returning after the success of the first one, on the 30th March (more information closer to the event). I would like to encourage students to get involved as much as possible and make the most of opportunities coming up. 

That’s all from me now, I hope that you have a wonderful week!

Signing off,