The winning entry in this year’s Aquinas College Photo Competition captured the theme of contrast in many ways.

Year 7 Banjo Young’s entry Burnt Black depicted the contrast of straight and curved lines, the sky and textured foreground and contrasts of black and white instead of colour, according to judge Aquinas College’s Paul West.

Mr West commended the composition of the photograph, particularly the relative relationship between sky and land along with Banjo’s chosen viewpoint of the image, taken in close proximity to the ground which further emphasised the subject.

Year 7 Daniel Setiawan’s entry Dusk was named second place winner, the image contrasting light and dark. Mr West said retaining the dynamic sky and bright sunset was technically difficult and Daniel was able to overcome this to produce the final image.

He commended Daniel on the composition of the entry, placing silhouettes against the bright background and his use of compositional
devices such as the rule of thirds.

Many other entries were commended by Mr West for their composition, subject matter and technical elements.

An Aquinas College student’s initiative and willingness to help others has benefitted Perth’s homeless community.

Jack Sheppard’s idea to set up a fundraising event and sell home-cooked cookies led to a donation of $850 to St Bartholomew’s House. The charity published the following article on its website about Jack and his mum’s work to fundraise for the organisation;

As Jack was waiting for his mum to finish work one day at their nearby office, she explained that the women they saw across the road were being supported by St Bart’s because they were experiencing homelessness.

“I knew about homelessness because we learnt about it at school, but I didn’t understand what it meant and how important services like St Bart’s are in helping people find their way back to a home,” says Jack.

Coming from a family that loves to bake, Jack – an Aquinas College student – asked his mum if he could bake some cookies for the ladies. A further brainstorm led them to the creation of a fundraising event that saw them raise a hugely impressive $850 for St Bart’s!

What is equally rewarding was hearing how Jack’s mum wanted to find a way to encourage the kindness in our children in a society where it is not easy to find opportunities for them to help when they are young. What a team they make!

Read on for our interview with Jack…

What was your initial reaction when hearing about us?

I was shocked by the amount of people who do not currently have a home. I felt upset for them not having a home because they may feel scared or lost not knowing what to do. I felt happy when I read about your services and that you help people in need.

How did your mum help influence your decision to create the fundraiser for St Bart’s?
I like baking cookies because they are fun and easy to bake and they taste great. I asked my Mum if we could bake cookies for the ladies across the road. She called St Bart’s for me and while we were trying to donate cookies, we realised that raising money would be more helpful. We checked if we could sell cookies in our car park with the City of Perth and they approved the event. We sent out invitations and started an Instagram page. We started to get orders which was really exciting.

What was your initial estimate for the fundraiser?
Our initial goal was to raise at least $400. We raised $850.

How has the experience helped to broaden or change your perception of homelessness?
I always thought people who were homeless were those who lived on the street. I didn’t know there were so many people who didn’t have a permanent home. If there was no help for people in need of a permanent home, it would be really difficult for them to change their situation.

What do you hope to do once you finish school?
I know I want to help people when I finish school.

By the way, the Choc Brownie and Oatmeal Raisin cookies were all plant based and low allergy, and utterly delicious! Be sure to follow Jack on Instagram: @jackscreativekitchen and his mum @rawcrush.

Aquinas College Year 8 student Chris Turner gave an inspirational speech to federal politicians last month at Parliament House about living with hearing loss.

Chris relished the opportunity to speak directly to politicians including Trent Zimmerman MP, Emma Husar MP and Senator Rachel Siewert at a Q&A style breakfast on the topic "Assuring the Future for People with Hearing Loss".

Chris was one of a group of six Australian and New Zealand young deaf people invited to speak at the event. Living with hearing loss since he was diagnosed at 17 months of age, Chris spoke of how his life was impacted by hearing loss including day-to-day challenges such as making friends and playing sports.

Chris is enrolled in the Telethon Speech and Hearing School Support (outpost) program at Aquinas College. He spoke about living with cochlear implants, challenges he has faced living with hearing loss and his views on potential challenges in the future.

"Six years ago my family moved to Perth and things changed," he said.

"I enrolled in a school called Telethon Speech & Hearing and life improved and gradually since then my school days, I have to admit, have started to brighten."

"Making friends is important, for a long time all I wanted was to understand and talk to friends like everyone else."

"I've always been lacking in this process but now, thanks to hearing technology, I can listen to my friends in class, I can now socialise...with the assistance of my hearing technology, I have been able to unlock my full potential in all aspects of school."