A goal of 2020 was to expand the after-school options for Middle School Students.

Recognising that not every student is a passionate sportsman, the College wanted to offer more art and design activities while still providing sport to those inclined. Term 3 saw the test of Monday afternoon co-curricular activities. The success of this trial will see the project rolled out in full in 2021.

Sprint Technique Training

Knowing I wanted to improve my speed when the athletic development options were released, I knew I needed to pick Sprint Technique Training. This type of training works on your sprinting technique and improves your speed through lots of different drills so that you can become a faster competitor.

Sprint Technique sessions usually start off by doing multiple sprint technique drills and skills to improve a range of things like your knee drive and balance. After this, we got into some short run-throughs where we can put all of our practice into work. I found these pieces of training really fun and beneficial for my running and will definitely help me in the future.

Sprint training is also very beneficial for any sports you are currently or going to be playing later on in your life. If you are deciding whether you should give this activity a try or not, I strongly recommend doing Sprint Technique Training, because it is an activity that anyone is capable of doing and will only offer positive impacts on yourself.

• Brayden Atwell

Gyotaku Fish

This term the school gave us an option to try a co-curricular subject instead of sport, and I thought I would give the Japanese fish printing (Gyotaku) a go.

Now, l know that it sounds weird and disgusting but this form of art is fascinating and can create beautiful artworks. Each lesson Ms Hughes brought a dead fish (the types ranged from Snapper, Barramundi and Red Emperor) and we paint them with ink. We used different colours of ink from black, pink to blue and used them to create prints on paper which are then hung on the wall. We also free drew coral and other ocean scenes on paper.

I was surprised how fun this co-curricular subject was and I love all the bright colours of the inks, they make the room so bright. I enjoyed the fish printing because it gives us an insight into a different form of Japanese art that we have never heard of before, let alone seen. Some of the challenges we faced are getting a good print and getting the perfect amount of ink. I would highly suggest that you come down and give this co-curricular subject a go.

• Fred Johnson
  

Drumline

The range of fantastic options for co-curricular activities Aquinas has offered this term was endless, but in the end, I chose to do the drumline.

The Middle School drumline is a programme that teaches students of all drumming abilities to enhance their snare drum skills and experience a variety of different drums, such as the bass or tenor. Students in the drumline got to perform with an ensemble in a way that is completely different and unique from everything they have learnt before. The reason I picked the course is because I was intrigued by videos I had seen online and because I wanted to be a part of a drum only ensemble so I could learn from the drummers around me.

I enjoyed the drumline for a countless number of reasons but some of them include the experience playing on different kinds of drums, learning new techniques to play the snare drum, coming up with creative beats and bars for songs, and playing with and learning from the teachers and students. The drumline was a very new experience for me as, before this, I was predominantly a kit drummer and hadn’t properly mastered playing in a group. At the start, I perhaps tried too hard to listen to those around me and therefore becoming out of sync with the other drummers. But as I continued to learn in this group, I can hopefully improve my skills slowly to a point where I can successfully stay in sync with others, while not forgetting that I still have to play the drums as well!

All in all, the drumline allows me to experience a unique musical ensemble, with group members of all skills that encourage and help, along with talented and engaging teachers to guide us. The Middle School drumline is looking forward to their performance next week and has greatly appreciated this opportunity provided by the College.

• Gabe Maund