On Thursday 2 December, Kurtis Tanna was awarded the Young Volunteer of the Year by the City of South Perth. For many years, Kurtis has been active with Capes for Kids and has made over 50 capes. He is now collaborating with Santa Maria College which will take the production to a whole new level. But Kurtis does much more than this. He has also volunteered his time for Edmund Rice Camps for Kids, After-School Environment, Homework Club, Peer Support, Ocean Heroes, Leeuwin Volunteer Program and let's go Surfing

for the Disabled. His generosity of spirit and commitment is inspiring. Well done Kurtis!

Another group of Aquinas students are participating in a program providing a rare learning space for young people from different parts of the world to connect and get to know each other. This group of students are in discussions with peers from The Abbey School in Tipperary, Ireland. While this might seem a long way away, it is less than 100kms down the road from Waterford, where Edmund Rice opened the first Edmund Rice School in 1802 – in so doing he sparked a global movement to bring young people an education that liberates, delivered in the context of a formation for life that transforms their capacity to live life to the full.

We are blessed to have two groups of enthusiastic, open-minded young men who are excited to learn about Edmund Rice Education globally, develop their cross-cultural knowledge and communication skills. There are no set expectations about where these connections ‘beyond borders’ will lead us, instead, we are open to what may arise. Stay tuned for more updates in the future.

(The Global Classroom Partners Program is an initiative of Edmund Rice Education Beyond Borders and coordinated through Edmund Rice Education Australia (EREA) and Edmund Rice England.)

The last two years have seen the world change dramatically, with a worldwide pandemic that has altered the way we interact and move around the globe. Travel as we know it has changed in many ways, with the steps a traveller must take to be able to move between countries is no longer as simple as packing your bags, grabbing your passport and off you go!

As part of the year 12 ATAR Design course, the students have been tasked with providing an architectural solution to replace the current hotel quarantine situation. They have been provided with a brief that outlines what the state government has provided in terms of their requirements for the project, along with a location for the facility. The buildings are also hoped to be of multiple-use, based on the current global environment. When not in use for pandemic relief, they are required to be easily transported to other locations, for such purposes as temporary housing for towns that have been destroyed by fire, accommodation for immigrants escaping war-torn countries or even utilised for large scale entertainment events, where staff and acts can stay nearby the location.

Students will be using the complete design process to ensure they are able to design and prototype an appropriate solution to their design problem.

Whilst still in the early stages of the project, the students have been compiling initial research from both local and global concepts ranging from Olympic athlete villages to facilities such as Howard Springs in Darwin. They have been collating data, based on surveys that have included feedback from past quarantine travellers and those with a desire to head abroad, once more.

Over the next 12 months, the year 12 design students will continue to build a 15-page design portfolio, as part of their practical examination. Which showcases their journey through the design process, from the initial problem right through to a computer-generated set of renderings and drawings, using commercial grade architectural software, that delivers their solution to the quarantine situation, currently present in Western Australia, as well as presenting it as an option for alternative uses beyond the current pandemic.

Thank you to everyone who visited the Art, Media, Design and Technology Exhibition last week.

It was wonderful to see so many students, parents and grandparents visit the exhibition and celebrate the talents of our students.

The votes for the Peoples Choice Award have been counted and I am delighted to announce that Matthew Cox, ‘Volare al’alba’ (Flying at dawn) as the most favoured artwork and the clear winner of the Peoples Choice Award.

He was followed closely by Nathan Manhey for his work ‘Trashed’ and in 3^rd place was Aaron Chan Kai, congratulations!

A few years ago, inspired by the vision of connecting ‘Beyond Borders’ across the global Edmund Rice movement, our peers in Arusha, Tanzania invited Aquinas College to visit and get to know what the Edmund Rice vision looks like in a different context. During a wonderful few weeks there in January 2020, invisible barriers were dissolved, friendships were formed and hopes were raised for future connections. Obviously, the last 18 months have not been conducive to travel, and schools have often been closed for long periods – however, the sense of connection and desire to share stories has never faded.

Recently, Edmund Rice Secondary School Sinon has been in contact with us again, as part of the EREBB ‘Global Classroom partners’ program. On Tuesday 9^th November a small group of students from each school spent an hour connected via Zoom. As we navigated language and internet hurdles, there was the familiar warmth, openness and sense of unity.

While we don’t know where exactly these kinds of connections can lead us, it is not about a predetermined destination – rather it is about being open to a journey together, come what may. Each time we connect we stumble upon glimpses of cultural common ground and also some beautiful differences. We are united by our shared charism and the youthful exuberance that students bring to these kinds of encounters. As time goes by, we hope a rhythm between the groups can develop as they connect online. EREBB GCP will provide some structure and support along the way, the rest is up to the small groups of Edmund Rice students to remain open to whatever may emerge. These images show a glimpse of both our time together last year and this week’s Zoom discussion.

One of many of the 4-week programmes offered to all Senior School students during Term 4 is the Industry and Enterprise Taster. This program exposes students to the key components of the Certificate II Aquaculture and Certificate II Fishing Operations qualifications and related industry occupations.

The students gained hands-on experience and knowledge about;

• Key fishing hatcheries in Australia and the growth of the aquacultural sector
• Sedating and grading locally grown Yellow Tailed Kingfish
• Fishing and landing catch onboard a commercial fishing boat
• The role that research is playing to improve fish stocks and the management of a sustainable industry for commercial and recreational use into the future

This opportunity and others like it have been forged through a unique partnership between South Metro TAFE and Aquinas College which as a community we are very grateful for.