HWPL & ARK-Vic Character Development Workshops at St Albans Secondary College – PE incursion
In collaboration with ARK-Vic, HWPL Victoria delivered a series of three engaging character development workshops for Year 7 and 8 students at St Albans Secondary College. Aligned with HWPL’s Peace Education principles, the sessions explored ‘My Value and the Value of Others’, ‘Respect’, and ‘Harmony & Diversity’.
Integrated into physical education classes, the workshops combined meaningful discussion with dynamic sports activities and interactive team-building puzzles—allowing students to embody the values they were learning through movement, cooperation, and play.
Students reported growth in areas such as confidence, communication, integrity, conflict resolution, and building positive relationships with peers—especially those they didn’t usually interact with.
> “I really like the HWPL Program because I get to work with people that I never thought I would work with and we get to work with each other and like do teamwork together.” – Angelique 8J
> “We’ve been learning about how we value ourselves and others and respect. And we put them into games and we learn from the games.” – Johnny 8F
> “I feel like it should be spread to more schools because from what I’ve experienced, it’s a very good thing to do. Just overall, I’ve learned quite a lot of things from this – respect, leadership, and just appreciating the time we have with everyone else.” – James 8J
Teachers found the program both complementary to the existing curriculum and uniquely valuable in addressing social and emotional learning.
> “the program is engaging and really cool, because it mixes physical education with the actual lessons of character building, and I absolutely love it.” – Mr. Asta, Teacher at St Albans SC
These workshops show how character education, when combined with movement and teamwork, can foster a more respectful, confident, and connected school community.
Angela Beveridge | Peace Education Secretary – HWPL Victoria Branch
Mr. David Dang | Physical Education Teacher | House Program Leader | Advance Program Leader
Keilor Secondary Badminton Division
We are delighted to share the fantastic news of our school badminton teams’ outstanding achievements at the recent Keilor Secondary Badminton Division that happened in May, 2025.
We had 8 school Badminton teams representing our school to compete with the other schools in the Keilor Division on 5 May for the Year 9/10 and 11/12, and on Thursday 22 May, 2025 for the Year 7 and 8 teams. Seven of our teams managed to defeat all other schools to participate in the Western Metropolitan Region Finals in late Term 2 and early term 3.
Our students displayed great teamwork, sportsmanship and their perseverance throughout the tournaments on both days.
Our school badminton teams will be participating in the Western Metropolitan Region Finals at Altona Badminton Centre (271 Mason Street Altona North 3025 Australia, 3025) on the following days:
- Year 7 boys: 26th June, 2025
- Year 8 boys and girls: 25th June, 2025
- Year 9/10 boys and girls: 6th August, 2025
- Year 11/12 boys and girls: 5th August, 2025
Once again, congratulations to our incredible junior badminton teams! Let’s continue to support and nurture our young talents as they strive for excellence in every match.
Year 7 BOYS 2025:
- Tony Nguyen 7B
- Kain Mouangsene 7D
- James Nguyen 7L
- Andy Tran 7M
Year 8 GIRLS 2025:
- Sarah Hoang 8E
- Mya Pham 8I
- Cailyn Leong 8I
- Avon Huynh 8K
- Sophia Ho 8B
- Olivia Nguyen 8B
- Han Pham 8B
Year 8 Boys 2025:
- Aaron Ton 8I
- Steven Nguyen 8K
- Eric Nguyen 8H
- Jonathan Mai 8C
- Daniel Phan 8E
- Tai Pham 8E
- Ben Pham 8C
Year 9/10 BOYS 2025:
- Ben Tran 10D
- Daniel Bobadilla 10G
- Dat Le 10G
- Jackie Chen 10F
- Minh Hy T 9E
- Lucas Nguyen 9G
- Huu Kevin Hang 10G
- Eric La 10G
Year 9/10 GIRLS 2025:
- Lyna Nguyen 10G
- Jennie Hoang 10A
- Anna Hoang 10A
- Quynh Anh Pham 10D
- Jessica Ngo 10G
- Kathie Nguyen 9E
- Minh Vy Nguyen 10B
- Jenny Pham 9D
Year 11/12 GIRLS 2025:
- Ngoc Thanh Ha (Hanna) Phan 11F
- Rahima Muradi 12D
- Nhi (Stella) Nguyen 12E
- Kathy Ngoc Ho 11C
Year 11/12 boys 2025:
- Trung Nguyen 11E
- Huy Vo 11G
- Thang Tran 12G
- Loc Nguyen 11E
- Tuan Truong 12G
- Thanh Bui 12A
- Loc Vo 12G
Mr Pat Lac – Acting Year Level Coordinator – Senior School | House Leader | Lunchtime Activities Coordinator | Badminton Coach
Athletics Carnival at Keilor Parks Athletics Stadium
On May 9th 2025, we held our annual Athletics Carnival at Keilor Parks Athletics Stadium.
Following the success of the Swimming Carnival in March, we had high hopes for what Athletics Day would hold. Our expectations for this day were not let down, as we had a surplus of students eager to participate and join in on the fun!
Our house leaders and captains put their best efforts into making sure the carnival ran smoothly, leading all types of games and competitions. The year 12 VCE VM volunteers worked hard, providing everybody’s favourite quick lunch, sausage sizzle as well as drinks and snacks!
The atmosphere was filled with a fiery competitive spirit as well as cheerful, collaborative passion. As students raced against each other out on the field, we also had people lining up for novelty events run by the house team, ready to score some extra points for their houses. The 4x100m relay was extremely popular as usual, with many individuals joining forces to represent their house across the year levels. Tug of war was by far the most popular event, with both staff and students engaging in this test of strength. Other notable activities included the bean bag toss, hoola hooping, and hacky sack.
Field events like javelin and shot put were a blast to watch, with many getting impressive distances. The day ended with relay – a collaborative and entertaining match. Athletics was full of fun, laughter and incredible sportsmanship. Thank you and congratulations to all those who participated in games, events and competitions.
Overall, we enjoyed being able to help out and involve ourselves. We look forward to holding more fun events for students to participate in. Stay tuned to see what we have planned for later this year! 😉
Article by: the house captain team. (Amelia, Cynthia, Delphi, Jessica, Vy, Eze)
Carnival Spirit: A Day to Remember
As Irwin House Captain and a Year 12 VCE VM student, I can honestly say the Athletics Carnival was one of the best days of the year—and a definite highlight of my final year at school.
From the moment we arrived, there was a real buzz across the oval. While most students were in their school uniform or PE kit, the house captains and leaders stood out in our house colours, ready to bring the energy and lead the way. You could feel the excitement as students got involved in events, supported their mates, and made the most of the day.
I spent a lot of the day helping out at the discus event and assisting in the house captain area, which gave me a great opportunity to see how things ran behind the scenes. It felt awesome to be part of the action—not just cheering on Irwin, but helping make sure everything flowed smoothly and everyone felt supported.
Some of my favourite moments were watching the relays. The cheering was unreal—students lined the track, hyping up every runner and celebrating each finish. The energy was contagious, and it showed just how much house pride everyone had. And then there was the tug-of-war, which turned into an epic staff vs. student showdown. Safe to say, there was no shortage of friendly rivalry—and a whole lot of laughter.
Leading Irwin on the day was something I’m really proud of. It meant a lot to be someone the younger students could look up to and rely on, whether they needed help with their event or just a bit of encouragement. There was this awesome sense of connection across year levels, and it reminded me why I love being part of this school community.
There were definitely standout performances—some impressive throws and jumps, and serious speed in the sprints. But what really stood out was the spirit. It wasn’t just about winning; it was about effort, encouragement, and everyone having a go. That’s what made it so memorable.
A massive thank you to all the other house captains and leaders who helped bring the day together. And of course, shoutout to everyone who participated, helped out, or just brought the vibes—you made the day what it was. I feel lucky to have been part of it all in my final year, and I’m excited to see how the next Irwin leaders keep that spirit alive.
By Charli Catrill-Ryall Irwin House Captain & Year 12 VCE VM Student
