No. 3, Term Four, 2019

"Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere." – Albert Einstein

The evening is not only a chance for students to demonstrate their skills in these areas but it is also a formal occasion to present our awards for Half Colour, Full Colour and Honour in the various areas that fall under the umbrella of the Performing Arts. These awards are in recognition of dedication, talent and leadership in the students’ chosen area.

The evening, hosted by the Performing Arts Captains and Performing Arts Captains – Elect, truly showed the diversity of skills that our students are developing. Thanks must go to all the performers and the staff involved for this entertaining evening.

Congratulations also to all the award winners.

Emeritus Professor Cheryl Praeger AM FAA, is a passionate advocate for attracting more girls to mathematics and was instrumental in forming Australia’s first team to compete in the European Girls’ Mathematical Olympiad. Cheryl Praeger was recently awarded the 2019 Prime Minister’s Prize for Science in recognition of her incredible contribution to mathematics research and education in Australia and around the world.

Clare has also been accepted at the National Mathematics Summer School (NMSS) to be held at ANU in Canberra next January. This is the oldest and most prestigious Summer School of its type in Australia, and in the past 51 years it has been attended by over 3000 students from around Australia. Clare will be the first ever Somerset student to attend the NMSS.

The NMSS is a 2 week residential program for the discovery and development of mathematically gifted and talented high school students. Participation is restricted to 75 students who have completed Year 11.

During the NMSS, students participate in a number of courses on different branches of mathematics not typically studied as part of the school curriculum. Each course is delivered in a series of lectures and small-group tutorials. Private study in the evening also gives students time to puzzle over problems and absorb what they have learned during the day.

The main course is Number Theory, which is studied in depth over the two weeks. Other courses which each run for one week vary from year to year and have in the past included: Chaos Theory, Cryptography, Knot Theory, Languages and Automata, Projective Geometry and Topology.

Clare is currently studying Higher Level Mathematics and Higher Level Further Mathematics as part of her IB Diploma course. Her extended essay is on the topic of Diophantine Analysis. Well Done Clare!

It is about a four-hour drive from the Gold Coast. On the weekend beginning 19 October, 10 students travelled to Tenterfield to volunteer with a charity known as BlazeAid. BlazeAid is a volunteer-based organisation that works with families and individuals in rural Australia after natural disasters to help to rebuild fences and other structures that have been damaged or destroyed.

Upon our Saturday evening arrival in Tenterfield, we headed out to Steinbrook Hall for a barbeque with many of the property owners whom we would come to know over the next couple days. This wholesome night filled with song, laughs and first meetings gave all of us a small insight into this tight-knit community that give anything to each other to ensure they bounce back after tragedies like bushfires.

On Sunday morning, we all got up bright and early and headed out to Monica’s farm where she runs cattle, sheep and working kelpies. We were lucky enough to be taught all the basics of fence building from Garry and Rod, two volunteers who had been traveling with BlazeAid for a couple months. After clearing almost 800m of burnt and depleted fencing, we learnt how-to put-up stays, strainers and barbed wire boundaries which covered nearly 400m. By the end of a long day, some of us wanted to improve our Frisbee skills and so needed to improvise while on the farm with many cows. We’ll let you work that one out. Not only did this experience with BlazeAid allow us to get outdoors and have a laugh with our peers, we were able to build what we hope will be long-lasting relationships with Monica and her family who expressed their gratitude to us extensively.

On top of this, we had the opportunity to climb The Pyramid in Girraween National Park, visit and support an apple orchard, hold and feed lambs and cattle, and nurse the cutest three-week-old kelpies you have ever seen. However, this trip and the activities that we took part in did not make us feel privileged or heroic, instead it made us feel so lucky to have been able to meet the wonderful people of Tenterfield and Stanthorpe, and to witness firsthand a community standing strong in the aftermath of a natural disaster. We can all help by considering an overnight trip out to this beautiful part of the world in the next 12 months.

On behalf of all the students that attended this trip, we would like to say a massive thank you to Mr and Mrs Walker for giving us the opportunity to part take in such a rewarding experience that will stick with and inspire us for the rest of our lives. Thank you!

By analysing Australian and international systems, the students considered the impacts that legal decisions can have on Australian society and how diverse groups influence and are influenced by legal frameworks.

On Tuesday 15 October the presentation of award winners was held and Somerset College took out two of the four major prizes. Mackenzie was awarded First Runner-Up with her essay on the cashless welfare card and its impact on human rights.

Joanne won First prize overall ($500 and a perpetual trophy) for her very insightful response to the Native Title Act 1993 (Cth). The feedback from the judges, Tony O’Connor (a partner from Short, Punch and Greatorix), and Associate Professor Therease Wilson (Associate Professor of Law from Griffith University) was very encouraging. Their comments included that the prize recipients had all tackled challenging topics which were written at a university standard, showed tremendous critical thinking skills, and sophisticated development of ideas.

As Joanne won first place, Somerset also received a $300 gift voucher!

All the entrants from Somerset have worked assiduously throughout the year and it is great to see their efforts being recognised from experts in the field of law.

A huge congratulations to the other winning schools: Anglican Church Grammar School (“Churchie”) in the Secondary, King’s Christian College in the Secondary Girls and Sunnybank Hills SS in the Primary Girls. Somerset finished an excellent second in the Secondary Open, third in the Secondary Girls and sixth in the Primary Girls.

Primary

The Primary Final is usually a very tight contest, and this year was no exception. After two rounds, Somerset and defending champion MacGregor emerged as the two leaders with 8/8 points. Their third-round clash was a 2 all tie, to set up a close race for Sunday. The Spartans notched up solid victories over eventual third and fourth place-getters, Nundah SS (3 to 1) and Fernvale SS (3 to 1). MacGregor kept pace, and once again we were tied going into the final round.

In the last round, Kings’ held MacGregor to a 2 all tie, and Somerset was losing the match 1 to 2 to Churchie. Now all eyes were on Melody Yang’s match, who was up two pawns and trying to win a difficult endgame. The entire Somerset team, including parents and coaches, were closely following the electronic broadcast of the moves on the projected screen. And when Melody finally won, the whole team erupted and Melody was hailed a hero!

The winning team, Eason Wang (4.5/6 on Board 1), Anson Qu (3/6 on Board 2), Melody Yang (5.5/6 on Board 3 and individual gold) and Sophia Ahern (5/6 on Board 4), deserve high praise for their outstanding performance in an extremely tense competition. Their mutual support for one another during the weekend was outstanding.

Secondary

In the end, pre-tournament favourites Churchie won by a two-point margin. But Somerset’s second place was also outstanding, with notable victories over Brisbane Grammar, King’s and TSS. The 1 to 3 loss to Churchie was the difference, and the games in that match could have gone either way. I’m sure that our Secondary team next year will have a good chance to claim the title. Well done to: Byron Morris (2.5/6), Kevin Song (3.5/6), Oliver Yang (6/6 and individual gold on Board 3) and Kenny Ming (5/6).

Notable Individual Results

• Oliver Yang (6/6, individual gold on Board 3 in Secondary)
• Kenny Ming (5/6 on Board 4 in Secondary)
• Charlie Liu (4/6 on Board 2 in Secondary)
• Jason Li (4/6 on Board 1 in Secondary)
• Melody Yang (5.5/6 on Board 3 in Primary and 6.5/7 in Primary Girls, both individual gold)
• Sophia Ahern (5/6 on Board 4 in Primary and 5/7 in Primary Girls)
• Lyanna Chan (5/7 in Secondary Girls)
• Kitty Pallister (5/7 in Primary Girls, Open)
• Nicole Yuan (4.5/7 in Primary Girls, Open)

Full Results

Girls SecondarySecondary Teams
Secondary Individual
Primary Teams
Primary Individual
Girls Primary Championship
Girls Primary Open

Upcoming Events

• Qld Rapids (Saturday 26 October at Kings’ CC) – intermediate/ advanced
• Gold Coast Individual Age Championships (Wednesday 30 October at Emmanuel College) – all levels
• Brisbane Girls Term Four (Sunday 3 November) – intermediate/ advanced
• Junior Masters (Sat 9 and Sunday 10 November) – advanced
• One Day Challenge (Sunday 10 November) – beginner/ intermediate
• Gold Coast Blitz Championships and Gold Coast Transfer Championships (Sunday 24 November) – intermediate/ advanced

The Green team presented this week with Danny, Alex, Abhiveer, Ashton and Blue player Zhander, facing a difficult game versus Pac Pines. The Spartans were in very good shape at the start, a big achievement at this age to see players who keep their positions. Each week they are becoming better and learning more.

The White team of Hugo, Izaak, Logan, Imogen, Edward and Oliver played against Varsity Knights. Unfortunately, Will was injured and couldn’t play. We hope he recovers quickly from his injury. The White team was able to score one goal in the first half. We were looking for more goals in the second but luck was not on our side. Varsity Knights took their changes and had a good win. Like the Green team, we are seeing the White team improve every week.

The Blue played also versus Varsity Knights. The Knights were still a bit tired from their last game, this made it possible to get a few early goals. Second half the team got challenged to score only goals after having passed it to another player. This made the game more challenging for the Spartans. The Blue team got presented by Paxton, Zhander, Connor, Harper, Alex, Henry and Benedict.

Under 15

The Under 15s played on Wednesday in the Carrara Elite League.

The Spartans played a great first half versus Potato FC, winning 6 to 2 but in the second half we lost shape and focus. This resulted in a come back for the Potato FC and the game ended in 7 all. Lots to learn from this game, including never to underestimate your opponent!

We have seen great goals this evening from Bongani Mhlanga and Peter Osborne.

If any questions, please contact the coordinator of Football and Futsal: mdekruijf@somerset.qld.edu.au

Queensland All Schools Athletics Championships – Cairns, Queensland

Nine Somerset Spartans competed exceptionally well at the Queensland All Schools Championships on the weekend representing the South Coast Region and Somerset College. There were so many outstanding performances as follows.

• Britney Inger – Gold in the 100m, 200m, Long Jump and Silver in the Triple Jump. Britney ran under 12sec for the first time in 11.87sec and was the fastest female of the Championship.
• Charlotte Chant – Gold in the 100m, 200m, 4x100m relay running PB’s in both sprints.
• Felix Jackson-King – Gold in the High Jump and Triple Jump both PB’s.
• Prosper Nwoko – Gold in the 100m 10.79sec, also the fastest of the Championship, Bronze in the 200m and Silver in the 4x100m relay.
• Kade Reynoldson – Gold in the Pole Vault equalling the Queensland Schools record in a PB of 3.30m.
• Jake Giltrap-Good – Silver in the 1500m and 4th in the 800m both in huge PB’s.
• Vivian Milosevic – Silver in the 3km Walk.
• Abbie Kavanagh – 4th place in the 100m Hurdles in a new PB.
• Alex Halloran – 800m, first time ever to State Championships and very close to her best.

Overall the Spartan Athletes won nine Golds, four Silvers and one Bronze medal with many excellent new Personal Best performances across the board. As the new Head Coach of Athletics, it is wonderful to see these athletes performing at their best and I look forward to helping grow the Athletics and Cross-Country Programmes into the future so that we have even more students excelling in this great sport.

If you would like to join our growing Athletics Programme, please contact me or drop by my office for a chat.

Gymnastics

Well done to Stephanie Sprague (Year 10) for her success in gymnastics during the recent school holidays.

Stephanie competed in Level 8 in Gymnastics at the National Club Championships.

Her club placed 11th out of 71 clubs from around Australia.