Happy New Year! I trust that you enjoyed some time out over the Christmas break.
- As we head into 2017, I look back on a very successful 2016 for The Melbourne Foundation:
- Three scholars entered Year 9 at their new schools, the most in our history.
- Pleasingly, this included our first female scholar.
- This also meant building a new relationship with St Catherine’s School – one we hope to expand over time. Our male scholars continuing to receive fantastic support and education from Melbourne Grammar School.
We wanted to share our scholars’ progress and experiences with you, so you can see the impact your support is having. We’ve included a short summary on each of our scholars below.
As 2017 begins, we are laying the groundwork to award a number of further scholarships to some very deserving students.
We are also planning a celebration of the 10th anniversary of our first scholarship on Sunday, February 5th. We are looking forward to thanking many of those who have supported the Foundation over the years, as well as marking the milestone. We’d love to see you there – if you would like to join us, please just let us know for catering purposes.
We appreciate your ongoing support for the Foundation and our scholars, and look forward to a big 2017 ahead.
Warm regards,
Michael Cotton
Chairman
The Melbourne Foundation
With three students starting at their new schools, for many of our scholars, 2016 was a year for becoming comfortable in a new environment, and making new friends. Settling in can take time for many students, but pleasingly, each has adapted well and is enjoying their studies, as well as the wide range of extracurricular activities on offer.
Please see below for further information on each of our scholars, and the impact of the Foundation’s scholarships on them:
Edward*
Edward has recently completed year 11 at Melbourne Grammar School. He remains very engaged in school life at Melbourne Grammar, and became a member of the Values In Action Committee, which aims to coordinate community service activities, assist in charitable fundraising events and organising guest speakers. He was also a member of the UN Walk for Women Organisational Committee, which was attended by over 500 students and raised thousands of dollars for UN Women in their efforts to end violence against women and girls. Edward earned an Honourable Mention in Melbourne University’s John Button School Prize Competition, for his essay on “The Power of Superannuation”. He also achieved a high distinction in the Australian Economics Competition. Edward also showed his initiative, and passion for politics, in being chosen as one of four Youth Ambassadors in Australia for Save the Children. This involved organising a Youth Summit, which culminated in a trip to Canberra to discuss a range of policy issues with federal politicians. He has been very fortunate to secure a one week internship with Bill Shorten, and is very much looking forward to it. As Edward put it: “the year was greatly rewarding and has served as a testament to the tremendous work of The Melbourne Foundation in helping to shape the lives of students and open up countless opportunities for them to achieve their ambitions.”
Chris*
Chris started at Melbourne Grammar School in Year 9 in 2016. While he had initially anticipated some difficulty in integrating with established friendship groups, he has settled in well and has made many friends. Academically, Chris has performed very strongly, with an A+ average in 5 of his 8 subjects in semester two. He was somewhat disappointed in not achieving higher grades in maths, however, and is planning on working hard over the holidays to get ahead for Year 10 maths. He has also adopted a number of new study techniques introduced to him in his history classes to good effect, with his results improving by around 20% in Chinese. Chris has participated in a range of extra-curricular activities, including theatre, rowing and debating, and is already planning ahead for both his studies as well as the 2017 production and debating. Chris says “thank you to everyone who has made this such a success for me and thank you for giving me such an amazing opportunity”.
Felicity*
Felicity entered Year 9 at St Catherine’s last year. The move from a public co-educational school to a private all-girls school, and longer travel time to and from school, were significant changes for her. Breaking into existing friendship groups proved to be an initial challenge, but Felicity has now established a close group of friends and is excited to be at St Catherine’s. She has participated in a wide array of school activities and excursions, with special assistance from some of the Foundation’s supporters. Felicity also completed all the requirements of her Leadership Diploma early, including organising her own community service placement. The highlight of her year was a visit to Fiji on the Heyington to Highlands Trip. This was Felicity’s first trip overseas, and she reflected afterwards that her “values and priorities have changed”.
Luke*
Luke completed his first year at Melbourne Grammar School. He has adapted well to his new daily routine and significant commute, making use of it as a time for study. Luke is taking advantage of a wide spectrum of activities at the School, being encouraged to join its highest-ranked debating team as first speaker, and participating in 1st Rowing. In 2017, he has the opportunity to join the Values in Action Committee, and his newly-commenced drum lessons will open up avenues leading into several of the ensembles, including stage band and orchestra. Academically, Luke has achieved very strong results, including straight A+ grades in Japanese. As his house tutor noted, “Luke tirelessly applies himself in a most industrious way achieving excellent results across the curriculum”.
* Not their real names.