11 good news stories to come from our local schools
There aren’t many people more resilient than our school staff and students, and 2020 proved that. Out of all the good news stories to come from our local schools, here are 11 of the best.
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There aren’t many more resilient than our city’s students and staff.
Through coronavirus shutdowns, border restrictions, school closures, and more, the city’s staff and students persevered and achieved some great things in 2020.
Countless good news stories came out of our schools last year.
Here are just some of many outstanding stories to come from our local schools in 2020.
City school joins project which prepares students for workforce
St Joseph’s College Toowoomba became one of the first schools in the region to join the Gateway to Industry Schools program, which provides tailored teaching to help students enter their chosen industry.
Funded by the Queensland Government, the project is led by industry organisations which develop and implement tailored school engagement activities in line with their industry’s key skills and workforce priorities.
St Joseph’s College Deputy Principal Brendon Willocks said the project would open up a range of opportunities for the students.
“We work hard to ensure our students are provided with a vast range of opportunities to make informed career choices,” Mr Willocks said.
“The Gateway to Industry Schools Project encourages and supports our staff to participate in opportunities to experience their industry, develop industry related skills and maintain currency and competence.”
Toowoomba Grammar School chess teams win state titles
It’s an individual sport, but when Grammar’s players they do because they are part of a collective, part of a team.
The school’s primary and secondary teams won their respective Queensland Inter-School State Final regional titles back in October.
For the primary boys it was their first ever win and the secondary team defended the title they won last year.
“It (chess) is an individual sport, but I think the strength of our boys is how well they work as a team,” TGS head of chess Thomas Schmierer said.
“They train and play together all the time.
NSW mother of Toowoomba boarding school student pleads with Premier to reunite family
Amanda Barwick’s son Harry was in a Toowoomba boarding school, and during peak COVID lockdowns had a broken leg and ankle, and due to harsh border restrictions faced not seeing his family for months.
Amanda’s emotional letter to Annastacia Palaszczuk said she prays the Premier “show compassion and allow our family to reunite”.
Golden Glennie girls win national education competition against country’s top schools
An unstoppable team of young prodigies defeated schools around the country, and took the top prize at a national academic competition at the end of last year.
Rheanca Lincoln, Zoe Waters and Sophie Fleming competed in the BRAINways Education The QUEST National competition, where they competed against some of the best and brightest students from schools around the nation.
Deputy Principal and Head of Curriculum Tonia Gloudemans said the school was enormously proud of the girls for their achievements.
“This is a fantastic achievement for the girls and the first time students from The Glennie School have won at the National level,” she said.
‘There were some tears’: St Mary’s College twins celebrate incredible ATAR success
There were tears of happiness around the Shah family breakfast table after Dhairy Shah checked his Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank in December.
He’d received a 99.9, placing the St Mary’s College Toowoomba student in the top 60 students in the state.
“I didn’t really know what to think of it at first, it was a surprise to me to be honest,” Dhairy said.
“My parents, I think they were also a bit speechless at that moment and they were really happy.”
Across Toowoomba and Queensland, Year 12 students received their ATAR scores together
Maddie Saunders was sitting alone in her bedroom at 9 o’clock on December 18, like so many other students across Toowoomba, eagerly awaiting her Australian Tertiary Admission Rank score.
She’d already woken suddenly at 3am with ATARs on her mind.
And there it was in the glow of the computer screen, her final score: 95.25.
“So I got my score and then I went into my parents room and I was like: I got a 95. And they were really happy – it was a good morning,” she said.
The Toowoomba Anglican School student was happy with her result.
Toowoomba Grammar School named Gold School
A local school is paving the way in technology, and teaching their students to be leaders in the field at the same time, thanks to an exciting partnership with a technology powerhouse.
Toowoomba Grammar School earned national recognition for proficiency and skill in technology, namely with Microsoft Surface, back in November.
It is one of 11 schools nationally, and the only school in Queensland to be named a Microsoft Surface Gold School, and Toowoomba Grammar School teachers Mr Michael Cocks, Mr Clinton Owen and Mr Paul Barton have all been recognised as Microsoft Innovative Educator Experts.
Little by little, school smashes food drive record
For five weeks during July and August, the Centenary Heights State High School community stuck to the motto – if we all do a little, it adds up to a lot.
And it worked, with the school handing over a record number of non-perishable goods to Lifeline Darling Downs South West Queensland, concluding their annual Lifeline Can Appeal.
With the COVID-19 pandemic putting extra stress on households around the region, the school was hoping they’d be able to collect in the vicinity of 8000-9000 items, as they did the previous year.
Toowoomba boarding schools unite over border issue
Nine Darling Downs schools came together in August in a show of unity for what they labelled unfair border restrictions on their boarding students.
The heads of Fairholme College, Toowoomba Anglican School, Concordia Lutheran College, Toowoomba Grammar School, Downlands College, St Ursula’s College, Scots PGC College, St Saviour’s College and The Glennie School all signed a letter to Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young calling for changes on what boarding school students, especially from northern New South Wales where there were no COVID-19 cases, needed to do when coming back into Queensland.
At the time, if students were to go home for the school holidays, they would have to spend two weeks in quarantine when returning to the school, whether alone in their boarding room or in a hotel with their parents.
Chris Rosentreter farewelled by Sacred Heart school community
Chris Rosentreter’s 10 year innings as principal of Sacred Heart Primary School came to a close in November after what has been a challenging year, but his legacy is sure to exist long after he closed the doors for the final time.
Once a student at the school, with his father Ron as headmaster, Mr Rosentreter became embedded in the school community.
His decision to move on to a new school was not an easy one, but one he said has been “energising”.
Girls Academy students graduate alongside Brisbane Broncos stars
The Brisbane Broncos inspired a new generation of Toowoomba school girls who graduated year 12 under the Beyond the Broncos Girls Academy.
But these 18 young girls have also inspired their own idols.
Rugby league stars Ali Brigginshaw and Justin Hodges hosted a graduation ceremony for the cohort of Indigenous girls who completed year 12 through the Academy in December.
‘Web of relationships’: Toowoomba teens write their own script
In an entirely original script inspired from the story of Romeo and Juliet, a group of teens at drama camp navigate their way through a web of relationships. Catch their performance this weekend.
‘Biggest pre-sales in Australia’: Bouldering gym opens in Toowoomba
The city’s first bouldering gym has opened, with the gym topping Australia’s opening pre-sales.
Photos: Flexi School graduates celebrate success at formal
The class of 2024 Toowoomba Flexi School graduates looked fabulous as they arrived to celebrate their successes at the formal. SEE THE FULL GALLERY
Staff to be laid off as university faces tough financial times
A major Queensland university said it is reviewing all areas of its operations and is taking immediate steps to ensure it operates efficiently in response to ongoing financial pressures facing the higher education sector.
Five generations and counting: St Mary’s celebrates 125 years
With a longstanding commitment to educating the young men of the future, St Mary’s College has celebrated 125 years, with one family tracing heritage all the way back to their pop’s granddad.
Knife-wielding robot to revolutionise food processing
A regional Qld university has developed a knife-wielding robot that can cut with razor sharp precision and is expected to revolutionise the food industry within a few years. Watch the video: