tertiary education considerations , ‘ The Thought Forum ’ moved online to Zoom webinars . The lectures included a VCE study habits talk with Rupert Balfe (’ 19 ), a UCAT advice session with Joshua Meng (’ 19 ), and a chat about life and politics in the USA with former School Captain Mich Nehme (‘ 16 ). Year 11s and 12s found inspiration and motivation through these Zoom talks with Old Boys .
‘ STAYING FIT @ HOME ; WINTER SPORT PROGRAMS – OSCAR ROBSON
While completing online schooling , it was incredibly important to keep boys exercising while at home . In order to do this , the ‘ Staying Fit @ Home ’ section of Scotch Streams was created . Workout plans for all boys and videos for each winter sport were included in this area of our online platform . The winter sport captains each made a video introducing themselves to their sporting cohort , and encouraging them to follow strength and conditioning programs attached .
In order to help boys who may not be familiar with certain exercises , Jack McCorkell and I created videos running through the workouts . The ‘ Staying Fit @ Home ’ module encouraged boys to get active , and was successful in doing so , with all content created being used throughout the student body .
APS INTERSCHOOL FIFA COMPETITION – NIK TSOURVAKAS
To fill the gap caused by the absence of Saturday sport , the APS School Captains decided to run an APS-wide FIFA 20 ( popular soccer video game ) tournament . Each school fielded a team of 11 aspiring video-gamers to compete against each other for the coveted first ever APS FIFA title .
Scotch ’ s Year 12s created a team filled with poise and finesse – however lacking in finishing ability . The boys played in three matches during the group stage , losing the first two and winning their last after a few position changes , sadly not making it through to the next round . Although it was a disappointing result , the games had been live-streamed via Scotch Streams , allowing all Scotch boys to watch , and have a laugh with , and at , the players and their antics .
CHOMPERS ’ CHAMPIONS – HUGO BOREHAM
Staying at home for the quarantine period gave me the opportunity to create a podcast called ‘ Chompers ’ Champions ’ – inspired by my interest in radio shows , and particularly the comedic work of ex-footballer Dylan Buckley .
In each episode , posted weekly on Scotch Streams , I interviewed a different teacher or Year 12 student , chatting about matters such as sport , schoolwork and life experiences . My peers and staff members provided many great insights and reflections , all in good humour , highlighted by Jimmy
Gadsden ’ s views on being an Indigenous student at Scotch and Mr Clark ’ s advice on maintaining good mental health .
ART COMPETITION – WILL FORDHAM
The Scotch Inside Art competition , inspired by the circumstances in which boys found themselves , encouraged boys to submit artworks in a range of forms , including photography , digital artworks , paintings and drawings . It was a very fun competition to take part in , and I was very excited and surprised when I won , considering all the other entries were so good as well . At the end of the competition all the artworks were published in a virtual art gallery for all boys to view . ( See ‘ Boys ’ creativity flourishes in lockdown ’, in this section .)
MUSIC PERFORMANCES – JAY DINGLE
‘ Scotch Performs ’ was an initiative aimed at providing a platform for all boys to share music , collaborations , and drama activities with the School community . Boys uploaded a variety of genres , ranging from classical duets and improvised jazz compositions to a capella vocal arrangements and piano covers . It was great to see boys continuing to pursue their interests and passions outside the school setting , given that usual rehearsals , productions and concerts were unable to take place .
HOUSE EVENTS AND MIDDLE SCHOOL ACTIVITY – GIL ROSEBY
Throughout Term 2 , boys were engaged in various online cock house competitions and activities . At the start of the term , House Captains established Spotify playlists for their respective houses , giving boys a soundtrack for their remote learning experience . Weekly house debates continued throughout the term , as well as Years 11 and 12 Public Speaking competitions , both using Zoom .
For the Middle School , each form participated in a Kahoot quiz on Scotch history and general trivia , alongside various other online games , trick shot challenges , quizzes and art competitions , as well as posting photos with their pets . Overall , boys adapted well to different events online , all participating with great enthusiasm .
www . scotch . vic . edu . au Great Scot 19