June, 2023

The 2023 Trinity College Foundation annual fundraising dinner and silent auction A Glitter Ball, was an outstanding success raising $42,000 all of which will go directly to help the students of Trinity excel.

The event was held on Friday 23 June in Hickinbotham Hall at the National Wine Centre. Pre-dinner drinks were served as guests took their first look at the wide selection of auction items on offer before being seated for the Acknowledgement of Country and Grace presented by Prefects Rachael Kent and Maesie MacGillivray.

Head of Trinity College, Nick Hately then took to the stage to officially welcome everyone to the dinner and thank event sponsors. Foundation Chair David Russell then introduced special the guest speaker Year 11 student Keian Curthoys-Davies, the current beneficiary of the Foundation General Excellence Scholarship. Keian spoke with passion about his love of learning and how the scholarship has afforded him many opportunities for which he is extremely grateful.

The Chair thanked Keian for his presentation and then introduced student Chloe Seabrook who sang a rousing rendition of the Olivia Newton-John classic Xanadu from the ‘Juliet Balcony' while fellow student Daniel Maxwell performed a dance routine on roller skates below.

After the formalities and entertainment guests enjoyed a sumptuous three course dinner and the opportunity to place a bid for one or more of the over 50 donated items. Auctioneer, old scholar Bailey Fielke (2018) took bids for two major auction items that were up for grabs; a Triple M Bunker Experience for 10 people at the Adelaide Crows vs Sydney Swans game and two-nights luxury accommodation for eight people in the Port Willunga Dreaming Beach House.

Silent auction items included a round of golf for four people plus two electric buggies, an Illuminating the Wild at Adelaide Zoo voucher for four people, a 2023 autographed Port Adelaide Football Club match game ball, a Milwaukee Li-Ion Cordless Fuel Straight Line Trimmer, a $500 Peter Shearer menswear and suit hire voucher, a 50" 4K Google Smart TV and a Lions 360 experience voucher for two people at Monarto Safari Park.

Guests could also buy raffle tickets for $10.00 each with the choice of two great prizes; an Apple iPad 9th Gen Wi-Fi 32GB, or Karrawatta Terroir Wine Experience for six people. The sale of raffle tickets raised $ 2,350.

While final winning bids were being calculated, students Chloe Seabrook, Samuel Cannizzaro, Daniel Maxwell, Connor Foreman, Adam Roling, Saffron Bradley, Amy Burdon, Caitlin Bentley, Ella Whibley, Georgia Gevers, Aaliyah Ainsworth and Chelsea Bentley sang and danced up a storm during a 20-minute set of classic ABBA and disco tunes to the delight of guests.

Foundation Board members extends their thanks to all donors and volunteers who made the night such a success, particularly student volunteers Sam Pelton, Jade Below, Yar Thon, Rachael Kent, Maesie MacGillivray, Monique Merenda, Tremea Wood and Bella Wright as well as to the Trinity families who donated items towards hampers and baskets that generated over $1,000 in the silent auction.

The Foundation Board would also like to acknowledge the generous support of our corporate sponsors Lenovo and Learning With Technologies (platinum) Box of Books and Swanbury Penglase (gold) Mossop (silver) Lynch Meyer Lawyers and Steinborner Automotive (bronze) Advancelife, Compnow and Peter Kittle Motor Company (table) as well as Quisk for designing the auction catalogue free of charge.

On Monday 19 June the College hosted our annual career advice event for students in the Senior school with a special afternoon session for Year 10 students known as “A Day in the Life.”

A significant number of the guest speakers were old scholars and it was a particular pleasure to welcome them back to the College. They offered insight into careers as diverse as business ownership, nursing, marketing, law, medicine, journalism, fitness, engineering, health, policing and crime prevention, the defence force and architecture.

Our old scholar presenters were also joined by a number of current parents and corporate supporters of the College. The afternoon sessions were all well attended and very valuable for our students. We thank everyone involved for their time and expertise, these sessions really can and do make a difference. In addition to individual presentations, students were also able to speak with representatives from South Australian tertiary education institutions to explore further options and pathways.

The feedback from our Year 10 students has been overwhelmingly positive with many especially enjoying the opportunity to ask questions about the day to day reality of their dream jobs. For many students this has reaffirmed their future pathway while prompting other students to investigate further education or careers they had previously not considered.

Year 5 students from Gawler River enjoyed an incursion to the Trinity Innovation and Creativity School recently that offered them a unique learning experience over two days.

By investigating and solving problems, applying creativity, reflecting on decision-making and working collaboratively, students had the opportunity to explore the cosmos and unleash their potential.

Students embarked on a thrilling journey through space-themed challenges including designing spacecraft, podcasting information reports, identifying the orbits of other planets, exploring space via virtual reality headsets and accessing Merge Cubes to expand their knowledge. The activities encouraged imaginative solutions and critical thinking, pushing students to surpass traditional boundaries and embrace their own ingenuity. Through teamwork, students discovered the power of collective intelligence and the importance of each team member's contribution.

Students developed essential skills applicable in various domains, gaining confidence to approach challenges with an open mind. Events such as this empower students to thrive in a complex world, nurturing a new generation of innovative thinkers.

Source: Year 5 Teachers Jordan Braithwaite & Kim Dawes

Year 10 student Kristina is an exciting developing tennis star and has enjoyed a stellar season in 2023.

Earlier in the year she was named the Tennis SA Female Player of the Year as well as the State Junior Female Player of Year and she also made the finals of the singles and doubles (runner-up) at the Drive Premier $10,000 Tournament that was hosted by Tennis SA.

Most recently Kristina won the doubles and was a finalist (runner up) in the singles at the Darwin International Tennis Federation, as well as back to back doubles titles at the Northern Territory Junior International Tournament earlier this month.

Great work Kristina!

Our Senior Concert Band was thrilled to be one of only three school bands selected to participate in the Adelaide Wind Band Festival last weekend.

Hosted by the University of Adelaide, the band had the opportunity to perform at a feature concert in Elder Hall alongside a fully professional concert band. The students also gained first-hand experience performing at a higher level at the numerous workshops throughout the day.

Special mention to Will (Year 11) who was selected to play with the University Wind Band at their concert that evening!