Wenona congratulates all of our 2010 Year 12 students for achieving excellent HSC results.

A quarter of our students achieved ATAR scores of 95 or higher and almost half achieved scores of 90 or above.

Eight of our students were listed in the NSW Board of Studies HSC All-Round Achievers List for achieving a mark of 90 per cent or more in at least 10 units. Congratulations to Carla Brown, Isabelle Crane, Amy Farr-Jones, Jessica Dougan, Samantha O’Donnell, Nathalie Rasko, Makiko Ryland and Bonnie Whitehead.

Bonnie Whitehead, a boarder, also achieved second in the State for History Extension and fifth in the State for Senior Science. Marnie Flick was placed fifth in the State for the Philosophy Distinction Course, studied externally, and sixth in the State for English Extension 1. Alice Han was placed fifth in the State in Korean Background Speakers, studied externally, Alice Davidson achieved eighth in the State for Geography, and Laura Dransfield was placed fifteenth in the State for Ancient History.

Keen surfer Annabel Barratt's Visual Arts movie No breath now, was nominated and accepted for ArtExpress, a showcase of the best works of the HSC at the Art Gallery of NSW. Georgina Bray’s photographic artwork Powerless has also been nominated and accepted for ArtExpress. Georgina took pictures of exploding crystal balls to illustrate fragility.

Lucy Dodgson’s textiles major work, The Joker, was selected for inclusion in the Texstyle Exhibition – a display of top HSC Textiles works.

Katherine Ring of Lane Cove was nominated for the HSC music showcase Encore, Kate Hooper of Neutral Bay was nominated for the dance showcase, Callback, and Kara Adolfson of Hunters Hill had her major design project, garments raising awareness of rubber industry exploitation, nominated and accepted for DesignTech.

True education, which fosters creativity, teamwork and leadership, is about far more than an examination mark, and we thank all our students for their many achievements in 2010 including their contributions to service, music, sport, debating, drama and more.

Debaters win grand final

Wenona’s Year 9 Independent Schools’ Debating Association (ISDA) team has won the grand final of the competition in a major debating competition in Sydney. The team successfully debated “that NAPLAN results should not be published”. The team was coached by Wenonian Vicki Copeman (2007), whose team also won an ISDA grand final when she was in Year 7. “I am very proud of our Year 9 team,” Vicki said. “They have done such a good job to get here. They are so positive, and they deserved this win very much."

Serving at the Balmoral Burn

Wenona entered three relay teams in the Head of the Hill relay at the recent Balmoral Burn, raising awareness and funds for the Humpty Dumpty Foundation which supports children’s hospitals. Wenona has been involved since the Burn’s beginnings in 2000. The School’s motto since 1886 has been Ut Prosim, that I may serve, and we are very proud that our girls have taken part every year since the Burn began in 2000.

Swimming sensations

The record-breaking achievements of Wenona’s junior medley relay team are turning heads. The team recently broke the Independent Girls’ Schools’ Sports Association (IGSSA) record with a time of 2.10.15 and the NSW Combined Independent Schools (NSWCIS) record with a time of 2.09.48 at Homebush and then went on to win again at the All Schools Championships with a time of 2.10.64.

In other swimming news, Wenona’s Sports Captain and a Year 8 student were selected in the NSW team to compete at the School Sport Australia Swimming Championships at the Chandler Centre Brisbane.

At Wenona, our mission is to engage, love, challenge and inspire every student.

We believe passionately in the effectiveness of girls’ schools in empowering young women to discover and develop their strengths and talents. The research literature tells us that it is in single sex environments that girls feel most free to pursue their interests to the best of their abilities, inside and outside the classroom.

It is my privilege to work with a team of staff who genuinely believe in the achievement of each girl, from her youngest years, through adolescence to her final examinations, valedictory ceremony and beyond.

Our specialist staff at Woodstock Infants, the Junior School, Middle School and Senior College, as well as the Boarding House, are themselves life-long learners, equipped to bring out the best in our students, pastorally and academically. 

In partnership with parents and our community, our commitment at Wenona is to inspire in our students a sense of hope and purpose.

Wenona also offers a healthy environment, rich with opportunities outside the classroom. Through involvement in sports, debating, creative arts, leadership and service, girls discover valuable lessons in creativity, teamwork and work/life balance, lessons they will take with them throughout their lives.

We aim to see young women graduating from Wenona as intelligent, gracious, compassionate and capable adults. We recognise each girl as an individual, with her own passions to discover and her own contributions to make as she steps out of our gates.

It is our goal for each girl to grow from strength to strength, developing courage and resilience and growing strong and capable and happy; ready to make a difference in her world.