The Bugle is pleased to kick off a new fortnightly feature with Kiama High School, bringing you the latest news and events from the school.

Great Barrier Reef trip

Kiama High School’s Year 12 Geography and Marine Studies students travelled all the way to Port Douglas and Cairns recently for a five-day trip as part of their study of the Great Barrier Reef.

The students examined the biophysical interactions which operate on the reef, the impacts humans have on the health of the reef and the ways in which the reef is managed.

The group enjoyed an outer reef tour, Fitzroy Island and the Daintree Rainforest. They snorkeled several times and saw turtles, reef sharks and numerous other species.

The students had a great time and were a credit to Kiama High School the entire trip.

Tennis success

The KHS boys and girls tennis team headed to Bomaderry on an extremely windy day recently.

In the trying conditions both teams were undefeated and progressed to the South Coast finals.

The boys’ team of Zane Finley, Clay Allchin, Vinnie Sherrell and Henry Mortimer dominated all ties and only dropped two sets for the whole day.

The girls’ team of Nyasa Nakhate, Nellie Johansson, Mahala Probert and Savannah Hedstrom defeated a strong Ulladulla team to win the zone final for the first time in many years.

Congratulations to all players on displaying excellent sportsmanship and effort in the difficult weather. On to the next round.

Comedy for a Cause

Thank you to all of the people who came along to the Comedy for a Cause night at the Kiama Leagues Club recently.

The school was thrilled to see close to 100 people in attendance.

With more prizes than ever before, they are especially thankful for the local businesses who generously donated prizes to the raffle: Kiama Leagues Club, The Sebel Kiama, Blooms the Chemist Kiama, Jamberoo Action Park, Drifta Stockton, Endota Spa Kiama, Natural Necessity Gerringong, King’s Patisserie Jamberoo, Curries and Spirits Gerringong, Mystics Mechanics Minnamurra, The Bookshop Bowral & Kiama, The Hill Bar and Kitchen Gerringong, The Core Store Gerringong, and Jemfish Takeaway Kiama.

Many happy raffle prize winners went home with more than a few laughs.

Year 10 Geography fieldwork

Kiama High’s Year 10 students headed out for a day of Geography fieldwork activities on Warilla Beach recently.

Despite very cold and windy conditions, students were able to complete their work looking at the various management strategies that have been put in place to combat erosion in the area.

With the help of staff from the Illawarra Environment Education Centre, students observed and sketched the different management approaches undertaken at Lake Illawarra and Lake Elliot, conducted scientific testing and observation in the dunes and discussed the use of engineering to manage erosion in the area.

All students were also able to walk over to Windang Island and enjoy lunch with a magnificent ocean view.

These fieldwork days are a compulsory part of the Geography syllabus and are vital in allowing students the chance to observe and experience geographical processes in the real world.

They connected classroom learning with actual environments, helping to solidify concepts taught back at school.

HPGE innovation

Over the past few Wednesdays, our High Potential and Gifted (HPG) students have been making the most of an exciting opportunity to experience high school-style learning at Kiama High School.

In the Bibara Gym with Mrs Lewis, students enjoyed some friendly competition while engaging in team challenges using high school equipment.

More recently, they joined Mr McKay in the science labs to explore distillation and get hands-on with beakers and bunsen burners.

These sessions have sparked curiosity, built confidence and given our students a valuable taste of what lies ahead in their learning journey.