Thomastown Secondary College
ALUMNI
NEWS

The 2015
Thomastown
Alumni event
will take place
on November
7th at TSC

us at: http://
alumni.thomassc.vi
c.edu.au/
New TSC
Multi Purpose
Ground

3 ,
I S S U E
1
A P R I L
2 0 1 5
School Reunion 2015
Latest Information about

V O L U M E
New members
most welcome. Register your interest at http://
alumni.thomassc.vi
c.edu.au/
INSIDE
THIS ISSUE:
Alumni
Gathering
1
Dux Award
2
Inspiration
Award
2
Visions
3
Multi Pur3
pose Ground
New Members
4
Our Mission
5
After the extremely successful
2013 Reunion the Alumni will
be hosting another gathering of
past Thomastown students,
another chance to see old
friends, acquaintances, teachers
past and present, reminisce,
exchange numbers, hug, cry and
even get a drink and a bite to
eat. So mark the date. Put it in
your calendar now: Saturday
November 7th, 2015 at the
Thomastown Secondary College Language Centre between
the hours of 1 and 5pm.
Major Alumni events now take
place every second year so this
is an excellent opportunity to
once again visit the school and
ask those questions you have
wanted to ask. And just to
make the day a little more
memorable Frank Gaylard has
promised to perform a number
of his many hits from the 70s
and 80s. So don’t forget the
date, inform your friends and
family and all those who have a
connection to our unique
school.
Graduation 2014
The 2014 Graduation ceremony
took place at Grand Neret
reception in Epping, with guests
treated to a three course dinner. The class of 2014 dressed
in their best attire, wore elegant graduation gowns and received their VCE certificates.
There were a number of inspirational speeches made including those of Alumni members
Nino Totino and Carol Picciani
who amongst other things discussed the importance of the
Alumni and its relevance to the
school. All 2014 graduates re-
ceived their Alumni keyrings
and are now official members of
the Thomastown Alumni. Good
luck to our newest members
and we wish them the very best
in their future pursuits.
PAGE
2
Inspirational Anthony
ADF Long Tan Award winner: Anthony Nedanovski
What are you doing now?
What advice would you
I'm currently studying Bachelor of give to current TSC stuArts at Victoria University in Foot- dents?
scray.
The advice I would give to
What do you miss most about Thomastown Secondary stuThomastown Secondary Col- dents is to not stress out if
they don't get the results they
lege?
want on their SACs. Honestly
The thing I miss most about
once you leave high school it
Thomastown Secondary College
really isn't that much of a big
are the people and friendships I
deal.
developed. Once you finish high
What did it mean to you to
school you rarely see them.
have received the Inspira-
tion award?
I am honoured to have been
awarded such an award. It
means so much to me that I
was considered an inspiration
to other people.
Any other thoughts?
Enjoy your time at High
School!
2014 Dux– Cindy Hua
‘ Make the most
of everything.
Participate in all
the events and get
involved with the
school
community’
What are you doing now?
dents?
I am currently undertaking a
Bachelor of Science at The
University of Melbourne.
What do you miss most
about Thomastown Secondary College?
Study subjects you would
actually enjoy, and study efficiently, taking many ten minute breaks. Make the most
of everything. Participate in all
the events and get involved
with the school community.
Research career pathways,
before putting them down.
What did it mean to you
to have received the high
achiever award?
I really miss my friends and
teachers. I still see my most
of my TSC friends but not as
much as I would like.
What advice would you
give to current TSC stu-
THOMASTOWN
SECONDARY
I was so pleased to be the recipient of the Alumni Dux award.
This enabled me to purchase
some additional texts I needed
which I would otherwise have
struggled to get.
Any other thoughts?
The Thomastown Alumni is a
great organisation which has
helped and will continue to help
students. I wish the Alumni all the
best and hope that they continue
their great work.
VOLUME
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Visions 2015
This year’s Visions concert will be an event
to remember. It has been 8 years since the
introduction of Visions and this year’s
concert will feature a star studded cast
which will include both TSC graduates and
current students together for the first
time. Past performers who will grace the
stage will include amongst others
David Pepa, Bailey Stowers and Revival. The concert will take place in
July and students are already busy
with rehearsals and costume designs.
Jimi Lundy the TSC Music director
who has hosted a number of Visions concerts
has said that this one will be the best one yet.
So please attend and support this wonderful
event. You will experience a great night out,
see some fantastic performances and most
certainly be entertained! For tickets please
contact the school on 9465 0844.
TSC Multi-Purpose Ground
It has finally arrived. The MultiPurpose Ground is here and
Thomastown teachers and students
are very excited. Students will now
have access to a state of the art
playing surface which includes a soccer ground, hockey ground, volleyball court, baseball court, bat tennis
courts and an athletics track. The Multi
Purpose Ground is extremely popular
and a roster has been organized by the
PE staff to ensure that all students have
equal access to this fantastic new facility. There has also been some talk that
our very own Craig Hudson will be
assembling an all-star Alumni soccer
team who will play a one off exhibition
game against the VCE team of 2015.
Anyone interested in playing for the All
-Stars please send us an email.
3
Newest Alumni members
Frank Farchione-Graduated 1990
Why did you decide to join the TSC Alumni?
I decided to join the TSC alumni in order to rekindle friendships and
reconnect with former schoolmates and to be on hand in whatever capacity
I am able to in creating a legacy for future TSC students.
What are your fondest memories of Thomastown High?
My favourite memories of Thomastown High/Secondary College were the teachers.
The teachers showed a genuine interest and care and made lessons very engaging. I
especially enjoyed the fact that as students we had scope to express ourselves and our
opinions in a non-conservative environment. The Thomastown High teachers are the reason I became a teacher and also shaped
the way I do things as an educator. I am currently the Year 8 Level Leader at St Monica’s College Epping. I also appreciated experiential learning through many excursions and camps and the social interactions which shaped our social skills through Home
Group sessions. Many other memories too; friends, laughs, concerts, Blue Revue, kicking the footy in the cage, locker rooms,
electives (Frankenstein, Publications, Creatures, Survival, Community Action, Islands and Science/Language were my favourites). I
also liked the fact that teachers did not ‘dumb things down’ and that we were learning about great literature at such a young age
I could go on about extolling the virtues of Thomastown High. I really enjoyed going to school and loved being there everyday. I
never wagged once (why would anyone? There was too much to be had at school).
Irene Giaprakis – Graduated 1985
Why did you decide to join the TSC Alumni?
I was informed about the Thomastown High School/Secondary College (THS/TSC) Alumni Committee
by a former teacher and now friend of mine, Mahe Castles. Upon attending my first meeting, I felt
grateful to have been surrounded by a bunch of fun, easy-going, like-minded individuals who were committed to enhancing the school life experience of current students. In fact, I sent Mahe a text of gratitude the very next morning for inviting me along! Forming part of the Committee gives me the opportunity to reconnect with my former school and its students and staff, and to contribute in any way that
I can. THS occupies a special place in my heart, and I look forward to working collaboratively with the
Committee to support its goals.
What are your fondest memories of Thomastown High?
There are a number of fond memories I hold of THS. In particular, the support and dedication of my teachers fostered in me a
love for learning. I pursued a career in law for several years, and then went on to further study in psychology. I currently work
as a school psychologist where I provide individual counselling and therapay to children, as well as run group programs for children and parents. My funniest memories of THS were Year 12 camp and muck-up day. A rewarding memory of mine was representing our school at the Queen Elizabeth II National Capital Seminar in Canberra during Year 11. THS was 1 of 32 Victorian
schools (1 of 100 nationally) to be represented. I hope that current students make the most of opportunities available to them,
and the Alumni initiatives are a wonderful springboard for this to happen. It’s a humbling experience to reflect on a school that I
left almost three decades ago and to now have the opportunity to re-connect with once again. The fond memory imprint will
forever stay with me.
What is the Thomastown Alumni?
Vision
Provide a forum for current and past students and teachers to connect, reconnect previous friendships and celebrate the common bond of being a part of Thomastown High
School/ Secondary College.
To establish a sense of pride with the Alumni members in the school environment and
the cur-rent students of the school.
This group will be known as the Thomastown Alumni.
Through these avenues, generate a financial base which allows encouragement awards to
be made to VCE students.
Mission
To create a level of awareness with former students, current and past teachers that
there is a forum available for them to connect in an environment which allows participants to celebrate their association with Thomastown High School / Secondary College
and each other.
To create a level of awareness of the school developments, events, functions with the
option of Alumni members to attend / participate.
To create various avenues in which Alumni members can contribute / support the
Thomastown Secondary College and its students.
Through these avenues, generate a financial base which allows encouragement awards to
be made to VCE students.
2015 Reunion
When: 1pm November 7th 2015
Where: Thomastown Secondary Language Centre
Register your email details on our website to receive your free Newsletter and
regular updates on Alumni events.
We are all older and wiser now but our origins are all tied back to Thomastown
High School / Thomastown Secondary College. So come along and be part of creating history that is the Thomastown Alumni.
www.thomassc.vic.edu.au