Extra Curricular

The School offers a wide range of extra curricular activities to give students the chance to develop their talents and to build self-esteem and leadership qualities.

  

Our aim is to give each student a place in our school community:

• The School organises a number of camps each year (both year level and activity oriented) and runs overseas trips in conjunction with the language program to both China and Germany.
• Our students shine in a huge variety of statewide competitions. Every year the school competes in interschool debating competitions, Tournament of Minds, Future Problem Solving and public speaking competitions, just to name a few.
• The outstanding mural in the school's quadrangle and stained glass window in the library were completed by students as part of our Resident Artist in Schools Program. Art department staff and students have recently extended this activity into the production of mosaic planters and our Simba mural which now beautify our quadrangle environment.
• A team of students work with teaching staff to produce an end of term broadsheet Train Tracks and the annual school magazine, Crossroads which has been published in the school since 1949 when it was called Highway, and is archived in the Resource Centre and the State Library of Victoria.
• As well as competing in the Australia wide English, Mathematics and Science Schools Competitions, the English Department organises a highly sought after Short Story writing Competition.
• Trained Library Monitors and Technology Captains become an invaluable resource to efficiently run the library and information technology program.
• Students organise a variety of lunchtime activities including soccer, netball, drama club, and chess club and anime club.
• A structured Peer Support Program in which older students are trained as leaders to foster the social development and adjustment of new Year 7 students during the transition period from Primary School.
• Our prefect system provides genuine opportunities for student leadership. Prefects take leading roles in organizing talent quests, jazz nights and musical evenings. They also have a regular role in organising and speaking at School Assemblies and are traditionally co-opted members of the School Council.
• Students from all levels participate in the Student Representative Council, fostering a sense of involvement in the school community and encouraging students to see themselves as important prime movers for innovation and charitable activities in the school.
• The School offers a wide range of sports including skills development and participation in inter-school sport.
• School assemblies, musical evenings and the Awards Night and the Presentation Ball are seen as an important ways to give students experience in public speaking and to showcase their talents and build pride in the School.

Solar Car Program

The Model Solar Car program has been a wonderful addition to the school’s program. The mentors have insisted at all times that the students in the program prepare their own cars, and that they understand the scientific and engineering principles which go into the design of the cars. Students have learnt about solar power, electronic systems, use of the lathe and other construction techniques, use of computer programs to aid design, aerodynamic testing, vacuum forming and suspension systems. More importantly, they have learnt much about problem-solving and teamwork. In 2001 Box Hill School entered the Victorian Model Solar Car Challenge Competition for the first time and won awards for Best Engineered Car, Best new School and a wild card entry into the national competition in Adelaide. Whilst in Adelelaide three students made a presentation on their experiences of solar car at the International Symposium on Renewable Energy; they won awards for Best presentation by a team at this prestigious conference. In 2002 four students were invited to give a presentation to eductaors at the 8^th International Symposium on renewable energy in Florida, USA. This was certainly an experience of a lifetime for all the students, parnet and teachers involved. At the 2002 Solar Car national event in Sydney, once again Box Hill High School students starred: Box Hill won the "Best Overall Team Effort" award and the award for best dressed egg, Enigma came equal 5^th in the racing event and also won the award for best poster; La Cucaracha was in the top 16. In 2003 at the Victorian Competition we entered nine cars with Helios placed third and Xenon winning the best engineered car award. At the 2003 National Competition in Adelaide, Helios was placed in the top 16 and Conquest was given a wildcard on the day, eventually placing second. For 2004, the Telstra Foundation approved a grant of $1200 from its Telstra Kids Fund towards the school's model solar car project.

In 2005, three cars from Box Hill High School competed in the national Model Solar Car Challenge including the car prepared by our exchange student, Luiz Nauiack, representing Brazil. All three cars won their first round races and proceeded to the last 16. Two of the cars made it to the last eight and were beaten narrowly in the quarter finals. These were Leela, the car which won the Victorian challenge and Scarlet Revolver, which won the award for Best Engineered Car at state level. Congratulations to Luiz, to all of the team who built and raced Leela, to Martin Pizzey who built and raced Scarlet Revolver single handedly as part of his VCE studies, and to all the other teams which entered cars in the Victorian Challenge. Our thanks to Mr Smidt, who has shown so much dedication to the project over a number of years, and to our wonderful parent mentors, especially Steve Perry and Ian Gardner.

2007 Victorian Model Solar Car Champions!

In an exciting event, where the sun level during the finals dropped to 8%, our girls’ team won the finals “by a nose” to become the Victorian Model Solar Car Champions for 2007. Our Year 8 boys’ team was placed 3rd and our Year 9 boys’ team won “Best Engineered Car”. Solar car is an outstanding example of an extra curricular activity that excites the passions of our students. This program challenges our students to discover creative and innovative solutions to engineering problems. It stretches students, teaches them about commitment, team work, persistence and the heartbreak of racing. I would like to applaud all the students, who took part in the competition and the teachers and mentors who led them.  Mrs Kate Mitchell,Acting Principal.

Performing Arts

The Box Hill High School Performing Arts Program has blossomed since our first production of The Importance of Being Ernest in 2005 for our 75th Anniversary celebrations. Since then, we have showcased our students' talents in  highly successful productions of the musical Guys & Dolls, the British play, Charley's Aunt, Cole  Porter's Broadway musical, Kiss Me Kate, based on Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, and Arthur Miller's dramatic masterpiece, The Crucible.

At present, students are taking great delight in being part of the flurry of activity that accompanies rehearsals for our next production, Eureka - the first non professional production. Students involved in the school orchestra, dancing and choreography, acting, and singing, stage and set design and construction, the sound and lighting crew and backstage crew are all busy preparing for this next production. Parent involvement is welcomed through  Friends of the Performing Arts (FOPA) members of which also manage their own website to inform performers and the school community of production details.

Music

The music department offers many opportunities for students to take part in extra curricular musical activities which develop the specific interests and talents of our students.

The school choir attracts male and female students from all year levels. It is a non-auditioned choir with the aim of encouraging students with a love of singing to meet weekly in a fun, musical activity. The choir performs regularly at musical evenings and school assemblies.

Instrumental students can take part in concert bands at various levels. This is a great way to further develop skills learnt in instrumental lessons and provides valuable performance opportunities. The Stage Band is a very popular ensemble group for brass, saxophone and the rhythm section of electric bass, electric guitar, keyboard and drumkit. Regular performance opportunities are available at Musical Soirees, Community Aid Abroad Concerts, School Assemblies and Jazz Nights. A musical production is held every year as part of our performing arts program. Students gain practical experience in all facets of theatrical performance from back stage, lighting and sound to playing in the band. Students may also play in the orchestra for our annual musical production. This gives our more advanced woodwind and brass students as well as our many string students the extremely valuable of taking part in a major school event. Productions in 2005 as part of our 75th Anniversary celebrations and two further productions in 2006 have meant all musicians in the school are kept busy.

Art

The Art faculty make their presence felt throughout the school with many projects to upgrade and beautify the school. Practical activities range from laying individually designed and created pavers in areas like the canteen and outside the portables to the construction and design of mosaic chess tables for use by students in the quadrangle and creating an undersea world in our undercroft.

A successful Artist in Residence program allows professional artists to work with students in a variety of areas including airbrushing, ceramics, glass and water colours. This has led to many artworks by students and staff which reflect the skills learned from the artists in residence and which adorn our school environment for everyone’s pleasure such as the stained glass window in the Resource Centre, the totem poles and murals in the quadrangle and the mosaic planters at the school entrance.

Our Quintessence Exhibition is a celebration of the outstanding achievements of the Visual Arts and Materials Technology Department. Quintessence is held each year and is presented to the school and wider community in the School Hall. Quintessence is an impressive exhibition of students' work with examples of woodcraft, metal craft (including jewellery), graphic communication, textiles, 3D studies (ceramics and sculpture). Design, studio, and art awards are presented to outstanding students on the opening night of the exhibition.