Eagles of the court

STUDENTS from Gleneagles Secondary College forged strong relationships with students from six local primary schools as part of the Year 9 Advance Program.
The “Sports Coaching” project saw the Year 9 students receive training and accreditation for their O level coaching and umpiring in one of four sports – netball, volleyball, soccer and basketball. They were then responsible for coaching Grade 3 and 4 students at six local primary schools and fine-tuning their skills during terms 3 and 4, which finished with a battle to win the ‘Gleneagles Cup’.
The “Gleneagles Cup” took place Monday 18 October at the Gleneagles Secondary College.
The Year 9 Advance Program students took on the role of organising all aspects of the day including ordering buses, catering and umpiring the events throughout the day-long tournament.
Over 530 Grade 3 and 4 students and staff from Thomas Mitchell, Mossgiel Park, Southern Cross, Chalcot Lodge, Narre Warren North and Hallam Primary Schools participated to compete for the cup.
Taylah, a Year 9 Gleneagles student, thoroughly enjoyed the program.
“It’s been a fantastic experience and I really enjoyed visiting the primary schools and teaching the students how to improve their sporting skills and knowledge of different sports,” Taylah said.
“Being involved with the planning and organising the whole Gleneagles Cup has been a great learning experience and achieving my accredited coaching and umpiring certificate is good to use outside of school.”
Jenny Reidy, Advance Program Co-ordinator said the program was a great experience for the Year 9 students to further develop communication, organisation and leadership skills.
“They have been solely responsible for all aspects of the ‘Gleneagles Cup’ such as organising transport, lunch, awards, tournament fixture, publicity and liaising with the primary schools. The students have had the opportunity to obtain an accredited certificate which enhances their personal skills,” Ms Reidy said.
“Overall it has been a fantastic day for all students, parents and teachers involved.”