SCHOOL NEWS

SWIMMING CARNIVAL

Our annual School Swimming Carnival was held on Wednesday 25 February and was a fantastic success, with students and staff enjoying a wonderful day of competition and fun.

We were incredibly lucky with the weather, which held out beautifully and provided perfect conditions for a full day of swimming and diving events and cheering from the sidelines. The positive atmosphere around the pool was a highlight, with students proudly dressed in this year’s theme, "Aussie! Aussie! Aussie!" and showing outstanding encouragement and sportsmanship throughout the day.

The level of competition was impressive, with students giving their best in every race. A remarkable eleven new records were set across the day! An outstanding achievement and a true reflection of the talent and determination of our swimmers. Congratulations to all students who competed and especially to those who have progressed through to the Kingston Division Swimming Competition. 

After a closely contested carnival, Monash emerged victorious and were proudly awarded the 2026 Swimming Carnival Trophy. 

Well done to the Monash House Captains and students!

A big thank you to all staff, especially the PE staff for assisting with the organisation and running of the day.

Ms Hungerford 

Swimming Carnival Coordinator

LAWN BOWLS

On Monday 23 February thirty of our finest lawn bowlers descended on McKinnon Bowls club. They had a great day playing lots of ends of lawn bowls and enjoyed the competitive nature of the game. 

Our senior team came close to bringing home the pennant, only losing one game during the day and finishing 2nd. We are hopeful they will be invited to play again at SMR.

Mrs Jen Pemberton

Head of Physical Education & Sport

LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

To be chosen as a school leader at McKinnon Secondary College is above all else, an honour. However, and with it comes great responsibility and service to our community. For the 2026 Senior School and Deputy Captains, the St Leonard’s Leadership Conference provided us with a special opportunity to communicate with fellow school captains and understand what true leadership means to us. 

A key aspect that many of us took away is this: leadership is more than just wearing a badge - it is about action, responsibility, and community. These are the aspects of leadership that the McKinnon Senior Captains unpacked thoroughly during this year's Leadership Conference. 

This conference offered the rare chance to convene with fellow school leaders across a plethora of different schools and understand what leadership means to us. Guided by the theme The Ripple Effect: small actions with big consequences, the activities challenged us to consider how everyday decisions, conversations and attitudes shape the communities we are part of. 

Captains from a range of independent, religious and government schools gathered together, including Kilvington Grammar School, Glen Eira College, Haileybury College and Scotch College, Bentleigh Secondary College, Caulfield Grammar School, St Bede’s College, Wesley College and Mentone Grammar School, among many others. It was engaging to connect with leaders from such diverse school environments, allowing us to gain an insight into how each school prioritises its own values and initiatives. We were united by a shared desire to not only serve our communities with purpose, but by discussing why effective and empathetic leadership is vital not just within our own communities, but on a global scale as well. Each Session contained one ‘Keynote’ lecture, followed by a workshop, in which all captains broke into groups. 

Overall, this conference was an incredible opportunity to meet and work alongside leaders from other schools, and gain valuable insight into how we as young leaders understand the concept of leadership, and how our expressions of this differ within our own communities. As we return to McKinnon, we are excited to implement key ideas that we have learnt to better support our own McKinnon community.

We are beyond grateful to the speakers who shared their experiences, to the St Leonard’s captains and the college who facilitated the day, and especially Ms Jobson for providing us with this valuable opportunity.

This conference was a reminder to all of us that even the smallest actions, when guided by purpose, can create a ripple far beyond a single moment.

Senior School Captains 2026

YEARS 11 & 12 FORMAL

Formal was a night to remember! 

We had a great experience at the Caulfield Racecourse venue, being the first year of McKinnon students having the formal there. Even though everyone was a bit hesitant about the joint Years 11 and 12 formal, it ended up being an amazing time and a great inter year level bonding experience. It was so exciting to see everyone dressed to the nines in their fancy dresses and suits. The DJ was pumping great tunes and everyone had fun on the dance floor. 

We are so grateful to all the teachers and Caulfield staff who helped organise the amazing night for us. 

Allegra Nicola & Charlie Hornby

Year 12 students