News

Our Arts Program at St Brigid’s College is always vibrant and full of talent and skill. If you didn’t already know about our Ballet Etoile Dance Troupe, here’s a short read on how they pointe, pirouette and arabesque at the College: Ballet Etoile is the St Brigid’s College Ballet Troupe that rehearses weekly. Students perform for up and coming competitions and the Catholic Performing Arts Festival. They also perform for school events such as our annual Presentation Night. In 2023 they will be going to the School to Stage competition to defend their first place win from the previous year. The ballet course and co-curricular program aims to provide experience and training for a well-rounded performer. Ballet is not only an option for students involved in the co-curricular program, it is also incorporated in the year 9 dance course to provide further instruction on alignment and technique.        

Sending your child to Boarding at a new school may be the biggest and most important decision you make in your life. Nestled in the Perth Hills of Lesmurdie, St Brigid’s College aprovides full boarding facilities, activities and a tailored program for each year and level of student enrolled. Our College  also work together to prepare your child for their boarding journey and for Year 7 Boarders beginning in 2024, the Colleges have the Boarding Ready Programme where Boarders: CONNECT with other students who will be attending the same boarding school; LEARN about elements of their new school and new boarding environment; and DEVELOP confidence in order to support their transition. —- NURTURED LIVING AT ST BRIGID’S BOARDING When a parent considers Boarding for their child, they know that they are about to embark on one of their child’s biggest of life’s journeys but it’s a journey for the parent as well. That is why St Brigid’s College doesn’t just enrol a student at Boarding, the whole family is enrolled by making sure that a parent is provided with the assurance that their family will have a the best experience possible by creating a supportive environment with tailored supports. Boarding at St Brigid’s aims to recreate many aspects of home and a conducive environment to cater for our Boarders through the varying stages of their spiritual, emotional, cultural and social development. We are home to all our local Boarders who come from regional and rural locations, as well as International Boarders, and when requested, we also have local Boarders who join us for short terms. When enrolled, our Boarders are academically supported with set study times and tutors who assist their learning growth and on weekends they enjoy recreational activities ranging from shopping therapy to ice skating and even in-house pamper sessions. Our Boarders also have full access to the school facilities which include a heated swimming pool, fitness room and tennis courts. If any of our young people need additional support because they are feeling homesick, anxious, stress or just experiencing general teenage troubles, our College Councilor makes a dedicated visit once a week to help them, through gentle discussions and strategies. Our stay-in House Mums also provide the nurturing support, guidance and advise when needed to help the young growing minds in their care develop a strong sense of self assurance. For more information about Boarding visit: https://sbcl.wa.edu.au/life-as-a-boarding-student/ or contact our Director of Boarding, Ms Fiona Hepi at hepi.fiona@stbrigids.wa.edu.au  

SBC Dance Intensive 2023  On the 28th of April 2023, St Brigid’s College welcomed dance industry professionals to the dance studio to inspire our up and coming dancers from our College dance course from Years, 9 to 12. Our students were given the opportunity to work with some of Australia’s leading dance professionals. The instructors included Kenisha Yam , Floeur Alder and physios from Perth Dance Physios. Kenisha is a Perth based performer, who has achieved an Advanced Diploma of Performing Arts from Village Nation. Her choreography is much sought after across Australia and is considered a rising talent in the industry. The other dance talent on the day, Floeur, is an internationally renowned performer whose credits include a Bachelor of Performing Arts from WAAPA and she is also a Churchill Fellow. Floeur has studied with some of the leading dance companies in Europe including Rambert Dance Company and has worked with some of the leading Australian choreographers such as Leigh Warren and Dancers, Tasdance (working with over 20 choreographers), Strut dance, Ochre Contemporary Dance Company – inclusive of Indigenous and Non-Indigenous dancers and NT Dance Company and Chrissie Parrott. She is currently an independent artist creating dance work for festivals and performances across Australia. Also imparting their knowledge to our students on the day were, Perth Dance Physio is an elite dance physio based in Perth. They are the supporting health team of the WA Ballet and work with physios including the Australian Ballet Health Team. Their focus of the day was on strength, alignment and flexibility. It was a privilege to have these professionals on our campus for the day. Our students not only learned invaluable information about their own dance journey but skills in choreography, anatomy and health care for dancers. We look forward to providing more of these unique opportunities for our dance course students in the future.  

We are so proud of Amy Thomasson, a St Brigid’s 2013 graduate, for her outstanding achievement in receiving 7th place on the 2021 Juris Doctor Dean’s List (Academic Excellence) from the University of Western Australia. The Juris Doctor is a challenging Master’s level professional law degree, requiring significant commitment over several years. To complete the Juris Doctor is an accomplishment, and she has done it outstandingly by being in the top 15% of the cohort. The Dean’s List recognises those students who have achieved this honour and those who have completed Advanced Legal Research by Invitation and, therefore, have demonstrated the ability to undertake sustained and independent legal research of the highest calibre. Amy was ranked 7th in the 2021 cohort of 138 students and will be formalised at the 2021 Awards Ceremony later this year. Check out a short interview we did with Amy: How does it feel to accomplish an achievement like this? Have you always wanted this? I never thought of starting a law degree and finishing on the Dean’s List, but it feels fantastic for all my hard work to have paid off! Were there times that you found it challenging to push yourself? What motivated you to keep going? Law is notoriously hard going and stressful at times, but I had a great support group of other law students to keep me motivated. It helps that I am incredibly passionate about the law and genuinely interested in it. What is your next move? I currently work at the Court of Appeal as a Judge’s Associate. Next year, I hope to move into either criminal or family law and be a judge myself or run my practice one day. Any word of advice for the St Brigid’s girls? Be authentic and support one another – the only way we progress as women and society are through collective strength. You can never go wrong working hard and pursuing what you are passionate about. What an inspiration! Once again, congratulations, Amy! This is truly an outstanding achievement and a testament to your hard work and dedication throughout your studies. We wish you all the best in your future endeavours, and we believe you will do great things for the world. To see the Dean’s List, please click here.