Newland Electorate Schools

Ms SAVVAS (Newland) (16:33): It is for so many of us a really exciting time of year, celebrating Christmas events with community groups and also end-of-year celebrations with both primary school and high school graduates. I thought that I would take a moment today to acknowledge some of the students in my community who have been successful either in my very large Christmas card competition or perhaps in receiving some of the awards I have been sponsoring at local schools around the community.

This year we had hundreds of entries for my Christmas card competition, and I did something a bit sneaky and actually chose three winners; last year there were only two. But of course there were such wonderful pictures from a variety of schools and kindies that I felt that I really had to honour more of the contributions that were made to the competition.

Firstly, I would like to acknowledge Alia. Alia is five years old and from Modbury kindy. Her picture will actually feature on my 2024 calendar instead of a photo at the top. Alia has drawn for us Christmas in Tea Tree Gully, and she has drawn a beautiful picture of Civic Park Carols, which is such an important event for us in our community. I felt very lucky to celebrate with Alia and her mum at kindy last week, and present her with a little prize and a copy of the calendar with her beautiful drawing on it.

I would also like to acknowledge Chloe from Tea Tree Gully Primary School. Her picture will be on the front of my Christmas card that will go to the constituents, and it has this beautiful green background with a koala on the front. I think that Tea Tree Gully Primary School are very much punching above their weight in terms of drawings. Last year, one of their students, Charlton, also won the competition for a picture of a koala—no bias there; obviously I really like the koala pictures—and, of course, a third koala picture from Alexis at St Agnes Primary, which went on to my community Christmas card which will be going to community groups, sports clubs and the like.

I think one of the best parts about running this competition was just seeing the excitement on the students' faces, not only as they had the opportunity to draw the pictures but as they compared them with those of their friends, and the excitement that they shared for their friends when receiving the exciting news that they had one a portion of the competition.

I have also spent the last few weeks, and will continue to spend the next few weeks, at school graduations across the community. We have had a large number of winners of different awards, and I do present differing awards at different schools, whether that be because I am continuing traditions from former members or whether different schools have had different requirements for their students. One such example of that is the Newland Science Award. Whenever I am asked why I am giving a science award, the answer is simple: the former member was a scientist and he presented a science award. Science has never been a specialty of mine, but I was pleased last week to join at Torrens Valley and give Elizabeth the science award.

Last night, at Torrens Valley, I awarded the Makin award on behalf of Tony Zappia to a student named Emily, and throughout this week and next week there will be more winners as well. We have Yalarasey from Modbury High School; Lesedi from Modbury High School; Lucas from Modbury P-6; Kurtis from Modbury West; Lukey from Modbury Special School; Gracie from Highbury Primary School; Madison from Modbury South; Tia from Banksia R-6; Tyson and Samara from Fairview Park; Ryan from Tea Tree Gully Primary—and Ryan is very much a born leader and I could not be more impressed with Ryan; Ivy from Ridgehaven; Shilah and Will from St Agnes; and the winners from Ardtornish are yet to be released.

This week as well I will be joining at Banksia Park International High School, a really fantastic and significant school celebrating their 50^th year this year, which is particularly special for me because my mum is an old scholar of that school, and I have loved sharing in the memories of Banksia over the last 50 years throughout their celebrations this year.

Noah will be receiving an award from me; Courtney an award from me; and Sam, who will be receiving the Makin Humanitarian Award, which I will also be presenting, is one of two winners of the Global Futures Award that is given at Banksia each year. I had the great pleasure of joining in a panel, and that panel actually listened to the presentations of students about how they are involved in being part of a global society. I was so impressed by both of the students who gave their presentations; one about his Arabic heritage and how he has supported that, and one about climate change and his endeavours in that space. I congratulate all the students this year.