John Paul College offers endless opportunities for our students to be active participants and shine in our extra and co-curricular activites. Opportunities to grow, learn and develop unique talents, continues outside of the classroom and there is something for everyone at JPC.
John Paul College provides students with a broad range of opportunities to extend their learning beyond the classroom and core curricular program. These initiatives offer students the chance to engage in competitive events against other schools. Programs include: Chess, Teen Chef, SIS Book in a Day, Debating and Public Speaking, Tournament of Minds, Australian Mathematics Competition, Australian Geography Competition and Australian History Competition.
The College offers various avenues for students to participate in public speaking and debate activities, fostering self confidence and public speaking skills. Those on the debating team take part in the Debating Association of Victoria Schools' (DAV) competition, SIS Debating and the Rostrum Competition. Debating includes both DAV and SIS competitions. This competition challenges students' commitment and collaboration abilities, requiring them to invest their time and effort in researching and constructing persuasive arguments on assigned subjects.
Students also have the chance to serve as College representatives in the Public Speaking Championships. Engaging in this opportunity enables students to acquire essential teamwork abilities, foster camaraderie, and refine their persuasive writing techniques.
Tournament of Minds is an exciting problem-solving program designed for teams of students from primary and secondary levels. The program's primary goal is to nurture our youth's potential by cultivating diverse skills, including teamwork, enterprise, time management, and creative problem-solving within a competitive framework. Students tackle challenging, open-ended problems in various fields such as the Arts, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), Language Literature, and Social Sciences. It's an opportunity for students passionate about learning and problem-solving to showcase their talents. By participating in the Tournament, students not only gain valuable 21st-century skills but also learn to work collaboratively, experiment, and explore creative thinking. This program encourages teamwork as students work together on long-term challenges and present their solutions to judges and an audience on Tournament Day. It's a dedication-driven journey that promotes self-discovery, appreciation of others, and a love for learning while celebrating excellence in a competitive and cooperative environment.
Each year, senior students compete in the Australian History and Australian Geography Competitions. These two competitions challenge students to test their skills and knowledge in both History and Geography, answering a set of questions that draw from all parts of the curriculum. The competitions are an excellent chance for students to challenge themselves and extend their learning.
Each year a group of enthusiastic students, dedicate extensive hours to rigorous preparation, refining their culinary craft in preparation for the SIS Teen Chef Competition.
Participating students produce a main and dessert dish that fit the year's theme and present their culinary creations to Australian Culinary Federation Judges.
A contemporary, dynamic and vibrant Arts Program allows students to excel in any facet of the Arts that sparks their passion. Involvement in the Arts provides students with the platform to develop their creativity and confidence in a supportive, challenging and engaging environment.
The Ngargee Centre is home to our Arts programs; a vibrant, creative hub where students can develop their craft and be inspired. The extracurricular Arts opportunities include Arts Night, instrumental music program, vocal ensembles, Theatre Sports squad, Dance Club and the full-scale College Production.
The College hosts an annual Arts Week. It is a celebration of our students’ creative endeavours. Audiences are treated to spectacular student performances in the area of Music, Dance, Vocals and Drama all relating to a theme. Before the show and during interval, audiences wander the halls of the Ngargee Centre and enjoy the astounding display of art work students have produce in their studies of Studio Art, Visual Communication Design and Media Studies.
The annual John Paul College Production is an incredible community event which sees students and staff working side-by-side to create something truly magnificent. Students from Years 7-12 are encouraged to participate on stage or as a part of the backstage crew. The Production not only teaches students technical performance skills, but also the importance of teamwork, problem solving and creativity. This night of nights is the embodiment of our House Charisms: Community, Perseverance, Courage and Generosity.
Students are able to elect to learn a musical instrument of their choice from our contemporary Instrumental Music Program. Private Instrumental Music lessons are available on an individual basis or in a group of two students. Instrumental music lessons are available for Voice, Piano, Guitar, Bass Guitar and Drumkit.
For more information and to submit an application, please visit the College's Instrumental Music Program page.
John Paul College has a proud sporting tradition, offering a wide range of sports and year-round competitions. With high-end facilities, experienced coaches, and memberships in the Southern Independent Schools association and School Sports Victoria, our students thrive in a supportive and competitive environment.
John Paul College is a member of Southern Independent Schools (SIS) association. SIS offers students the chance to participate in weekly inter-school sporting competitions against other member schools in the region. Training sessions and competitions typically occur during school hours and provide students the chance to partake in enjoyable competitive sport while proudly representing the College.
SIS inter-school sports is open to all students, allowing them to explore and take part in a diverse range of sports, including:
Students are encouraged to get into the House spirit and compete in our three annual sporting carnivals: Swimming, Athletics, and Cross Country. These events are highlights in the school year, with students dressing up and having fun while earning points for their respective House. Students who excel at these sporting carnivals have the opportunity to represent the College at regional and state competitions.
Working with local running coaches, the College offers a popular Running Club for students of all year levels. Held after school, the club aims to increase fitness and improve performance in running and other sports.
John Paul College is an affiliate member of School Sports Victoria, providing excelling students the opportunity to try out for School Sport Victoria State Teams (Team Vic).
The College runs a prestigious Aerobics program, which has competed in Gymnastics Victoria’s Aerobic Gymnastics Aeroschool Championships with a number of teams reaching the state finals.