Haileybury’s staff and students continue to exceed expectations year after year, making strides across all areas of the school and setting a high standard for the future. While we could fill volumes with the incredible achievements of the Haileybury community, here is just a taste of some of the amazing things accomplished this year.  

Haileybury
Australian Education Awards 

In August, at the 2024 Australian Education Awards, Haileybury claimed the title of Primary School of the Year (Non-Government) for the fifth time.  

Dominika Kaputska
Australian Education Awards 

Dominika Kapustka (Teacher and Middle School Digital Learning Leader) was awarded the Education Rising Star of the Year, recognising her significant contributions to and influence on the school community.

Vinay (Year 12)
Science Olympiad Trifecta 

In July, Vinay achieved High Distinctions in all three Science Olympiads: Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. Completing three intensive exams within four days is no easy feat, but his outstanding results place him among the top students in Australia, and earnt him an invitation to the Australian Olympiads Summer School. 

 “It feels really good to have received a high distinction in the three Olympiads. Each Olympiad had some challenging questions, but I thought the problems were interesting and enriching to solve. I am looking forward to the chemistry summer school and learning more about chemistry and potentially being selected for the national team” said Vinay.

Kayla (Year 11)
Plain English Speaking Award (PESA) 

After only participating in the first round in 2023, Kayla was awarded runner-up at the 2024 PESA competition, a national event for students aged 15–18.

“I decided to take part again due to my past experience and love for public speaking. I saw it as an amazing opportunity to be able to address current issues and educate others on topics I’m passionate about,” she shared.  

Kayla’s entry addressed pressing issues on the topic of domestic violence. “I recognised the extremely toxic nature of male platforms that were actively promoting violence against women. Fundamentally, I believe every person should be in a respectful and healthy relationship without violence or fear of violence,” she said. 

Karshin (Year 12)  

Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award 

In October, Year 12 student Karshin completed the Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. This is the highest level of a program designed to build skills, resilience and leadership. Participants design their own program to fulfil a variety of activities and experiences.  

Karshin’s program included weight training for physical development, website programming as a skill, and leadership roles in his local youth and STEM clubs for community service. To complete the award, Karshin embarked on a multi-night expedition to Wilsons Promontory – a walk in the park for a Gold DoE recipient! 

Alexis (Year 11)
Music Theatre Guild of Victoria  

Haileybury’s production of The Addams Family has recently received a number of nominations from the Music Theatre Guild of Victoria, earning callouts in over 20 categories for their production back in May.  

Alexis, who played Alice Beineke, received recognition for an impressive four categories including Best Supporting Female Performer, Highly Commended Performer, Best Solo Song, and Best Performance in a Supporting Role.  

The category winners will be announced mid-December, where Haileybury is also due to receive a special award for original and creative artwork design for The Addams Family. 

BIOTech Futures Award
Winning Bee Health App 

A team of students from Keysborough campus have won the Victorian stage of the BIOTech Futures Challenge with their innovative smartHive, a futuristic beehive equipped with sensors and cameras. 

Designed to combat the threats posed by Varroa mites to Australia’s bee population, the smartHive provides beekeepers with real-time information on hive conditions and automatically detects parasites.  

Team members Vinuka, Joshua, Saad and team leader Brandon, all in Year 10, highlighted the urgent need for such technology, as Varroa mites have devastated bee colonies in New South Wales and were recently detected in Victoria.