The 2023 first round of the Sacred Heart College Junior Chef Competition was held recently, involving students in Grade 4 representing six Catholic Primary Schools from the region. Held in the College’s Frayne Hospitality Centre, the primary students were challenged to prepare a stack of three pancakes with a mixed berry sauce.
The Junior Chef competition aims to provide Grade 4 students with an opportunity to experience the secondary environment, while building on their culinary and teamwork skills. This competition also provided an opportunity for the VET Hospitality students at Sacred Heart College to act as mentors to these primary students. The primary schools used their own methods for selecting the students for their teams, some asking them to provide a written application on why they would like to be involved, with others challenging students to a pancake cook-off to secure their place. The event, which was first held in 2018, continues to grow in popularity, and schools regularly have large numbers of students eager to be involved.
“It was fantastic to see the young people so excited and engaged in cooking. They all worked extremely well in their teams and had obviously practised their recipes several times in advance,” said Head of Junior School, Haley Galloway.
The teams will participate in the final to select the winning team on 24 October where they will be challenged to make home made fettucine pasta. The winning school will receive a $250 gift voucher from the Riddell's Creek Nursery to allow them to purchase plants for the school’s kitchen garden.
All at Sacred Heart College hope that this experience will be the start of an interest in cooking for the students involved for years to come.
Darren was appointed Principal of Sacred Heart College in January 2019. Darren has had almost 30 years experience in teaching and leadership across a number of Victorian Catholic secondary schools. These include eight years as Principal of Mercy Regional College, Camperdown; nine years as Deputy Principal and Director of Mission at Mount Lilydale Mercy College; seven years as a Chemistry, Religious Education and Science teacher as well as REC at Sacred Heart College, Geelong.
Darren has been committed to a lifetime of study and professional development. After completing his initial degree of Bachelor of Science and Graduate Diploma of Education at the University of Melbourne, he continued his study by completing a Graduate Diploma of Religious Education, a Masters of Religious Education and a Doctor of Education, all at Australian Catholic University. In 2018, Darren participated in the Enhancing Catholic School Identity programme in Leuven, Belgium.
Darren has a deep and passionate affiliation with the Mercy tradition and charism and believes that Mercy schools must be “…committed to holistic education; determined to ensure that each student flourishes academically, spiritually, emotionally, socially and physically”.
The purpose of the Catholic school is to provide “… an authentic Christian education, where students are called to embrace the essence of the Gospels, to flourish as whole human persons” and “… to provide exemplary learning experiences for the students who attend”.
Darren was appointed Principal of Sacred Heart College in January 2019. Darren has had almost 30 years experience in teaching and leadership across a number of Victorian Catholic secondary schools. These include eight years as Principal of Mercy Regional College, Camperdown; nine years as Deputy Principal and Director of Mission at Mount Lilydale Mercy College; seven years as a Chemistry, Religious Education and Science teacher as well as REC at Sacred Heart College, Geelong.
Darren has been committed to a lifetime of study and professional development. After completing his initial degree of Bachelor of Science and Graduate Diploma of Education at the University of Melbourne, he continued his study by completing a Graduate Diploma of Religious Education, a Masters of Religious Education and a Doctor of Education, all at Australian Catholic University. In 2018, Darren participated in the Enhancing Catholic School Identity programme in Leuven, Belgium.
Darren has a deep and passionate affiliation with the Mercy tradition and charism and believes that Mercy schools must be “…committed to holistic education; determined to ensure that each student flourishes academically, spiritually, emotionally, socially and physically”.
The purpose of the Catholic school is to provide “… an authentic Christian education, where students are called to embrace the essence of the Gospels, to flourish as whole human persons” and “… to provide exemplary learning experiences for the students who attend”.