As the academic year comes to a close, I can’t help but be filled with pride and a sense of accomplishment when I reflect on what we have achieved this year as a learning community.

As with every year, Dulwich High School of Visual Arts and Design has been a very busy place - bursting at the seams with intellect, creativity, humour, wit and an incredibly strong sense of community spiritedness.

The Year 12, 2023 cohort need to once again be recognised for their excellence - their conduct during the HSC examinations was outstanding, they rightfully earned the praise of the Presiding Officer and all the Supervisors who noted their respectful and kind demeanours, resilience and strength of character. To have so many students shortlisted for OnSTAGE and Art Express - with two being selected (well done Holly and Riley) speaks volumes of this very special cohort’s collective brilliance and the outstanding way in which they engaged with learning and strived for excellence during their time with us at Dulwich High School of Visual Arts and Design. Thankfully, even after the HSC examinations, many of them have not been strangers and we have been delighted to hear of many of them already gaining entry into university courses and other post school pathways - please keep us informed about your future endeavours!

I would also like to extend my congratulations to our Year 12, 2024 cohort who have already hit the ground running and who have commenced their HSC studies with a strong sense of purpose and dedication. They are to be commended for their collective efforts at a very challenging time of year- to maintain momentum and juggle learning, complex concepts and assessment tasks at the end of a busy year is not an easy thing to manage, but you are doing well and we are very proud of you!

I would also like to share some Term 4 Highlights from me.

It’s no secret that my time spent with Koori Club is amongst the absolute highlights of my week - even more so when we have the humbling privilege to be joined by very special guests! We were so lucky this term to welcome the exceptionally talented and utterly delightful Lucy Simpson to our school to work on a special project for our school's tri-network. Lucy is a proud Yuwaalaraay woman who is a highly accomplished visual artist and designer.

She taught us all about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander design principles, the use of sustainable materials, connections to and finding inspiration in Country. It was such a wonderful day that was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone and the designs the students came up with were truly excellent - watch this space!

Some of our senior Koori students also participated in Djamu Senior, a program that connects students with the Art Gallery of New South Wales's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art collection and leading Indigenous artists and practitioners.

I also had the wonderful privilege of attending the Metropolitan South 2023 Principal’s Network Awards where two of our outstanding teachers were presented with Awards by our Director, Educational Leadership for their amazing contribution to our students, school community and public education in NSW. Congratulations, Mr Quaglia and Ms Varley!

We also had a very special visit from Transport Minister Jo Haylen and artist Claire Healy. A while ago, some of our very talented Visual Arts students were involved in a very exciting project where they contributed to the public artwork at Dulwich Hill Station. 

The bridge on which the final artwork is situated has been opened and everyone is now able to experience the wonderful artwork, Desire Line, by Artists Claire Healy and Sean Cordeiro. Jo and Claire were welcomed to the Seaview Gallery by our student leaders and addressed the talented young artists in the Year 12 cohort - we had a very interesting discussion about sustainability, the importance of infrastructure and the powerful place public artworks occupy in our society.

As you can see, Jo and Claire were able to experience the extraordinary talent on display from our Year 7 Visual Arts student whose Dully Archie portraits were on display. They, like the rest of us, were totally awe inspired by the quality and exceptionalism on display. My ‘people’s choice’ below!

Lastly, I would like to extend my warmest wishes to all students and families for the summer holidays and I look forward to seeing you all in 2024!

Mr O'Neill

Deputy Principal (R.)