Swinburne Senior Secondary College Alumni News

SSSC is hosting its annual Career's Expo Alumni Panel Discussion on the 30th of March starting at 11.30am until 12.40pm in the auditorium at Swinny's 505 Burwood Rd, Hawthorn campus.

We're seeking alumni to volunteer an hour of their time to influence the next generation. Send a message via messenger to get in contact.

Would you like to come back to Swinny and see how we've flooded again? Walk the hallowed halls and marvel at the removal of the red carpet in favour of industrial grey? Come and join us to talk about yourself and field questions by intrepid students on your career pathway after leaving high school.

Yes, Belinda is still teaching.

Former Swinny student Jane Gazzo has been paying it forward by sponsoring an annual award for a Swinburne Senior Secondary College student who shows promise as a journalist, broadcaster or record keeper of popular culture.

Jane's own time at the school led to a career in broadcasting, which included hosting the 90s cult TV shows Recovery, THE SOUND and Play Loud. In 2023 she was named Music Journalist of the Year at the Australian Women in Music Awards.

This year's Jane Gazzo award went to Marcus Veal. For the first time the award also included an internship at the youth radio organisation SYN (Student Youth Network), where Jane is general manager.

At the Swinburne Senior Secondary College Valedictory Evening on Monday, Walter Batt Abrams from the Class of 2011, delivered a message to the class of 2025.

Walter is Assistant Director Consumers at the Australian Energy Regulator. When he first left school, Walter did not immediately have this career in mind. He worked in retail for nine years before going to university in his late 20s.

Walter spoke about the value of curiosity and how his time at Swinny sparked that.

Setting up for the Swinburne Senior Secondary College Valedictory Evening tonight, where we’ll celebrate the school’s newest alumni, the Class of 2025.

The flowers on the table are from the school garden.

In celebration of Teacher’s Day, here’s a flashback to Swinny teachers at the school formal around 10 years ago.

Running the alumni program, we hear stories each day of the life-changing work that teachers do.

Shoutout to great Swinburne Senior Secondary College teachers past and present!

This cookbook, found in a op shop, is part of Swinburne Senior Secondary College’s very early history - back when it was Swinburne Technical College and the school’s address was John Street, Glenferrie.

It’s moments like this that’s a reminder that the school has a history that goes back well over 100 years.

Yesterday a group of Year 11 Swinburne Senior Secondary College Legal Studies students attended a law industry insights session at the specialist litigation law firm Phi Finney McDonald.

Ourschool, the not-for-profit organisation that supports Swinny in setting up its alumni network, hosts these industry insights session in collaboration with big employers.

This is made possible through the continuously expanding network of public school alumni programs and the generous former public school students who share their insights with current students.

All panel members and mentors at yesterday's inspirational session at Phi Finney McDonal graduated from public schools, including two of the firms founders, Ben Phi and Odette McDonald.

It's that time of the year when we prepare to welcome Swinburne Senior Secondary College's newest group of alumni, the Class of 2025! With the end of the year rapidly approaching, the Year 11s are today hosting a farewell lunch for the Year 12s.

Tuesday two Swinburne Senior Secondary College alumni who’ve founded their own businesses joined the Shark Tank to hear the Year 11 Business Management students’ pitches.

Emily Brown (class of 2005) founded Culture Kitt, an organisation that designs and facilitates workshops for organisations on topics like public speaking, safety and organisational culture.

Kane Rogers-Wong (class of 2007) is the founder of Adequate Games, an independent games studio in Melbourne.

This is the second year in a row that Emily and Kane returned to Swinny as Shark Tank judges. They were joined by Billy Norman from Link Wealth and the creator of the Shark Tank project, Stella Bachtis from MieLab, who joined online from Brisbane.

Alumni involvement provides visible, relevant bridges for students between what they are learning in the classroom and life after school. These opportunities are a core part of the alumni program that the school is setting up in partnership with the not-for-profit organisation Ourschool.

If you’re a former Swinny student who’s interested in becoming part of the alumni activities at the school or if you would just like to stay in touch, please pop your details on the form in the comments.

Swinburne Senior Secondary College is part of a wider network public school alumni through Ourschool, the not-for-profit organisation that we’ve been working with to set up our alumni program.

This wider network creates the opportunity for industry insights sessions at big organisations, where public school alumni who work there sharing their insights. Last week a group of Swinny students attended one of those sessions at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.

Communications Manager Lisa Miller (Class of 2014) returned to Swinburne Senior Secondary College today to run an interactive session on public relations for the Year 11 Business Management class.

This is part of a series of sessions where alumni provide real-life insights into topics covered in class.

Visits like this are a core part of the alumni program that the school has been setting up in partnership with the not-for-profit organisation Ourschool.

If you’re a former Swinny student and would like to become involved in this, please pop your details on the form in the comments.