Sporting: Sporting opportunities at St Stephen’s Catholic College include inter-house sporting exchanges and district, regional and national representation.
The most common inter-house and district sport events are dominated by the Swimming, Cross Country and Athletics Carnivals. St Stephen’s has a great tradition of working effectively as a team to achieve one’s personal best and this has been reflected in the success the college has experienced at district level and individual students at a state and national level.
Cultural: Cultural activities are centred around public speaking events (Lions Youth of the Year and Rostrum) and enrichment opportunities which include Reader’s Cup, Optiminds and the Multi-Cultural Festival. In recent years cultural exchanges have involved overseas trips to Japan and New Zealand. The cultural highlight of the school calendar is St Stephen’s Day where the college community celebrates what it means to be a student of St Stephen’s Catholic College through a variety of activities designed to enhance college spirit.
In addition to cultural activities which also aim to enrich and broaden the educational experiences of our students, there is a strong academic focus on participation in national and state competitions in the core areas of English, Mathematics, Science, History and Geography.
Chess: The college has a strong focus on chess as an opportunity for students to develop their problem-solving skills. Students participate in the Gardiner competitions in Cairns on a regular basis. Success at this competition has enabled teams to compete at the Regional Championships at a State level.
Music: The college offers an instrumental tuition program. This program is conducted and administered by professional music tutors. Once students reach the required level, a variety of opportunities will allow them to participate in solo and group performances. These opportunities showcase the development of personal and concert/marching band music skills which include:
- Liturgies and School masses
- Community events such as ANZAC Day, The Multicultural Festival and the Dimbulah Lions Festival
- St Stephens Awards Night
- Sister school events such as St Thomas’ Arts Fest and St Anthony’s Christmas Fair
