Why was Forest Hill College named School of the Year in Netball Victoria’s 2020 Community Awards? A conversation with FHC's Director of Sport and Performance, Andy Christie, suggests not one reason, but several.
The four-year-old netball program is one of six in the eartern suburbs college's Sports and Performing Arts Academy. In 2020, that comprised 21 netballers (18 girls and three boys), dedicated coaches Rob and Lauren Nardelli, eight hours of weekly involvement and a connection that not even Covid-19 could derail.
The philosophy is inclusive and development-based, with ability no prerequisite and the Nardellis' emphasis on a holistic approach.
“Rob and Lauren really brought with them the sense of not just trying to improve the netballer, but trying to improve the student and the person, as well,’’ says Christie.
“So they’ve focused on a lot of different areas off-court, whilst trying to keep the students engaged with all the skill work and strength and conditioning that needs to be maintained if they’re really passionate about their netball.
“So things like focusing on nutrition and performance psychology and gratitude and empathy. Doing an investigation into netball and how it’s impacted the wider community. Things like that.’’
Embracing diversity extends to the Forest Hill College facility that educates deaf and hard of hearing students within a mainstream setting, and a provision to also accommodate students from the Melbourne Indigenous Transition School.
Important links with the local community come through relationships with the Whitehorse Netball Association and its affiliated clubs, as well as lunchtime work at local primary schools and umpiring duties at their School Sport Victoria competitions. Coaching accreditation opportunities help to develop leadership skills, too.
“We provide our students with professional development, in areas of coaching and umpiring,’’ says Christie. “So we try to give them the experience of not only developing skills for the sport, specifically, but if they’re of an age that they can get some paid work, we provide them with the skills to umpire a mid-week game, for example.’’
Connection is not just a sporting theme but one of three words (with explore and aspire) that comprise the school motto. Never was it more important than in our Covid-afflicted 2020, and teachers have noted a strong correlation between sporting activity and educational application.
“For our students to be able to connect with the sport every morning before delving into their academic subjects, I think it just provides them that opportunity to be really invested in what they’re doing every morning,'' says Christie. "We’ve seen amongst the community how important it’s been for people to get back involved in local sport and we were really thrilled to be able to provide connection throughout remote learning.’’’
Helping to drive engagement engagement during lockdowns was an academy program that included:
- general and position-specific programming, through written and video programs, and Zoom sessions.
- individual and group-based challenges (eg. netball, bingo, cooking etc).
- online learning opportunities through hurdle tasks (eg. including mental health, AIS online courses, Black Dog Institute webinar, goal setting/self-awareness programs).
- strength and conditioning programming (including aspects of ‘Dare to Develop a Diamond, KNEE Program and others).
Excellence is a goal, but not netball-specific. Despite past and present athletes involved in Netball Victoria’s elite pathways, Christie says FHC also caters for those whose passion is to simply be active and involved.
The educational benefits are obvious to those at FHC. Each term, students are assessed by their classroom teachers on ‘effective learning behaviours’ linked to employment-related skills,'' says Christie. “We really find there’s such a big crossover between the behaviours that we see on court or in training or in the gym in terms of things like commitment and respect, and that flows directly into the classroom.’’
The final word goes to FHC principal David Rogers: “It’s just an exciting, innovative, inclusive program, with outstanding coaches. Netball’s been a really strong part of evolving the academy's culture. These kids have just got a great, transferable work ethic from netball into the classroom.’’
Written by Linda Pearce
