Extra-Curricular Activities
The school provides students with various opportunities to participate in extra-curricular activities. Some of these activities include:
Bush Tukka and Café J
Indigenous students at James Fallon High participate in running a ‘Bush Tukka Cafe’.
Students have shared ownership of the Senior Retail Cafe, ‘Cafe J’ where they actively participate in the organisation and running of their Bush Tukka Cafe. An adjacent kitchen allows students to create products for sale. Students gain an understanding of the realities of running a small business and they gain skills and knowledge which equip them for life beyond school.
Students studying the Vocational Educational course Retail Services in Years 11 and 12 are responsible for operating the Cafe where they have the opportunity to gain skills and competencies valued in the workplace. Students work as part of a team to communicate effectively and solve problems associated with operating a small business. The Cafe provides an excellent opportunity for students to be innovative and enterprising, as well gaining confidence in managing their own learning.
Performing Arts
Performing arts at James Fallon includes the Wakakirri, the biennial Musical, opportunities to attend the Riverina and State Dance Festivals and participation in local and regional events.
In the last nine years James Fallon has produced ‘Little Shop of Horrors’, ‘Love Will Tear us Apart and Eat our Brains’, ‘Into the Woods’, ‘The Lion King’ and ‘The Addams Family’. Every second year a student company is formed that finances and produces the show. Students from years 7 to 11 in every part of the school are encouraged to take part. It is great fun especially the last night when huge energy and adrenalin kick in to push the show to great heights.
James Fallon also participates in many theatre festivals and competitions such as ‘The Weeping Candle Cup’ (Theatre Sports) and ‘Sport for love’ (Shakespeare)
Wakakirri (formerly known as The Rock Eisteddfod)
The aim of Wakakirri is to teach students about themselves and others through creating and sharing stories and by this process develop students’ educational outcomes, lifestyle choices and community awareness. A great story can change the way people think about the world around them and Wakakirri gives schools the opportunity to do just that.
Each year hundreds of schools across Australia create Story-Dances for Wakakirri that reflect their students’ thoughts, ideas and aspirations. These stories are performed in professional theatres in front of the official ‘Wakakirri Panel’ who are searching for ‘Story of the Year’. Over 1 million people watch Wakakirri performances each year.
Wakakirri is a very significant part of the Creative and Performing Arts at James Fallon High School. Around 150 students and teachers work during sport for three terms to prepare for the dance/drama performance.
Duke of Edinburgh
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is a challenging and rewarding program for young people aged between 14 and 25. There are 5 million participants in over 100 countries around the world.
The basic idea of the Award is individual challenge. As everyone is different, so too are the challenges that young people undertake to achieve the Award. There are three levels – Bronze, Silver and Gold. Each of these levels has four sections – Skills, Service, Physical Recreation and Adventurous Journey. At James Fallon High School the Journey section is undertaken in the form of a canoe trip. We run two 3-day trips each year, both on different sections of the Murray River between Albury and Yarrawonga.
The other sections of the Award are undertaken in the participant’s own time. Activities commonly undertaken include
- Volunteer work in the care of animals;
- Assisting charity organisations;
- Participation in a wide range of sports;
- Student Representative Council;
- Peer tutoring in reading;
- Coaching sporting teams;
- Umpiring;
- Music;
- Art;
- Photography;
- Woodwork