Community of Achievers
Dear Parents and Carers
Semester 1 was packed with energy, enthusiasm, and outstanding achievements as students showcased their talents at the Dripstone Middle School Athletics Carnival and Cluster Sports Gala Days. In this special edition of our newsletter, we’re proud to highlight the many sporting successes and memorable moments from Semester 1 at Dripstone Middle School.
DRIPSTONE ATHLETICS CARNIVAL 2025
The 2025 Athletics Carnival was our biggest yet, with over 480 students stepping up to compete in a day full of energy, school spirit, and impressive performances.
Congratulations to Carpentaria, who claimed victory at this year’s Athletics Carnival with an impressive 836 points! It was a close contest, with Phoenix finishing just behind on 830 points, and Alexandra securing third place with 656 points. Well done to all students for their effort and team spirit throughout the event!
Students were also able to participate in The Push Up Challenge, Volleyball and Basketball competitions.
Dripstone Community Ambassadors also sold a range of food and drinks for participants to purchase on the day. Thank you to Ms Kuo, Ms Bandi and Mr Horacio for assisting our students with the sausage sizzle!
Congratulations to all the students elected by their peers as Dripstone House Captains for 2025! These leaders proudly represented their houses at the Athletics Carnival.
Congratulations to the follow students who were named as the Age Champions at this year’s Athletics Carnival:
A special congratulations to Malakai T in Year 9, who set a new school record in the 15-year-old Boys' Javelin category with an impressive throw of 31.10 metres! Outstanding effort, Malakai!
A special thank you also to Mr Khoda Patel MLA, Member for Casuarina, who attended our Athletics Carnival and supported our students throughout the day!
Special Visit from Judo Australia's National Coach
Dripstone Middle School was thrilled to welcome Ivica (Veets) Pavlinic, Australia’s National Development Pathways Coach for Judo in Term 2.
Veets ran dynamic and engaging sessions with our Year 7 and 8 Judo classes, as well as selected Year 9 Judo students. The focus was on developing competitive techniques through fun, high-energy drills — and our students absolutely loved it!
A big thank you to Judo Australia and Judo NT for assisting in providing this fantastic opportunity.
CLUSTER GALA SPORTS
Boys AFL Team Battles Through Storm to Secure Third Place
In Term 1, a team of 19 Dripstone Middle School students braved wild, stormy weather and wet conditions to compete in the Boys AFL Gala Day at Gardens Oval. Despite the challenging weather, the boys showcased their skills, determination, and sportsmanship throughout the competition.
Playing a total of five games, the team secured three impressive victories, earning them a spot in the semi-finals. After a hard-fought match, they finished the day in third place—a fantastic achievement!
Dripstone Girls Shine at Middle School AFL Gala Day!
Dripstone Middle School’s girls’ AFL team made an impressive debut at the Girls AFL Gala Day, showcasing resilience, teamwork, and natural talent. Remarkably, eight players had never played before, yet the team quickly adapted, winning their first two matches with skill and determination.
Though they later faced tough competition from experienced teams like Haileybury and O’Loughlin, the girls displayed incredible grit and sportsmanship throughout.
Their success has generated excitement throughout the school, leading to Dripstone officially entering a girls' team in the Term 2 Middle School AFL competition—a fantastic step forward for female sport at the school.
Big Win for Our Girls: Hockey Gala Day!
Huge congratulations to our girls team, who took out 1st place in their pool at the Hockey Gala Day, with outstanding teamwork on display! A special shoutout to Abbey (Year 9) for her fantastic leadership and for keeping the team organised and united on the field.
Our boys team put in a solid effort, finishing 4th in their pool. They showed great improvement throughout the day and impressed with their teamwork and passing skills.
Netball Gala Day Success!
Dripstone proudly sent over 50 students across five teams to compete in the Netball Gala Day at Marrara Netball Stadium. It was a fantastic day filled with teamwork, sportsmanship, and impressive skills on display. A huge congratulations to our Year 8 girls for taking out first place in their division! Well done to all our players for their dedication and effort on the court.
Soccer Gala Day a Success for Dripstone!
In May, an impressive 93 Dripstone students took part in the Soccer Gala Day at Marrara — a fantastic turnout! All year levels were proudly represented across both boys’ and girls’ teams.
The fast-paced 7-a-side games, played on half pitches with just 10 minutes on the clock, made for an action-packed day. While we didn’t take out any division titles, one of our girls' teams came incredibly close, finishing second by a very narrow margin.
Throughout the day, Dripstone students showcased excellent skill, teamwork, and sportsmanship — a credit to our school. A big thank you and well done to all who participated, and special thanks to Michelle G, Finn B, and Kat T for their valuable coaching and supervision on the day.
Fast and Fun at the Touch Cluster Gala Day!
17 enthusiastic Dripstone students represented our school at the Touch Cluster Gala Day at Marrara. We fielded two teams — one boys' and one girls' — and both jumped straight into the action with rapid 10-minute games that left no time for a slow start!
Both teams had a full day of play, rotating subs effectively to ensure everyone had a fair go. Results were mixed, with a great combination of wins, draws, and losses. The girls' team finished as equal winners of their pool, while the boys placed high in theirs — an impressive effort all around!
Every student played with heart, skill, and great sportsmanship. A special shout-out to Tiana-Lee, who showed fantastic leadership by helping coach the girls’ team despite being injured. Well done, team!
Dripstone Dominates at Volleyball Cluster Day!
On Thursday the 5th of June, Dripstone Middle School proudly participated in an action-packed Interschool Volleyball Gala Day. The event was held at The Marrara Indoor Sports Stadium. The event brought together students from Dripstone, Darwin Middle School, and Sanderson, in a celebration of sport, teamwork, and school spirit.
The day was expertly organised by Mr Cilento, whose efforts behind the scenes—including all communications, permission notes, student meetings, and team coordination—ensured everything ran smoothly. The event itself was led by Mr Kondaridis, with valuable support from Mackenzie, and saw a remarkable turnout of 78 students from Dripstone alone.
A total of 20 teams competed across three pools (two female and one male), with Dripstone entering an impressive 10 teams—the largest representation of any school. Over the course of 13 tightly contested rounds, matches were played across three courts, with each game running for 10 minutes. Teams earned 3 points for a win, 2 for a draw, and 1 for a loss, keeping the competition exciting and fast-paced.
Adding to the spirit of the day, many of our students stepped up to referee matches, showing leadership, fairness, and responsibility. Beyond the courts, students enjoyed socialising with friends and engaging positively with staff, creating a vibrant and inclusive atmosphere.
We are thrilled to announce that Dripstone teams were crowned champions in two of the three pools—a testament to the hard work and dedication of our players and coaches. Congratulations to all involved for making the day such a success!
Dripstone Boys AFL Team Shows Heart and Talent in Interschool Competition
The Dripstone Boys AFL team wrapped up a spirited season in the Darwin Interschool AFL Competition, showing grit, skill, and determination in every match.
The team opened their campaign in style with a strong 44-point win over Nightcliff, led by standout performances from Malakai T, Tye B and Dane C. In their following games, the boys continued to battle hard against tough opponents. Levi S, Luke S and Malakai T impressed in a challenging match against Haileybury, while Dane C and Ty M were key contributors in a narrow loss to Sanderson.
Despite a tough final game against a dominant O'Loughlin College side, the Dripstone boys never gave up. Dane C finished the season as a consistent leader in the midfield, with Malakai's strength and pressure earning him recognition in nearly every match. Mason H and Jett C also stepped up with impressive efforts late in the season.
Congratulations to all players for representing Dripstone with pride and sportsmanship throughout the competition!
Dripstone Girls AFL Make Debut
This term marked a milestone for Dripstone Middle School, with our very first Girls AFL team entering the Darwin Interschool AFL Competition!
In their last match of the season against a strong O'Loughlin Catholic College side, the Dripstone girls gave it their all at home in front of a proud school crowd. While OCC took the win, the courage, effort and team spirit shown by our players stood out.
Leaders Abbey T and Marie N were exceptional, anchoring the team with tireless work through the midfield and defence. Their resilience and voice lifted those around them in a challenging contest.
Congratulations to all players for making school history and representing Dripstone with pride. A fantastic first step in what promises to be a bright future for girls footy at our school!
STUDENT SPORTS SPOTLIGHT
Congratulations to Lucas, Ky, and Matthew, who were selected to receive tickets to the Gold Coast Suns vs Western Bulldogs clash at TIO Stadium in May!
These students were nominated by their year level coordinators for consistently showing a positive attitude and putting in great effort around our school community — well deserved!
A big thank you to Khoda Patel MLA - Member for Casuarina for generously donating the tickets and supporting our students
Well done to Ameliah (Year 8) for representing the Northern Territory in the Football Championships for SchoolSport Australia in the 12Y/O category in Perth!
Huge congratulations to Dripstone students Malakai, Shannon, and Kosta for being part of the St Mary's 2024/25 TIO NTFL U14 Gundersen Premiers Team!
A special shoutout to Malakai who kicked 8 goals and earned the Best on Ground medal!
Well done to Tathira (Year 8) and Tye (Year 9) for representing the Northern Territory in the Cricket Championships for SchoolSport Australia in the 15Y/O category in Adelaide!
Special shoutout to Luke S (Year 8) for representing the Northern Territory in the 12Y/O Australian Football Championships in Geelong and the 12Y/O Touch Football Championships in Queensland!