Unit 1 and 3 VCE Applied Computing/Data Analytics

Term 1 is all about data analytics in both Years 11 and 12. Using spreadsheets, database and even a bit of SQL querying, students have been exploring real data and presenting their findings in eye-catching infographics. Topics included:

1. Spotify data (Who was the most played artist of 2023?)

2. Titanic data (What factors determined your chance of survival?)

3. ARIA data (Who has had the most hits in the last 10 years in Australia?)

4. Traffic accidents in Victoria (What factors make you more likely to be involved in an accident?)

Student Reflection

Unit 1: Applied Computing

This year we both have decided to take on the challenge of doing the accelerated subject of Applied Computing. We have focused on the topics of: Spreadsheets, Databases and Data Visualisation. We have learnt how to create an excel spreadsheet from data sets. With these data sets, we cleaned them and were able to analyse and interpret the data through functions and formulas. We then learnt how to transfer our spreadsheets into databases, which allowed us to recognise relationships and connections in more detail. With these databases we were able to run complex queries which perform calculations and can combine data from various tables. Finally, we have been able to combine both these skills to create eye-catching infographics that represent the data on a whole. Overall, Applied Computing has taught us skills such as problem solving, and critical thinking and we are loving the subject.

Jess Jhoomun and Hannah Ross

Year 10

Pi Day Competition

It was standing room only in the STEM room at lunchtime today to celebrate Pi Day 2025. We had a record number of 20 students competing for their name on the prestigious Pi Reciting Competition trophy. Congratulations to all students who competed. We can tell you worked hard learning these digits off by heart and it’s no small feat to get up in front of so many other students and give it a go. It was also very heartening to see the number of students who showed up to support their friends in this competition. It created such a lovely atmosphere in the room.

Special mentions go to our three top students who stunned us all with their incredible memories:

3rd place: Metua Tangianau (Year 7) with 118 places

2nd place: Indigo Macdonald (Year 9) with 130 places

1st place: Zoe Pawlowski (Year 7) with an impressive 140 places

Year 12 STEM Leader’s Report

Hello! My name is Yzabel Mariano and I am one of the College’s STEM Leaders for 2025. The STEM subjects I am currently studying are: Physics, Data Analytics, Chemistry and Mathematical Methods. 

Immersing my mind into the sphere of science, technology, engineering and mathematics has been such a fascinating journey. Having access to all of these different concepts in class is rewarding, but what is more rewarding is to see how our learnt knowledge from the classroom can be contextualised into the real world. One of my favourite STEM experiences recently was my Year 12 Physics class excursion to Luna Park. For the entirety of the day, we got to witness firsthand how the concepts of motion explain the forces that act on roller coasters and other rides. In particular, we learned how the momentum of a dodgem car during a collision changes, how it changes depending on variables such as the velocity and angle of the impact. This was very fun because we got to physically test out how this all works ourselves. 

Another fond experience I can recall was in my Year 11 Applied Computing class. We had delved into our study topic ‘Innovative Solutions’. In this area of study, we worked in groups to design and build a solution catered towards a specific problem. My group’s main objective was to design and program a video game which could be played on a handheld meowbit to provide teenagers with an alternative to night-time ‘doom-scrolling’. My particular role in this project was programming the game and managing the UI (User Interface) of the solution. To see the final solution completed, as a result of all the rounds of informal testing, debugging and redesigning, makes one feel proud.

I may be biased, so take my words with a grain of salt, but I do strongly believe that STEM is an important part to one’s journey throughout school, simply because STEM is everywhere. It is present in a variety of courses and professions. Engineers, software and web developers, environmental scientists, health care workers and a whole other plethora of jobs are all possible thanks to STEM. Also, it is a good feeling to know the extra facts about random things that your friends may not really know, like why the sky is blue? Why do we feel heavier when going up in a lift? When I began secondary school here, I wasn’t really interested in pursuing something in STEM, and one of the main reasons is because I believed that one had to have a natural aptitude for it. Nevertheless, I decided to give it a go and see where that choice would take me. Fortunately, my choice has taken me here. 

There is a stigma that women are less capable of pursuing careers in STEM compared to men. It has been shown that girls are 34% less likely to join STEM subjects. Girls generally have lower confidences towards STEM subjects than boys, however statistics show that we can achieve at the same level, if not higher than boys. I believe that anyone is capable of pursuing something in STEM, because your ability to perform well in a subject is not dependent on how you much you know now. It is more on how you drive yourself to go from where you are currently are to where you want to be. The version of you will not be the most definitive version of you.

Thank you – I’m looking forward to the rest of the year with you all! 

Yzabel Mariano

Year 12

Adrienne Donoghue

Learning Leader: Digital Technologies