The following activities are offered at Hornsby Girls High School to provide a broad range of co-curricular experiences and opportunities for our students to enrich their education.
Aerobics
- Teams and Individual Events.
- State and National Competitions.
Art and Design
- HSC Visual Arts Exhibition.
- Hornsby Girls High School Art Exhibition.
- Additional activities may include:
- ceramics
- digital photography
- drawing
- oil painting
- realistic painting
- School Magazine - Minerva.
- GAT Workshops.
Building Strength - Year 11 Positive Education Program.
Business Studies
- Business Educators Australasia “Plan Your Own Enterprise” Competition.
- University of Newcastle Year 11 Business Plan Challenge.
Camps in Years 7, 9 and 11
Charity Fund-Raising may include:
- Anglicare “Toys ‘n Tucker” Christmas appeal
- Bandaged Bear Day – Westmead Children’s Hospital
- Bear Cottage
- Cancer Council
- Guide Dog Association
- Hornsby Women’s Shelter
- Indigenous Literacy Foundation
- Jeans for Genes Day – Medical Research
- Jump Rope for Heart
- Legacy Badge Day
- MS Readathon
- National Heart Foundation Valentine’s Day Appeal
- Pink Ribbon Day – Breast Cancer Research
- Purple Ribbon Campaign Unifem
- Red Cross Blood Donor Appeal
- Red Cross Calling
- Salvation Army Red Shield Appeal
- Stewart House
- UN Women
- World’s Greatest Shave – Leukaemia Foundation
- 40 Hour Famine – World Vision
Chess Club
- Inter-School Competitions.
- Outdoor chess board in COLA Area.
Choir
- House Choir Competition.
- Junior, Senior and Chamber Choir.
- NSW Schools Spectacular.
Commerce
- Australian Securities Exchange Competition.
- $20 Boss Competition.
- Commonwealth Bank Financial Literacy Program.
- Young Lawyers – guest Speaker Program.
Dance
- Regional and State Festivals.
- Talented Dance Ensembles – 3 dance groups.
- Various Eisteddfods.
Debating
- Premier’s Debating Challenge - Years 7-12.
- Social Debating Years 7 and 8.
- Year 11 Metro Debating Competition
Also see PUBLIC SPEAKING below.
Drama
- After-School Drama Enrichment Classes.
- Hornsby Girls High School Student Performance Evenings.
- Junior and Senior State Drama Ensembles.
- Regional and State Drama Festivals.
- School Musical – alternate years (with Normanhurst BHS).
Driver Education Program
- Year 11 RYDA Driver Education Program.
Duke of Edinburgh Award
- Bronze, Silver and Gold Levels.
English
- UNSW Global REACH English Competition.
- Dorothea MacKellar Poetry Competition.
- Film Making Competition – short films, animations and video games.
- Hornsby Girls High School Writing Competition – sponsored by the HGHS Old Girls Union.
- Publication of Burning Bright – student writing magazine.
- Writing Competitions advertised through the Year:
- Guringai Festival Reconciliation Writing Competition.
- What Matters Writing Competition.
- Write Now! Competition.
Also see DRAMA listing above.
Environment
- F.R.E.D. (Friends of Recycling, the Environment and Dirt) - Student-initiated and student-managed environmental group: Paper Recycling Program across the school; Clean Up Australia Day Activities; Earth Hour; Recycling of soft plastic; Plant-A-Tree Day; Students participating in P&C Grounds Days.
- SEMP Committee.
Excursions and other visits - in most Faculties.
Friday Focus
- Roll Call Positive Education Program incorporating mindfulness and other elements of positive psychology.
Geography
- Australian Geography Competition.
- Geography Teachers Association Fieldwork Competition.
Grit Factor – Year 12 Wellbeing Program.
Harmony Day - Intercultural understanding and co-operation.
High Resolves - Global Citizenship – Years 7–10.
Highlite - Christian Fellowship Group.
History
- SC Extension History Prize.
- National History Challenge.
- NSW National Trust Heritage Competition.
- Simpson History Prize.
- Year 10 Medieval Day.
- Year 8 Games Day.
Languages (French, German, Japanese, Spanish)
- Australasian Language Certificate (French / German / Japanese)
- Alliance Francaise French Language. Competition and the Concourse La Perouse.
- Alliance Francaise French Poetry Recital competition.
- Australia-Japan Relations Essay Contest.
- Senior French Conversation Enrichment Group.
- University Enrichment Days.
- Peer Mentoring.
- Year 8 Languages Day.
Leadership
(A) Within the School:
- Prefect System - portfolio structure.
- Travel Prefects - for assistance travelling to/from school.
- Student Representative Council.
- SWL (Year 10 Student Wellbeing Leaders).
- House System
- House Captains
- House Sports Captains and Vice Captains
- House Music Captains and Vice Captains
- Peer Support Program – Student leadership in Year 6-7 Transition Program and whole school Wellbeing Program.
- Year group Charity Fundraising Activities.
- Duke of Edinburgh Award.
- Macquarie University Enterprise Challenge (Year 10).
- Work Experience (Year 10).
- Games Day Leaders.
- Peer Mentoring.
- School Ambassadors - school tour guides.
- HGHS Social Justice Group.
- School Annual Magazine - Minerva.
- House Choir Competition.
- Lip-sync - Student Charity Concert Term 3.
- Year 12 Formal and Jersey Committees.
Also see ENVIRONMENT GROUPS above.
(B) External Leadership Opportunities
- Australian Youth Development Student Leadership conference.
- Director-General’s Award for Excellence in Student Achievement.
- Future Leaders Conference - Halogen.
- International Women’s Day Functions.
- Long Tan Awards for Leadership and Teamwork.
- Minister’s Award for Excellence in Student Achievement.
- Model United Nations Assembly - Rotary.
- National Young Leaders Day.
- Student Leadership Program for School Captains/Vice Captains - NSW Government.
- Student Representative Council - District/Regional/State Levels.
- UBS Finance Academy - Macquarie University.
- UBS Young Women’s Leadership Academy - Sydney University.
- United Nations Youth Association State Conference.
- Women’s Student Leadership Seminars - Women’s College, Sydney University.
- Young Achievement Australia Business Skills Program.
- Young Australian of the Year.
- Young Women’s Leadership Seminar - NSW Parliament House.
- Youth of the Year Quest - Hornsby Lions Club.
- Youth Parliament - NSW YMCA.
- Zonta Young Women in Public Affairs Award
Library
- Book reviews for the Library Moodle.
- Library Monitors.
- Premier’s Reading Challenge.
- Visiting authors as guest speakers.
- Year 7 Book Club.
- Year 8 Book Club.
- Years 9/10 Book Club.
Mathematics
- Australasian Problem Solving Mathematics Olympiad (APSMO).
- Australian Mathematics Competition.
- Mathematics Challenge for Young Australians - Enrichment and Challenge Problems.
Minerva Magazine - Annual School Magazine.
Muna Model United Nations Assembly
Mock Trial - NSW Law Society Interschool Mock Trial.
Music
- Beginner Band
- Choirs – Junior, Senior and Chamber
- Concert Band
- Eisteddfods
- Guitar Ensemble
- NSW Band and Orchestra Festival
- NSW Schools Spectacular
- Regional and International Music Tours
- School Musical – alternate years (with Normanhurst BHS)
- Stage Band
- State Music Camps - Junior and Senior
- State Schools Instrumental and Vocal Ensembles
- String Orchestra
- Student Performance Evenings
- Symphonic Band
- Woodwind Ensemble
Peer Support Positive Education Program – Transition to High School Program for Year 7 - led by Year 10 Student Leaders, Wellbeing Programs through Friday Focus activities.
Peer Tutoring - Assistance for Year 11 students from Year 12.
Public Speaking
- English Plain Speaking Award.
- Legacy Junior Public Speaking Competition.
- Rostrum Voice of Youth Competition.
- UN Youth Evatt Public Speaking Competition.
Science
- Australian Science Olympiad.
- FIRST Lego League Robotics.
- FIRST Tech Challenge Robotics.
- National Youth Science Forum.
- RACI Chemistry Quiz.
- RACI Titration Competition.
- Science & Engineering Challenge (Year 10).
- UNSW ICAS Science Competition.
Sister-School Relationships - Japan and Germany.
Social Justice Group
Spirit Week - Last Week of Term 2, School Spirit activities organised by the SRC.
Sport
- Year 7 Games Day.
- Year 8 Games Day.
- Entry to Zone/Regional/State/National Competitions as appropriate.
- Tournaments (many of the teams below have specialist external coaches):
- Aerobics, Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Swimming, Netball, Oz Tag, Soccer, Softball, Cross Country, Tennis, Touch Football, Volleyball, Cricket, Table Tennis, Fencing, Rowing, Snowboarding.
- Extra-Curricular Sport (seasonal):
- Aerobics, Athletics Training, Basketball, Cricket, Cross Country Training, Dance, Netball, Oz Tag, Soccer, Table Tennis Club, Taekwondo, Tennis, Touch Football, Volleyball, Water Polo, Yoga.
- Senior Fitness Room – training and registration required.
Textiles and Design - Food and Fashion Showcase.
Tournament of Minds