It has been running for 79 years but the friendships built and camaraderie aside, the Annual Berri Exchange was one to forget for Mount Gambier High School as Berri Regional Secondary College took home both the Symonds Debating Shield and Carthew Sporting Cup.<\/p>\n
The Annual Berri Exchange (previously known as Glossop) commenced in 1947 and is the longest running public schools exchange in Australia.<\/p>\n
The exchange began with the much anticipated virtual debate on July 2 as the two teams argued the opposing cases on the topic \u2018The influence of technology on human relationships is detrimental.\u2019<\/p>\n
The Mount Gambier High School team of Callum McIntyre-Gregory, Caitlin Hitchon and Annapurna Anbu argued the negative but lost the close contest.<\/p>\n
On with seven matches July3, the two schools converged on Bordertown to tackle the sporting aspect of the exchange – Boys and Girls Soccer, Boys and Girls Basketball, Division A and B Netball and Boys Football.<\/p>\n
The Boys Soccer match went to a penalty shootout and the A Netball was decided by one goal in the dying seconds but in the end, Berri enjoyed a cleansweep of the sporting contests.<\/p>\n
Mount Gambier High School special sports coordinator Abbey Duncan was still thrilled with the efforts of the participating students.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe staff and students involved all have a common purpose, to play in their respective sports in the hopes of being successful and ultimately to come home with the cup, however we hold high value in the opportunity this exchange gives for both school communities to also continue developing strong social connections,\u201d Miss Duncan said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are extremely grateful for the Bordertown community, in particular the basketball and hockey associations, and the football and netball clubs for allowing us to use their facilities, as well as contribute towards the organisation of the day. This event would not be able to take place if we did not have their help and support.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was fantastic to see the student\u2019s comradery and sportsmanship, particularly when there would have been many moments where they would have felt things were not going their way, but to their credit everyone persevered and gave their absolute best.\u201d<\/p>\n
As always, the exchange was made possible by the effort of staff and students not just hitting the sporting fields and courts but also helping with the other roles required on the day,<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had students who helped officiate, umpire and even stepped up to play a sport they had never played before,\u201d Miss Duncan said. \u201cOur students\u2019 ability to help out when needed and their willingness to push themselves out of their comfort zone demonstrated great character and the values we want students at Mount Gambier High School to display.\u201d<\/p>\n