What's New on the Parramatta High School Website

This is WhatsGnu #8

July 2003 Students from the school recently participated in a youth initiative run by the University of Sydney. Parra Youth Matters provided young people from the Parramatta District with an opportunity to raise youth issues with politicians and media representatives. Former PHS student Dr Lyn Carson was instrumental in establishing the programme. June 2003 Former student Associate Professor Peter Procopis has received the Australia Medal in the Queen's Birthday honours list, for his services to children's medicine. He is executive director of the Children's Hospital at Westmead. 7 May 2003 Another solar syzygy captured on film by PHS. On 7 May 2003, the planet Mercury passed directly between the sun and us - a so-called "transit" of Mercury. Naturally - we have a report here. May 2003 After some delay, the recipients of the Centenary of Federation Medal have been announced. There were some ex-students among the 15,000 plus names: Tony Stephens journalist and author, Professor Leonie Still of the Graduate School of Management, University of Western Australia and Associate Professor Mabel Lee translator of the 2000 Nobel Prize for Literature were recognised for their contributions to the community. March 2003 Parramatta High students recently donated blood at the Parramatta Red Cross Blood Bank. We are now second on the Vampire Shield with 60 donors. Parents and friends of the school who would also like to donate blood should tell the Blood Bank they are part of the Parramatta High community. For more information about donating blood visit the Blood Bank website www.giveblood.redcross.org.au Our rock group Second Sight have secured a place in the heats for YouthRock 2003 after their audition video was successful. The boys performed two original compositions Suffer and Fortress of Solitude. The first heat is being held at the Sutherland Entertainment Centre on Wednesday 9 April commencing at 7.00pm. Tickets are $15.00. January 2003 As promised, your intrepid PHS correspondent ventured into the South Australian outback to report on the total solar eclipse of 4/12/02. View the results here. September 27/28 2002 Students from the LC1962 held a reunion to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the end of their high schooling. More details here . . . July 18 2002 A story appeared today about the theft of a milestone. Not ours, fortunately, but they did use our milestone as an illustration. July 10 2002 New moon today. No eclipse, though (this time!). More fun and games with the dear old Sydney Morning Herald, though. We poke some fun at them, and they're gracious enough to publish it. June 21 2002 At 2pm EST today the sun reached its northernmost declination. At 3pm it started making its way back down south. What does that mean? The shortest day has come and gone. The days are getting longer, and soon will be getting warmer too. Its the time of Saturnalia! On top of that, its holidays in two weeks time. (See left). Therefore, there are no webpage updates or links today. May 26 2002 Full moon tonight. This site has featured a number of lunar eclipses, but soon we will be treated to the most spectacular of syzygies, a total eclipse of the sun. May 5 2002 For the third year running, Omphalotus nidiformis, the Ghost fungus, returns to the environs of Parramatta High. Omphalotus nidiformis incendium eruditio ..."the nest-shaped glowing mushroom lights the path to education." . (Sorry!) April 25 2002 In 1916, three years after the establishment of the school, and barely one year after the events at Gallipoli, this piece appeared in the first edition of the Parramatta High Magazine. Lest We Forget April 22 2002 The Parramatta High School Song is proudly sung at every formal school assembly. View the manuscript here, and take the opportunity to sing along to a faithful digital rendition of the score.