Victorian School Sports Awards celebrate students and teachers

The outstanding achievements of 2 teachers – Mark Cunningham, Springside Primary School, and Kane Armistead, Nossal High School – in boosting sport at their school and in the wider school community were recognised at the 2022 Victorian School Sports Awards.

Mark and Kane received Outstanding Teacher Contribution awards at the star-studded celebration lunchtime event on Monday 3 April 2023, held in the prestigious members dining room at the MCG.

Coatesville Primary School won the prized School and Community Partnership Award. The Bentleigh East school was recognised for providing students with opportunities to participate in a diverse range of activities through strong connections to local sporting groups.

Teachers, principals, students, parents, professional athletes, peak sports body representatives, School Sport Victoria staff and senior department executives were among the 200 people at the event.

While the focus was on students, the awards recognised the contribution teachers make in supporting their students to achieve school sporting success.

Mark was recognised for bringing students and families together in positive and inclusive extra-curricular sporting activities and supporting the whole school community’s wellbeing and engagement.

Kane’s award recognised his infectious enthusiasm for encouraging all students to try out for badminton and table tennis, which included lunchtime coaching sessions, establishing a badminton club, and running a Father’s Day badminton tournament.

Recognising student sporting achievement

With marathon legend and Commonwealth Games gold medal winner Steve Moneghetti as MC, the awards shone a spotlight on school sport, especially Victoria’s young exceptional athletes in a range of sports, from triathlon to table tennis, badminton to basketball.

It was an afternoon of acclaim for so many richly deserving winners, with the biggest applause of the day ringing out for para-athlete Jack Howell.

Jack received the award ceremony’s highest accolade, the Lindsay Gaze Outstanding Sports Leadership Award, which honours one of Australia’s best-known sporting icons.

Jack, a Year 12 student at Kambrya College in Berwick last year, is a multi–talented para-athlete who excels at national and international level in para and mainstream – including swimming, triathlon and cross country.

Ranking high in his many achievements is being national able body triathlon champion in the 15 to 19 years age group.

Jack inspires and encourages other young athletes through his many ambassador, volunteer and speaking roles – including with a national camp for amputee teens – and through regular school talks.

The other 2 big individual awards – for Outstanding Sporting Achievements – were presented to high achievers in Shih-Yuan Lim, of Serpell Primary School, and Nicholas Lum, of Virtual School Victoria.

Shih-Yuan is an all-round sportsperson and a distinguished national underage team gold medallist badminton player, who was selected in the under-13 Badminton State Squad and Performance Program.

Guest presenter Abbey Caldwell, 2022 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist, was kept busy throughout the ceremony, with 41 awards recognising our outstanding young sportspeople.

That impressive tally included 34 Sporting Blue Awards, the highest sporting accolades presented in Victoria’s government school system.

Find out more

For further information, refer to the Victorian School Sports Awards.