Featured in St Catherine’s News, Spring 2023, Year 12 student Phoebe Russell, shares her story on making the decision to board at St Catherine’s School, and how it stemmed from her dream to one day play hockey for Australia.

“My goal was to board at St Catherine’s so I could continue my semi-professional hockey career and hopefully become involved in the Australian Hockey Development Program,” shares Phoebe.

“Boarding at St Catherine’s meant I could continue my endeavours with State Hockey without compromising my education. It also reduced the travel time for my family who were driving me back and forth from regional Victoria to the city continuously.”

Boarding at St Catherine’s has provided a city home base for Phoebe so she can access specialised coaching programs that she could not have considered when living in regional Victoria. “Within the Hockey Victoria Program, there is little regional scouting, so my ability to play hockey completely at metropolitan level has ensured I have easier access to scouting programs, while also more often being in the eyes of selectors for elite programs. Over the last two years I have been involved in the Under 21 Women’s Hockey Club Melbourne Development Program, as well as specialised drag flicking coaching offered by Hockey Victoria.”

Phoebe believes living in Melbourne with a large group of people also passionate about their sporting careers has kept her motivated and committed to her goals. “The environment that I have been immersed in since coming to St Catherine’s has only benefited my motivation and passion for my sport, and helped me make many lifelong friendships along the way.”

Along with the sporting benefits for her hockey career and access to Melbourne’s vibrant sporting culture, Phoebe has also thrown herself into performing arts at School, something she never would have considered prior to commencing at St Catherine’s.

“While my original aspirations were specifically related to my sporting endeavors, my time in the Boarding House at St Catherine’s allowed me to develop many more extracurricular and academic goals. Being involved in the Drama Program has also inspired me to pursue, in the future, a continued hobby of working within stage management in amateur and semi-professional theatres across Victoria. Prior to moving to St Catherine’s, I would have never considered involvement within anything like this. However, I found once I participated in my first show, I could not get enough of it.”