Picton High School recently welcomed more than 200 local Year 4 students for its first ever High Potential and Gifted Education (HPGE) Day, a major event designed to inspire young learners and nurture emerging talent across a range of domains.

Students from Picton, Thirlmere, Tahmoor, Yanderra, Buxton and Bargo Public Schools participated in hands-on workshops and challenges spanning the physical, intellectual, social-emotional and creative areas of learning.

The day aimed to help students discover new skills, strengthen confidence, and experience the opportunities available at Picton High School.

One of the standout sessions was the drone program, where students learned to fly, program and code drones. Equally popular was the elite sports program, which allowed participants to test their abilities using speed gates and blaze pods which are high-level training tools used to assess agility and reaction time.

Picton High School students enrolled in Vocational Education and Training (VET) Entertainment and Sports Coaching courses, along with Peer Support Leaders and SRC members, played a key role in running activities and supporting visiting students throughout the day.

Picton High School principal, Luke Farthing, said the event highlighted the school’s commitment to identifying and developing student potential.

“This was an important event for Picton High School to showcase the resources and programs we have in place to identify student potential, while also demonstrating how we grow that talent over the years for students enrolled at our school,” Mr Farthing said.

“A big thank you to everyone who made this enriching experience possible. Together we’re nurturing the potential of our future leaders."

Picton Public School principal, Nathan Nielson, praised the program’s impact on his students.

“Our students absolutely thrived at the Picton High School HPGE Transition Day,” Mr Nielson said.

“It was an enriching opportunity to engage in rich learning tasks using innovative resources in cutting-edge facilities.

“The staff and students from Picton High School motivated and inspired our Year 4 students and have ignited their curiosity and excitement for high school.”

Local Year 4 student Chloe said the creative opportunities were among her favourite moments.

“I loved learning two dances on the day and performing in the new hall on stage in front of everyone,” she said.