The Chinese Program has a proud and well-established history at Stawell Secondary College, dating back to 2008. Over the past two decades, it has grown into one of the College’s flagship programs, providing students with authentic international experiences, fostering intercultural understanding, and creating pathways to outstanding academic achievement. Through language learning, cultural immersion, international partnerships and global engagement, students develop the language proficiency, cultural awareness and communication skills needed to thrive in an increasingly interconnected world.

Sister School Partnerships

A defining strength of the program is its long-standing partnerships with our sister schools in China, including Qujing Nationality Middle School, Yancheng Middle School, and Shanghai Industrial and Commercial Foreign Languages School. Since these partnerships were established, Stawell Secondary College has hosted ten visiting groups of Chinese students and teachers, creating meaningful opportunities for language learning, cultural exchange, and lasting international friendships.

The program also continued to strengthen these partnerships through a range of virtual initiatives, including:

• Sister School Summer Camp Online Program (2020–2022)
• Sister School Pen-pal Program (2020–2026)
• Virtual Victorian Young Leaders to China Program (2022–2026)
• Victorian Young Leaders Online Forum (2020–2021)

These initiatives ensured that students continued to engage in authentic intercultural learning despite international travel restrictions.

Global Experiences

The College organises China Study Tours, giving students the opportunity to immerse themselves in Chinese language and culture while developing independence, confidence and global perspectives. Since the inaugural tour in 2011, students have participated in numerous in-country learning experiences, including three Victorian Young Leaders to China Program tours supported by the Victorian Department of Education.

Following the reopening of international travel, the program resumed face-to-face exchanges with great success.

• 2024 China Study Tour: Thirty students travelled to Shanghai, Beijing and Chengdu, attending classes at our sister school, exploring significant historical and cultural sites, participating in language and cultural activities, and completing the HSK Chinese Proficiency Test in Beijing.
• 2025 China Study Tour: Students travelled to Shanghai, Beijing and Xi’an, further strengthening sister-school partnerships through authentic language immersion and cultural experiences.
• 2026 Short-Stay Program: Stawell Secondary College will host visiting students and teachers from China as part of the 2026 Short-Stay Program. Australian students will serve as school buddies and host families, providing visitors with an authentic Australian home and school experience while developing lasting friendships and valuable intercultural communication skills. The program will further strengthen the College’s long-standing international partnerships and commitment to intercultural learning.

Beyond study tours and exchange programs, students regularly participate in the Global Village Bilingual Speaking Competition, HSK Chinese Proficiency Tests, the prestigious Hanyu Qiao (Chinese Bridge) Chinese Competition, the Victorian Young Leaders programs, and a range of scholarship opportunities. These experiences provide valuable international connections while further developing students’ language proficiency, intercultural understanding, and global perspectives.

Student Achievement

These international opportunities have made a significant contribution to the success of the Chinese Program. Authentic learning experiences through study tours, exchanges, sister-school partnerships, pen-pal programs and language competitions have strengthened students’ motivation, intercultural understanding and language proficiency, leading to outstanding classroom achievement, excellent VCE outcomes and successful post-school pathways.

Stawell Secondary College has enjoyed outstanding success in the Global Village Bilingual Speaking Competition, with students representing the College every year since 2016. Most recently, students achieved excellent results in the 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026 competitions, demonstrating exceptional confidence, creativity and proficiency in Chinese.

The program has also celebrated many outstanding achievements, including:

• Multiple First, Second and Third Prize winners in the Global Village Chinese Speaking Competition (2016 – 2026)
• HSK Chinese Proficiency Test certifications across multiple levels
• Outstanding results in the Hanyu Qiao (China Bridge) Chinese Competition, including Victorian, National, Oceania and Worldwide Finals
• Reading Competition awards for junior students
• Full Chinese Government scholarships awarded to graduates studying at leading universities in China, including Fudan University and Zhejiang University

A notable example of the program’s success is Melissa Sanders, who achieved a raw study score of 49 in VCE Chinese Language, Culture and Society and received the Premier’s Award in 2021.

Preparing Global Citizens

Located in regional Victoria, Stawell Secondary College demonstrates that geographical location is no barrier to delivering outstanding international education. Through sustained international partnerships, authentic intercultural experiences and a commitment to excellence, the Chinese Program continues to inspire students to become globally minded, culturally competent and confident users of Chinese, preparing them for future study, careers and life in an increasingly interconnected world.