The NHSPA Alumni Committee exists to nurture an enduring connection between the school and its graduates. Our mission is to celebrate the achievements of NHSPA alumni, create opportunities for creative collaboration, and provide access to resources that support their ongoing professional and artistic development. By building a vibrant network of past and present students, we seek to foster mentorship, share expertise, and contribute to the cultural life of our wider community and strengthen the bond between past and present students. Through events, exhibitions, mentorships, shared spaces and outreach initiatives, the Committee upholds NHSPA’s commitment to artistic excellence, equity, and lifelong creative growth.
Newtown alumni network connects students past and present
Newtown High School of the Performing Arts has launched an alumni network, bringing together graduates to collaborate and inspire students, Jane Easton reports.
Grace tops the state as VET students shine
By Leigh Mabin
Newtown High School of the Performing Arts has again cemented its reputation for excellence in vocational education and training (VET), with student Grace Hardy recognised among the state’s top achievers at the NSW 2025 First in Course ceremony.
Grace placed first in the HSC VET Entertainment Industry course and also tied second in Human Services, an achievement her school says reflects both her dedication and the breadth of opportunities available to students.
“I'm quite surprised, but also proud,” Grace said.
“But it also shows that all my hard work throughout the two years of the course has paid off.”
Principal Dr Susan Green said the recognition reflected Grace’s efforts.
“We feel pride and the sense that it is well deserved for Grace, who worked so hard throughout the year,” she said.
Alongside the Entertainment Industry and Human Services, Grace studied Advanced Mathematics, Advanced English, Music and Music 2, balancing demanding academic and creative workloads.
Newtown High School of the Performing Arts has a strong track record in VET, having also topped the Entertainment Industry course in 2024.
Dr Green said expert teaching was key.
“We have expert, passionate teachers who know how to challenge, engage and motivate our students,” she said, highlighting Entertainment Industry teacher Zoe Van Munster, who has worked internationally, including six months in the creative industry at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Grace said choosing a VET course was one of the highlights of her HSC.
“There is honestly no downside to taking a VET course. It's my favourite course that I took throughout the HSC. I learned so much.”
Grace is now planning a gap year in Canada.
Callum Worsfold
Callum Worsfold is a Sydney based artist working primarily in the painting discipline. His work centres on observation and draws from his life experiences.
Callum’s practice spans most major genres from landscape to portraiture. With his most iconic series being interiors where he depicts the psyche through the intimacy of lived spaces.
Callum has had major success in 2025, being included in competitions such as the Macquarie Emerging Artist Prize, a finalist in the Archibald Prize 2025 and most recently A.M.E Bale Travelling Scholarship and art prize.
Meet the Aussie dancer chosen to run one of the world’s most prestigious dance schools
Sydney dancer Melissa Toogood has been appointed to head up the dance division of Juilliard School.
At 13, Melissa Toogood took a deep breath and made a call that changed her life.
The teenage dancer from Campbelltown had just watched students from Newtown’s School of Performing Arts at the annual Schools Spectacular. She was blown away.
“I called the school and I asked to audition,” she says. “I was scared. But, hey, it paid off.”
She was accepted and began taking her first steps towards an international contemporary dance career.
You can bet on Newtown performing in the HSC
Newtown High School of the Performing Arts student Frederique Lawrence exceeded her expectations in the HSC, achieving a Band 6 in all but one subject and being recognised on the All Rounder and Distinguished Achievers lists. Her reward? She owes her dad $30 after he bet she would get a higher result than she was expecting.
“It’s not fair,” she laughed. “I was going to declare the bet (null and void) but we take bets very seriously in our household.”
The school in Sydney’s inner west, which has a performing arts selective stream and local catchment, has continued its upward trajectory in the HSC results this year. And while it remains a performing arts powerhouse, it has also achieved significant rises in science, maths and English to become one of the top comprehensive schools in NSW.
Principal Dr Susan Green celebrated her school’s success today with Frederique and fellow Distinguished Achievers Alex Wienholt, Amy Forchert, Scarlett Saunders and Lola Merewether.
“Collaboration is in the lifeblood of our culture and we couldn’t succeed unless we collaborated across all the subjects,” Dr Green said.
“Our students are used to performing and that often requires working together and supporting each other so I don't see the school as having that really competitive sense between the students.”
Alex Wienholt achieved an ATAR of 99.35, with his strongest results in maths and physics. It was an incredible turnaround for the local catchment student, who said his teachers lifted him up after a “rebellious” period in his earlier high school years.
“My maths teacher Miss (Vicki) Stewart seemed to care about not just me but all students [regardless of] if we were struggling or top performing.
“She just kept supporting me to continue engaging with maths and loving the content – in her holidays she prepared workbooks for every single topic of the syllabus.”
School captain Amy Forchert is planning a career as an English teacher, turning her back on pathways of medicine and law.
“I know there’s the big thing that when you get a higher-than-expected ATAR you feel the pressure to make use of it, but I don’t see it that way – I want to follow my passion,” Amy said.
“I love my teachers and I love the experience of sharing knowledge and seeing people get stuff and expand on their knowledge – I just think it’s such a beautiful thing and a gift to have.”
