This year Pinjarra Senior High School (PSHS) assembled 84 students across seven teams to compete at the WA School Sport's Country Week Carnival.
Country Week is a much-loved event on the calendar for country schools throughout WA, involving six months of preparation, for what is the largest event of its kind in Australia.
Boys and girls AFL teams were fielded along with basketball, netball, volleyball and dance, with the school placing fourth overall in the second tier of competition.
The AFL boys played off in the A-grade grand final against Manea College after defeating Albany Senior High School, Great Southern Grammar School and Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School in the pool matches.
Having won the A-grade championship for the past two years, the girls' AFL team had high expectations and finished a respectable third at this year's event after suffering numerous injuries.
Basketball boys and girls teams battled hard all week and improved dramatically throughout the pool matches to finish fifth and sixth respectively.
Likewise the boys volleyball team participated in some enthralling games and close finishes to come sixth in their pool, a position not indicative of the close battles they fought. The netball squad were up for the challenge of the B-grade competition and competed well to also finish sixth.
Returning to the Country Week team in 2019 was the dance troupe, who participated in numerous workshops including Strength and Stretch, Indigenous Contemporary and the Ukrainian Hossack, placing eighth in their pool.
Another highlight of PSHS's participation in Country Week occurred away from the sporting arena. Year 12 student and female Country Week captain Brooke Bugeja performed the national anthem at both the opening and closing ceremonies, in front of about 3500 people.
"It was an awesome experience performing both years now at Country Week," she said. "Nothing can explain the feeling I get when everyone cheers and all the horns are going off at the opening ceremony".
The school acknowledges the generous support provided by the Pinjarra community.
Adrian Toh is from Pinjarra Senior High School.
