Born and raised in Tatura, Harry O’Halloran joined GVGS in Year 7 in 2020. He says the welcoming and inclusive environment he stepped into at the School ensured his transition from primary school to high school was as seamless as possible.
“It’s an incredibly supportive school – there’s always someone there to help you when you need it. When I started, it was right at the beginning of the pandemic so it was hard to make friends, but the teachers did everything they could to connect us with each other and help us create a close group of friends,” he recalls. “Thankfully, when I started coming to GVGS in person every in Year 9, after two years of remote learning, I had made some really great friends already and we just tried to get into the swing of things as quickly as we could.”
Over the past four years, Harry has enjoyed and embraced the normalcy of being in the classroom full-time, especially the school camps.
“I loved the camps in Years 9 and 10 – they made my friends and I grow closer and were a great opportunity for team building. Reaching the summit of Mt Stirling during our Year 10 camp and watching the sunrise was incredible. It was challenging at times, but in hindsight, it was such an exciting adventure,” he reflects. “Year 9 camp was my first proper experience spending time in Melbourne. The camp gave me the chance to get comfortable finding my own way around and gave me the confidence to navigate new environments. It helped me and my friends build problem-solving skills, like working out how to get from one place to the next efficiently.”
Alongside his studies, Harry has been heavily involved in sports during his time at GVGS. He has played soccer for the GVGS team and in ICCES competitions.
“We weren’t always the best, but playing soccer was fun,” he says. “It gave me something other than classes to focus on and was a welcome break from studying.”
Gymnastics has been a major part of Harry’s life since he was four. Currently training up to four times a week, Harry balances over 12 hours of training per week along with schoolwork. “I love the adrenaline of it,” he explains. “It’s so rewarding when you achieve a new skill you’ve been working on for ages.”
In 2026, Harry hopes to study a Bachelor of Science at the University of Melbourne and live at St Hilda’s College. “I like Melbourne Uni because my parents went there and I think it’ll give me the education I need. I want to go on to do a Masters of Engineering once I complete my bachelor degree,” he says. “I’m looking forward to meeting new people next year, building friendships and having that college experience while studying something I love.”
Harry also hopes to continue gymnastics while studying in Melbourne.
