Photo: Joint Secondary Video Winner, Joseph Chahine from Parramatta Marist High
Over 125 students from 10 Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese (CSPD) schools have been recognised for their empathy and powerful storytelling as part of the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Australia Refugee Week Creative Competition.
Held as part of Refugee Week under the 2026 theme, ‘A Million Stories’, the competition invited students to respond creatively through artwork, writing or video, sharing messages of hope and belonging for refugees and people seeking asylum.
JRS Schools and Community Engagement Officer, Kristen Lazarus, said this year’s entries were inspiring.
“We were incredibly inspired by the nearly 150 entries we received from students across Australia, each one reflecting thoughtful messages of belonging, hope, and the richness of a multicultural Australia,” said Kristen.
Photo: Primary Artwork Winner, Maria Gerges from St Patrick’s Primary Guildford
CSPD students made an outstanding contribution to the competition, their moving submissions reflecting the compassion and social justice values nurtured through Catholic education.
“We were delighted to welcome so many CSPD students and their families to our Refugee Week exhibition…a wonderful celebration of art, storytelling and community. Their creativity demonstrates how young people can help build a more welcoming and inclusive community through the stories they choose to tell,” JRS’s Kristen Lazarus said.
An impressive 14 of the 19 shortlisted works were created by CSPD students.
Among the award recipients were:
Primary School Artwork
Maria Gerges (St Patrick's Primary Guildford) - First Place
Tala Haddad (St Patrick's Primary Guildford) - Second Place
Arianna (St Mary's Primary Rydalmere) - Third Place
Ethan (St Mary's Primary Rydalmere) - Highly Commended
Rose (St Mary's Primary Rydalmere) - Highly Commended
Elina (St Mary's Primary Rydalmere) - Highly Commended
Secondary School Artwork
Bianca Mekdess (Cerdon College Merrylands) - Second Place
Kashish Bafna (Catherine McAuley Westmead) - Highly Commended
Secondary School Video
Benjamin Kalouche and Joseph Chahine (Parramatta Marist High) - First Place
Secondary School Written Work
Evanshka Jeyasotharan (Catherine McAuley Westmead) - First Place
Maryam Yamayan (Caroline Chisholm College Glenmore Park) - Second Place
Alexander Tran (Parramatta Marist High) - Third Place
Alphen Albert (Parramatta Marist High) - Highly Commended
Jared Caucan (St Patrick's Primary Parramatta) - Second Place
Photo: Third Place Primary Artwork by Arianna from St Mary's Primary Rydalmere
Photo: Second Place Primary Artwork by Tala Haddad from St Patrick's Primary Guildford
The shortlisted students and their families were invited to attend a Refugee Leadership Exhibition hosted by JRS Australia in Surry Hills on Friday 26 June, where their work was showcased alongside moving stories and creative pieces highlighting the experiences and resilience of refugees and people seeking asylum.
Many of the student artists, writers and filmmakers also shared personal reflections about their work, with some drawing on their own family migration and refugee experiences to create deeply meaningful entries.
The competition provided students with a valuable opportunity to engage with the stories of others, reflect on the importance of welcome and inclusion and use their creativity to advocate for compassion and justice.
Photo: JRS’s Kristen Lazarus (centre) with award recipients Kashish (L) and Evanshka (R)
Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
www.parra.catholic.edu.au
-
19 Aug 2026
From Facebook
🤝 IS YOUR CHILD NAVIGATING FRIENDSHIP CHANGES? From conflict and exclusion to social pressure and bullying, friendships can be complicated as children grow. Join respected parenting author Michelle Mitchell for Friendship Smart, a practical session designed to give parents and carers strategies to help children navigate friendship changes, set healthy boundaries and build positive relationships. 📅 Monday, 31 August 2026 ⏰ 7:00pm - 8:30pm 📍 Nagle College, Blacktown 🎟 Free for CSPD parents and carers 👉 Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdKS5r8V_gowJSuSoGe_3QhohiuZ14PX5SWT4YVXcgiqHdp3g/viewform Family Partnership Council - FPC Michelle Mitchell - Parenting Educator, Author, Speaker
More News
21 Aug 2026
From Facebook
20 Aug 2026
Six Habits That Help Children Develop a Love of Reading
Book Week is a celebration of stories, imagination and creativity, but helping children love reading isn't just something that happens during one week of the year. The good news? It doesn't take expensive resources or hours of extra time. Often, it's the small, everyday habits that make the biggest difference.
19 Aug 2026
From Facebook
🤝 IS YOUR CHILD NAVIGATING FRIENDSHIP CHANGES? From conflict and exclusion to social pressure and bullying, friendships can be complicated as children grow. Join respected parenting author Michelle Mitchell for Friendship Smart, a practical session designed to give parents and carers strategies to help children navigate friendship changes, set healthy boundaries and build positive relationships. 📅 Monday, 31 August 2026 ⏰ 7:00pm - 8:30pm 📍 Nagle College, Blacktown 🎟 Free for CSPD parents and carers 👉 Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdKS5r8V_gowJSuSoGe_3QhohiuZ14PX5SWT4YVXcgiqHdp3g/viewform Family Partnership Council - FPC Michelle Mitchell - Parenting Educator, Author, Speaker
17 Aug 2026
From Facebook
You’re invited to join us in thanking and farewelling Mrs Michelle Brett 🩷✨ Join us for Mass followed by morning tea to recognise Mrs Brett’s enormous contribution to our St Paul the Apostle Community. When: Friday 28 August, 10am Where: Parish Church We hope to see you there.
12 Aug 2026
From Facebook
12 Aug 2026
From Facebook
12 Aug 2026
From Facebook
The year 5’s had a bit of a change of scenery for their English lesson today. After spending their writing lesson taking note of what they saw, smelt, felt and heard on our beautiful back paddock. They spent their 15 minutes of reading soaking up some well needed sun ☀️☀️
10 Aug 2026
From Facebook
Last week, we celebrated the strength, culture and identity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. Our school community came together to celebrate Indigenous culture through a range of engaging activities and meaningful learning experiences. A special thank you to our Indigenous students who shared what makes them proud of their culture. We would also like to extend our gratitude to Alicia from Jarara for presenting a beautiful handmade snake mosaic to our school community. 💛🖤❤️
08 Aug 2026
From Facebook
You’re invited: Mrs Liz Sargent’s Farewell Celebrations. Please join us as we give thanks for the many ways Liz has blessed the St. Paul the Apostle community through her faith, joy, leadership and loving service. Full details of the Farewell Mass and morning tea are included in the attached invitation.
08 Aug 2026
From Facebook
You know you're an exceptional educator when you're recognised in Parliament. Mrs Sargent, thank you for the incredible impact you've had on so many students, families and colleagues. You'll be missed more than you'll ever know.
07 Aug 2026
From Facebook
Congratulations to all of our amazing athletes who were presented with their ribbons and trophies at Wednesday morning's assembly! 🏅👏 Your hard work, skill and sportsmanship have made our school community incredibly proud. Well done to every student on your fantastic achievements!
07 Aug 2026
From Facebook
Well done to the year 5’s who led us in a special Saint Mary MacKillop prayer on the eve of her feast day tomorrow. They read beautifully 🙏🏾
05 Aug 2026
From Facebook
Today Mrs Henebery continued our High Potential and Gifted Enrichment Numeracy Program, providing students with greater extension and challenge through the depth, breadth and pace of instruction. This week’s learning focused on authentic financial planning, where students used Google Sheets to investigate budgeting, apply spreadsheet formulas and make informed financial decisions. Through this rich mathematical investigation, students strengthened their problem-solving, reasoning, communication and digital literacy skills while applying mathematics in a real-world context. We are so proud of the students’ enthusiasm, perseverance and willingness to embrace challenge. It was wonderful to see them collaborating, thinking critically and confidently explaining the mathematical strategies they used to solve complex problems.
02 Aug 2026
From Facebook
A massive congratulations to our two phenomenal debate teams last Friday, for their brilliant arguments and sharp rebuttals on the heavy-hitting topic: ‘Success is more important than happiness’.