Leeming’s Active August

Leeming Senior High School celebrated the end of “Active August” with its annual “Straight Six” event. No doubt the cheers could be heard across Perth’s southern suburbs!

The Leeming Straight Six began in 1992, as an event to create awareness of, and interest in, the athletics carnival. Its inspiration came from the 1981 film Chariots of Fire, which shows a pivotal scene where athletes race around the courtyard of Cambridge University. From these stirring origins, grew the beginning of the Leeming Straight Six.

The event is a 60-metre sprint from the office, along the main corridor. Each year group enters three male competitors and three female competitors, with the winners receiving gold, silver or bronze medals at the athletics carnival. The corridor is lined with students and teachers, who cheer for the competitors.

It is a highlight in the Leeming Senior High School calendar both for runners and the cheering students and staff, and it gets everyone excited about the athletics carnival scheduled for Friday the following week. The biggest Straight Six glory is achieving a win every year throughout your high-school journey, which only a few students have accomplished.

This year, the Straight Six came at the end of Active August, a month during which the school promoted being active – physically, socially, mentally, spiritually and culturally.

Activities, mostly led by student councillors and captains, ran every Friday in August and included leader ball, tug of war, silent ball, dodge ball, spaghetti and penne challenge, cup races and a concert.

All activities were geared towards reminding students that being active can take many shapes and forms, and that it is fundamental for our wellbeing to keep a good balance in our lives.