Support: Gymnast Jessica De Vita and
(Top) Tennis player Anthony Tuong
Pictures: Michael Perini
With thanks to
1st September 2002
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By Mercedes Florez
They call it the school of dreams where every talent is given its opportunity to shine.
Westfields Sports High in Sydney's west encourages elite sportspeople to combine education
with sporting excellence.
Or as the school's principal, Phil Tucker, says: "Finding our future stars and polishong them".
"Our motto here is to be what ever you want to be, whether that is a doctor or an Olympian." Mr
Tucker said. "We're giving them the opportunity to be the champions of the future. Whether
they'll get there is up to them.
"Our job is th provide them with the opportunity abd ensure that the barriers that might exist
are taken away."
Long jumper John Thornell, 17, gymnast Jessica De Vite, 16, and tennis player
Anthony Tuong 13, are some of the students hoping to make it to the top.
John Thornell arrived at Westfields two years ago. The Miller teenager is now the world
junior long jump champion with a personal best distance within centimetres of
"It's a whole different life here," John said. "Teachers are so supportive of what I am doing.
It's been tough doing the HSC this year but they make it as easy as possible.
"It's absolutely true this school is producing future champions, you just have to look at the
statistics."
Eleven former students, including Leeds winger Harry Kewell, are on professional soccer
contracts in Europe. Twelve former students play in the National Soccer League and eight play
first grade rugby league. Then there are the swimmers, cricketers, basketballers, softballers,
tumblers, water polo players and figure skaters.
Pride: The school badge
But Mr Tucker said achievements were not restricted to the playing fields. In the
past decade the number of students going to university has increased from 25 to 75.
Jessica De Vita has just returned from an international gymnastics meet in China where she came
second in the world on the beam.
"I do a pathways program here which allows me to extend my HSC subjects over three years,
"Jessica said. "I train 34 hours a week so the program allows me to commit to gymnastics without
to give up school work.
"It means I don't have to make a choice between schoolworl and gymnastics. It's hard work but at
Westfields I can do both."
For most of his short life, Anthony Tuong has dreamed of one day playing Wimbledon.
"I've played tennis since I was seven and didn't think I could keep it up at any other school
like I do here." he said.
Mr Tucker refers to the school's innovative sporting program as finding and polishing diamonds.
He conceived the idea of a school of sporting excellence in 1990, and by 1992 Westfields was the
first school of it's type in Australia.
Since then six others sports high schools have been established in NSW and they now exist in
every Australian state.
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