South Grafton High School has introduced several different and exciting programs, which they swear by, for inspiring and motivating their students. SCUBA Squad: This program has been running for the last 13 years – helping students gain their SCUBA diving qualifications, up to advanced level. Diving trips are organised for them throughout the year and they even made a movie of their last dive with sharks. Over the years students have gained prestigious scholarships with the school even offering a scholarship for students, to gain this qualification for free. Former student and Jacaranda Queen Cerene Lowe even received a pilot movie role based on her SCUBA experience. CHESS Club: South Grafton High run a chess club during lunchtimes where students play each other and staff (including the principal). They have an outdoor board which students have unlimited access to. Students also have T-shirts made up as their uniform which they wear when they go away and play tournaments. The school has also hosted big tournaments for primary school and visiting high schools and they have recently won a big tournament in Coffs Harbour. NERD Camp: This is a fun initiative where the students go away for the weekend and stay in a holiday house in places like Yamba or Mullaway and study all weekend. The schools top mathematicians have their own room in the school, next to the Maths staffroom (so they tutors on tap), which has an urn, hot chocolate, speakers for music, a smart board etc, where the students can hang out and study all day. The school believes that this could be the reason why they have many more students doing the Extension maths courses than the other schools and so many Band 6’s, in Maths. These clever students are payed a lot of attention and have so many privileges and therefore work hard. South Grafton High School also have two musical groups Dunbe’ – an African drumming group who play at festivals as well as Aboriginal Dancers, with both groups taking part in the NSW School Spectacular, in Sydney each year.