Year 10 News

Job Search Afternoon

As part of our Careers Program, on Wednesday 26 October, Year 10 students were given the opportunity to further understand and prepare ourselves for future jobs through our Job Search Afternoon. 

Throughout the afternoon, we enjoyed the opportunity to dress up in formal office attire, as we continued to think about future career aspirations. My group started the event off with a trip to the Dining Room, where we had a conversation with Mr Eddy and Mrs Bruce about deciding on a future career path, with a memorable take-away being that who we are is more important than what we do. A highlight was the donut bites Mrs Doblin provided for us!

Next, we headed off to the BPAC and undertook a mock group interview, led by Pastor Matt. It was helpful to learn more about what group interviewers are looking for, and to remind ourselves that it is important to make an impression, but not too much of an impression! Finally, we (a little nervously) waited in the BPAC foyer before experiencing a mock individual interview, led by some very accomplished Oxley staff and parents. They put us at ease, and it became a great opportunity to receive some feedback, which will become very helpful as we properly search for jobs in our future. 

A big thank you to all those involved with putting on this informative afternoon for us!

Jessica Graham (10.4)

Year 10 History Meets Carl Wilkens

In Year 10, students can choose to study History 2: Extreme Events, an elective which takes a deeper look at some of the more extreme recent historical events. This term, we have been studying the Rwandan Genocide of 1994, in which an estimated one million people were killed in a hundred days, while the world watched on and did nothing to intervene. While most westerners were evacuated from Rwanda, a single American, Carl Wilkens, elected to stay to do what he could to help his friends and others under his care. As the director of ADRA, an Adventist aid organisation, Carl was instrumental in saving the lives of hundreds of Rwandan orphans from the massacres which tore the country apart. Each year, we are privileged to speak with Carl Wilkens about his experiences, and what we can learn from them to make our current world a better place. We recently conducted interviews with Carl in MS Teams. Here are some reflections from our Humanities Co-Captains: 

On Friday 14 October we were extremely privileged to be able to talk to Carl Wilkens. We were able to learn firsthand from him of the challenges faced by survivors and how he dealt with his experiences and the obstacles he faced at the time (and afterwards). He talked about what he did, how the genocide played out and, what the genocide did to Rwanda as a society. Unlike other History topics, we were able to learn from firsthand accounts of the event. We were able to gain a further understanding of the genocide and the relationships between peoples, and how complex the situation(s) were – something that we would never have been able to gain without this incredible experience we were blessed with! Atlanta Schaeche (10.4)

Listening to Carl's speech provided a real eye-opener on the harsh mental realities that this experience caused him to face. He opened up about the PTSD and anger he experienced, which showed how these feelings don't simply disappear even years afterward; the lasting effects of genocide will never completely disappear no matter how hard you believe that they might. Overall, listening to Carl's speech showed me an entirely new perspective on genocide than I had thought about before. Aimee Whiting-Le Cras (10.18)

If you would like to find out more about Carl Wilkens and his work, you can visit his website at www.worldoutsidemyshoes.org

Year 9 students with an interest in History will be interested to hear that in Year 10, two History courses are offered: History 1: The Twentieth Century; and History 2: Extreme Events. Please contact Miss Haley or Miss Jones if you would like more information.

Melanie Haley and Clare Jones

Year 10 History Teachers

Humanities Co-Captain Attends The Convention

This year the National Curriculum Services invited Year 7 - 10 students from around Australia to apply to attend The Convention, a Civics and Citizenship pilot program. It aims to increase young Australians’ knowledge of the Australian Constitution and the role it plays in our democracy. The one-day program was run from a virtual central hub in Canberra, with groups of students from all states and territories joining virtually from centres around the country. Just 25 students from each state were selected, one of whom was our Humanities Co-Captain, Atlanta Schaeche (10.4). 

Reflecting on this experience, Atlanta had this to say:

I was incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to attend the 2022 pilot Civics and Citizenships convention at the Windsor Hotel. 

To get in I had to apply and answer my point of view on the question ‘Should Australia have compulsory voting?’ and found out a while later that I had been accepted! The conference was held in the city and was centred around political ideas, considering different opinions, current standpoints as well as Australia's political history. 

With different hubs based all around Australia, the convention was presented from Canberra, and every group was given the opportunity to represent their State and give their opinions on the issue. Overall, I found it to be an interesting experience and I would definitely recommend others trying out for it, as it gave greater insight into our current, past and what our future political government looks like!

I congratulate Atlanta on her participation in this exciting event, as well as her excellent service to the College in her role as Humanities Co-Captain in 2022, together with Aimee Whiting-Le Cras. Thanks also to Miss Melanie Haley, one of our terrific History teachers, who accompanied Atlanta on the day. 

Each year there are many exciting and interesting extra-curricular opportunities available to Humanities and Commerce students, including seminars, competitions and other events. Oxley has a long record of successful involvement in such opportunities, and we look forward to supporting more students who would like to extend their experience and learning in 2023.

Stephen White

Head of Humanities & Commerce