Secondary
Campion House day
On Thursday 28 March, Campion House celebrated and remembered Edmund Campion, a man of great faith and courage who found forgiveness by loving everyone around him. As an English martyr, Campion was killed because of his religious beliefs. He gave up a promising career and an invitation to enter Queen Elizabeth’s service to become a Catholic priest and minister to the abandoned Catholics. We look to Edmund Campion for inspiration, ultimately working towards fulfilling our House motto ‘faith and courage’.
We also celebrated what it meant to be a member of Campion House. A passionate, lively, talented, caring and generous group of people. Students showed great House spirit by participating in games and activities, such as dodge ball, noodle races and competed against each other down a water slide!
An important part of the day was the sharing of lunch - sharing a meal contributes to stronger relationships and strengthens the bond of a Homeroom and of a House.
A huge thank you to all Campion Staff, Maintenance and Sound team for their assistance on the day.
Ms Carla Tripi
Campion House Coordinator
Youth Leadership Conference
On Tuesday the 19 March, the Year 10 leaders attended the State Youth Leadership Conference. Youth Leadership Australia was formed with the mission of building a positive and sustainable future, through teaching youth of today to be leaders of tomorrow. This conference is designed to inspire, strengthen and empower future leaders. The day involved internationally recognised speakers and team activities which all focused on four key elements; leadership, teamwork, communication and entrepreneurship. The day was extremely inspiring and engaging for all students involved.
Year 12 Biology
Professor Mike Jones from Murdoch University visited the Year 12 Biology students, he presented insights into the history of the genetic modification of foods from the days of Gregor Mendel through to the creation of the food we eat today. Professor Jones spoke about the need for genetically modified crops if we are to feed the ever growing world’s population and he busted the many myths surrounding the Science of GM Foods.
Year 12 Manresa
The Year 12 students returned on Friday from a successful Manresa Retreat. The students survived the hot and humid weather and enjoyed three days of fun, physical activity and reflection. Under the theme, “He Called me by Name”, the students reflected on their life journey so far and considered the important relationships in their lives. I was pleased with the positive attitude and behaviour of the students and in the way they embraced all of the activities with a sense of fun and enthusiasm.
The students were joined by 2016 Faith and Mission Captain, Evelyn Collier, on the Friday to hear her journey since leaving John XXIII College.
I would like to thank all of the staff who attended and congratulate the students on the way in which they embraced Manresa.
National Schools Constitutional Convention
Last week, Year 12 Politics and Law student, Charlie Richards was among 120 Year 11 and 12 students from around Australia who attended the 24th National Schools Constitutional Convention (NSCC), being held at the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House, Canberra. The Convention was supported by all State and territory Ministers and was funded by the Australian Government Department of Education and Training.
As a national delegate, Charlie was selected from over 800 students from government, independent and Catholic schools, most of whom took part in conventions in their home state or territory.
The topic of the 2019 Convention was ‘A new constitutional preamble for Australia?’ This topic provided students with the opportunity to explore the present Constitution and whether a preamble is required.
Decisions made at the Convention were incorporated into a Communiqué and presented to the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Sue Lines, for tabling in Parliament and recorded in Hansard.
The College would like to acknowledge Charlie’s outstanding achievement – and will publish the outcomes of the Convention, including the Communiqué, once they have been made available online.
To present and future politics and law students, who wish to follow in Charlie’s footsteps – applications for the WA State Schools Constitutional Convention will open on 1 July 2019. For further information, please see the Politics and Law noticeboard.
Ms Daisy Farley
Politics & Law
Charlie’s experience at NSCC
I would like to begin by extending my thanks to Miss Farley, for her tireless efforts behind the scenes giving me this amazing opportunity. The National Schools Constitutional Convention has been an incredible opportunity: from the wonderful people I met, the new friendships I made, to the educational experience and the insight into the inner workings of Capital Hill.
The program for the Convention was demanding, however we still had time to engage in rigorous debates and discuss current affairs. Day one involved a visit to the Museum of Australia, where we met with a past United Nations Diplomat and discussed the importance of a strong Constitution – one that clearly defines and limits the powers of the government. We then went on a tour of Parliament House, seeing all the important sights, concluding with a Q&A session with the Speaker of the House of Representatives, The Hon Tony Smith MP, and Australian Labor Party Backbencher, The Hon Dr Andrew Leigh MP.
The following day we went to Old Parliament House where we listened to prominent Civil Rights Activist and Australian National University (ANU) Public Policy Fellow, Professor Kim Rubenstein, who discussed the importance of including a preamble within the Australian Constitution. We then spent the remainder of the day developing ideas and drafting a preamble for consideration by Parliament. This session concluded with a Q&A with Dr Frank Bongiorno, Professor of History at ANU; Dr Andrew Banfield, Head of Politics and International Relations at ANU; and Dr Mark Evans, Director Democracy 2025 and Professor of Governance at the Institute for Governance and Policy Analysis, Canberra. That evening we were invited to an official dinner held at the High Court of Australia and heard a motivational speech from two-time Olympic athlete, Melissa Breen. A truly memorable evening.
The next day began with a meeting with His Excellency Mr Pedro Zwahlen, Ambassador, Embassy of Switzerland; His Excellency Mr Luke Daunivalu, High Commissioner, Fiji High Commission; and Mr P S Karthigeyan, Deputy High Commissioner, High Commission of India. We discussed many issues including the importance of constitutional preamble. I was lucky enough to have a private conversation with Ambassador Zwahlen, in which we discussed Climate Change and Bees – as it turns out, the Ambassador is an avid beekeeper. Following this meeting, we then went on a tour of Old Parliament House and the Museum of Australian Democracy. Our next session was with Ms Megan McCrone, Senior Education Officer for the Australian Electoral Commission, who discussed referendums, and then assisted us in performing our own on whether we should have a new preamble. On a double majority it was passed. We then concluded the Convention with a meeting in the Old House of Representatives, where we presented out findings to the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Sue Lines. It was a highly successful Convention and we were all very sad to leave.
At the airport, we were surprised to find that we were booked on the same flight home as Senator Lines; the Hon David Littleproud, Federal Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources and Stephen Donaghue, Solicitor-General of Australia.
This has been a truly amazing, educational experience that has built upon my knowledge of referendums and political issues in Australia. I would like to once again thank Miss Farley for accepting my application for the WA Convention and subsequently, putting me forward for the National Convention. I would also like to thank the Commonwealth Education Department for funding this event and the Department of the Premier and Cabinet for selecting me as a national delegate. Finally, I must thank the other delegates, especially those from Western Australia, who made this experience unforgettable. I not only walked away with a wealth of knowledge but lifelong friends as well. I would highly recommend this experience to my fellow Politics and Law students.
Charlie Richards
Year 12