Humanities News

Term 2 has seen a lot happening in the Humanities Department.  As part of their studies in Geography, students are required to undertake fieldwork.  Students in Years 12, 10 and 9 have visited a number of different locations with the data being used for assessment.   

In Week 2, the Year 12 class, visited the Hinze Dam area of the Numinbah Valley to consider the issue of land cover change with the aim of improving the environmental sustainability of the area.  In Week 3, the Year 9 visited Brisbane City to consider the functionality of King George Square and its use as a public space.  Also taking place in Week 3, the Year 10 class investigated different environmental challenges the Sandgate Foreshore is experiencing as a result of climate change.

Special thanks must go to all staff involved, Ms Kathryn Badini, Ms Catie Kidd and Ms Claire Fitzpatrick in the preparation of these field trips as well as the boys themselves.  From all reports, they found the days extremely worthwhile and a valuable learning experience.

Year 12 Geography – Numinbah Valley

written by Michael Coleman (Year 12 Geography)

On Tuesday of Week 2, the Year 12 Geography class, combined with the Year 12 class from MSM ventured into the party centre of Numinbah Valley, for a day of intense data collection. Led by Ben “The Bird” from the Numinbah Valley Education Centre, we gathered data for our Field Report focusing on managing the invasion of Lantana along the banks of the Hinze Dam. We kayaked, bush-walked and fought off lantana-infested eucalyptus forest all day to collect data using professional methods. We will be using data from the exclusion in our IA2 reports to solve the growing issue of invasive species in Australia. Furthermore, we will also be transforming this data using Google Earth, Excel, and Queensland Globe. Overall, this was both a fun and informative day for all involved.

Year 10 Geography – Sandgate Foreshore

written by Tristan Jeffrey and Jackson Williams (Year 10 Geography)

On Wednesday 4 May, Miss Fitzpatrick’s Year 10 Geography class went on an interesting and fun field trip to the Sandgate Foreshore to explore the ways climate change and sea-level rise will impact the community and area in the future. Data was collected throughout the day by drawing field sketches, surveying people about their concerns, completing land use surveys and taking dumpy levels readings on the nearby avenues to observe the risks and capability of the area to withstand a sea-level rise in the future. Students also made annotated sketches of nearby houses and the foreshore to get a broader and more observant view of the area. We will use the data back at school to write a field report as part of our assessment for the term. 

Year 9 Geography – King George Square and Brisbane City

written by Timothy Bennett (Year 9 Geography) 

On Tuesday 3 March, the Year 9 Geography cohort embarked on an excursion to Brisbane city to study how people use public spaces. Throughout the day, our guide Mel from Brisbane Urban Environmental Education Centre showed us how to collect data on the ways in which people use several public spaces in Brisbane such as Post-Office Square, the Queen Street Mall, Burnett Lane and King George Square. She also spoke about the ways in which Brisbane City Council have improved these areas to create public spaces that have both cultural and economic significance to the people of Brisbane. In the afternoon we focused our attention on King George Square and discussed all the positives and negatives of this space, and how it is used as a public space. The purpose of the day is for us to use the data we gathered to complete an assignment that asks us to propose and evaluate ways to improve King George Square. This was a wonderful experience, and we would like to thank Ms Kidd and Mel for the wonderful day they planned for us. It allowed us to fully comprehend how King George Square is used as a public place and will make it easier for us to write our assignment.