Senior School

Speed X

After a two year hiatus, we were finally able to host our annual Speed X event in June in partnership with Manningham Council.

Speed X is an event where students from local schools have the opportunity to sit and talk to employers about their industries, their career pathways and to ask questions. In a series of ‘speed rounds’, students have six minutes before the bell rings and they move onto the next table.

It was great to see such a big range of employers from around the community, and we are so thankful to them for dedicating their time to talk one on one to students.

Lisa Chiuchiarelli

Positive Climate and Community Engagement Leader

Mental Health Presentation by Headspace

Last Wednesday (3rd August), the Year 11 cohort gathered in the senior centre to hear from Headspace, a leading Australian organisation that supports young people at important stages in their life to understand and manage their mental health. We had the opportunity to listen from young people from headspace that reflected on their lived experiences in their mental health journey and received tips from them about some ways that we can manage stress while being a student with increasing demands. 

During the presentation, students were invited to reflect and consider what stress means to them and discuss with their friends the strategies they use to manage their self-care and take care of their own wellbeing. Self-care strategies that came up included engaging in hobbies and games, social times with friends, sports activities, and maintaining relationships with friends and family, even starting a night time beauty regime was one that was shared with us by the presenters! 

The discussion and presentation was an invitation for students to learn more intentionally about the concept of mental health and being proactive in looking after their wellbeing. It gave students the opportunity to explore what self-care means to them, help them understand what strategies they can use to manage stress and feel more comfortable and confident to know they can reach out to get support and talk to someone about their mental health when they need to.  

Written by Wellbeing Placement Student - Gemma Macri 

VCE Science Excursion

On the 22th of July, the Year 12 Biology classes were given the opportunity to visit the University of Melbourne to conduct experiments on evolution and individuals’ immunity against Influenza. Students were guided by professional lab assistants throughout the procedure while having a chance to use advanced and modern equipment to ensure they obtained accurate results. Before the excursion, students were expected to arrive and depart from the university by themselves, providing them with the opportunity to demonstrate initiative and independence. 

For the first experiment, students were able to learn about the evolution of Drosophila melanogaster, a species of fly that are frequently studied in biological experiments. Students were instructed to anesthetise flies and separate them according to their phenotypes (appearance) in different generations, which derived from certain mutations over time. This experiment allowed students to directly observe patterns of evolution in a species, in this case the wings of flies, in response to natural selection pressures.

The second experiment involved students conducting the ELISA test around the Influenza virus, where students were able to determine the presence of antibodies against the virus in various individuals. Through this experiment, students learned how to utilise apparatus such as a micropipette, which was used in transporting various liquids in microlitres. The experiment demonstrated the impact vaccinations and previous exposure to a virus can have on the concentration of antibodies in the immune system. These observations allowed students to gain a further understanding on how individuals’ immune systems combat against various viruses.

After conducting both experiments at the university, students and teachers had lunch at a nearby café at a cancer centre, enabling students to build a stronger connection with each other outside of a classroom setting. Overall, the excursion to the University of Melbourne was a unique experience that students found both educational and enjoyable.

Written by Scout Parker & Jenny Le, Year 11