Humanities Week: MindCraft

Humanities Week: MindCraft

28 August to 1 September

 

There has been some intense brainstorming in the Humanities staffroom lately as we decided “Humanities Week” wasn’t the catchy title we needed to celebrate a week of everything Humanities. The brains trust eventually settled on “MindCraft” as a fitting name for our week (yes, we like puns). 

 

In Humanities we look at the human character and what we can learn from human interactions of the past, how we interact with the environment, and the insightfulness of the works we create. In doing so, we see God’s plan and the eternal truths as revealed in the Bible. We see a world caught in sin. We see the historical Jesus becoming human for our sake and taking the punishment we deserve. And so a celebration of the Humanities is a celebration of God.

 

MindCraft Week is coming to Southern Christian College in Week 6 of this term (28 August to 1 September), and will include a variety of educational, inspiring, and enriching events. Student involvement will be key with a range of competitions open to Grades 7-12, such as:

  • A creative writing competition, with a prize for each grade
  • A creative arts competition, where students are encouraged to create a work of art based on a book, with a prize for each grade
  • A cupcake competition, where students are encouraged to create a cupcake based on a book, with a prize for each grade

Please see the relevant posters for more details:

As for events, we have two candidates currently embarking on their election campaigns for Principal for a Day. Our candidates this year are Jeremiah Ambrose and Jenna Aschmann. This election process will give students a taste of the political process and how our government works, but with a Southern twist. We want to see students arguing well, with empathy for their opponents and striving to reflect God in how they interact. 

 

Similarly, we have a Year 10 debate. In SOSE, they have been looking at the proposals for The Indigenous Voice to Parliament. This is a contemporary topic and one that has the potential to be quite divisive. Instead of shying away from what might be seen as difficult conflict, we are teaching our students to build bridges rather than allowing differences to divide them. We are looking at how compassion and an outward focus can actually allow their opinions to be heard. Ultimately, we want our students to stand out in the way they engage with others because they have a God who cares so much for them, that even in our sinful nature when we had turned away from God, he rescued us through the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. 

 

Book Week has been incorporated into MindCraft Week with a Book Week Parade for Secondaries in our Week 6 Assembly. We remind students (and parents, because we know you’re the ones who run around making the costumes happen) that students’ English teachers must approve their costume choice prior to Week 6. Participating students will also be changing into PE uniforms after the Book Week Assembly.

 

We also have our annual Day of Notables, where Grade 8 students dress-up in character and run a stall based on an historical personality from Medieval Europe or The Reformation. This is part of their SOSE assessment and is a fun way to bring History to life.

 

We’re looking forward to celebrating the Humanities with the students! 

 

Mr Shayne Hull

Head of Humanities Faculty