Senior School

Year 11 Psychology Excursion

As part of the Year 11 Psychology course, our students explore the topic of visual perception, part of which, focuses on visual illusions.  Visual illusions are created when we misinterpret the reality of the stimulus we are looking at; ArtVo was the perfect excursion for students to experience this phenomenon first hand, in a fun and interactive way! 

Ms Tanya Vajda 

Learning Leader Health Science

Year 12 Theatre Performance: Oedipus Rex

This term, the Year 12s have been studying the play 'Oedipus the King' in English and were fortunate enough to see a live performance on Thursday, 22 August.  As the play was written to be performed, it was really valuable to see the different characters that we have studied come to life and enacted in person.  The performance was compelling, emotional and at times funny; the characters' passion and intensity keeping us engaged and immersed in the ancient Greek myth.  

After the play, we workshopped specific themes and characters, and the actors were able to change the meaning and interpretation of different scenes based on how they portrayed their own characters.  We discussed the main themes and ideas of the play and how we could use these in an essay, bringing these thoughts back into the classroom for our current studies.  Overall it was an incredibly rewarding experience and has significantly enhanced the meaning of the play, and our interest and enjoyment in studying the tragic story of Oedipus. 

 Olivia Moffat (12 Silver) and Ada Ryan (12 Green)

Frayne Speech Festival: A Triumph of Talent and Passion

We are thrilled to share the outstanding achievements of our students at the recent Frayne Speech Festival, where they competed alongside students from other Mercy schools.  This annual event celebrates the power of words and the art of persuasion, and our students represented the Academy with aplomb.  

While our debate team - made up of the talented Aisha Binnie, Florencia Herrera, Alice Portz and Harper Smith - put forth a strong effort, they unfortunately missed out on the finals.  As for the public speaking competition, Audrey Callanan delivered a captivating speech on "The Power of Stories", impressing the judges with her eloquence and insight, and ultimately securing first place!  Christina Camilleri also shone brightly with her compelling speech on "The Humanities are more important than ever", earning her a well-deserved second place.  Both students also participated in the impromptu speech segment, where they were given just seven minutes to prepare and deliver a speech on an unseen topic.  Their quick thinking and ability to articulate their thoughts under pressure were nothing short of remarkable.  We couldn't be prouder of Audrey and Christina for their hard work, dedication, and the grace with which they represented our school.  Their achievements are a testament to their talent and the support of our school community.

Mr Andrew McLeod

Learning Leader English