Year 7 English High Achievers Visit the State Library of Victoria 

On the 14th of August, the Year 7 English High Achievers class took part in an excursion to the State Library of Victoria in Melbourne. 

One of the highlights of the visit was stepping into the breathtaking La Trobe Reading Room, often referred to as "the Dome." Standing beneath the soaring ceiling, students were awestruck by the architecture and learnt that at the time of its construction, it was one of the world's largest reinforced-concrete domes, serving as a significant engineering milestone and an architectural masterpiece. The Dome offered a powerful glimpse into the history of learning in Victoria. 

A key part of the day was a Research Skills Seminar, led by the library’s education team. Students learned how to access and evaluate reliable sources, and how to navigate the vast digital and physical archives available at the library. These skills are linked to the curriculum and will be invaluable as the students’ research extreme poverty and child labour for their upcoming English CAT and broadly as they move into more independent learning and research in the coming years.  

Students were also introduced to the library’s collection of newspaper archives. With guidance, they explored early editions of The Age and The Herald Sun, connecting real-world events to subjects and topics they have studied in class. This also generated lively discussions about how media has changed over time. 

Here are reflections written by the students who attended the excursion: 

“I had personally found the State Library excursion an enjoyable experience, the areas all had their purpose which was quite interesting. The excursion had taught me about some new things like William Buckley's story. Something I would change is a bit more time in the library to investigate. Overall, it was fun.” Bailie Harrison 

“The state library was super cool to visit and surprisingly larger than I thought. The study spaces were chill and calm but the best bit was improving my skills on finding trusted information and what's not approved or safe.” Makis Makhoul 

Congratulations to all the students who represented our school with such curiosity, maturity, and enthusiasm! The team at the State Library expressed they were most impressed with their level of knowledge and passion for learning.