Focus On...

Truth Discerners

What is real? What is good? What is worth following? 

Our Year 9 Journey Program begins with a deliberate and timely focus: examining the societal stories that shape the way we think, live, and define success. These stories are often subtle, yet deeply embedded across all sectors of our Western world. 

Through media analysis, historical inquiry, and personal reflection, students are taught to examine these narratives critically. But our aim is not to raise cynics. Our aim is to raise seekers of truth. A Truth Discerner is not simply skeptical—they are hopeful, wise, and deeply grounded in something more enduring than social trends. 

To be a Truth Discerner is to take personal responsibility to question, reflect, and seek alignment with God’s perspective in a world of competing narratives. As the year begins, students are not handed answers—they are invited into inquiry. What does our culture tell us about success, identity, power, or happiness? Who gets to tell these stories—and who is left out? Where are these stories told? These questions prompt students to look closely at the dominant voices in media, advertising, and entertainment, and to consider the values those voices promote. 

For example, why do we feel compelled to strive for success? What are the messages in media, advertising, movies, and songs that shape this desire? And do the lives of celebrities or entrepreneurs, who appear to embody this version of success, confirm that it is a worthy pursuit? 

A key part of being both critical and creative has been to explore counter-narratives—stories that challenge dominant culture by offering alternative visions of what truly matters. For example, what matters more than success? Could it be understanding your place in the world and knowing your purpose, both as an individual and within a community?  

Our deep hope is that students begin to recognise that the stories shaping society are not neutral. They are invitations to live a certain kind of life. Our goal is to help students recognise those invitations, pause to think carefully about them, and choose how to respond—not just by going along with what everyone else is doing, but with thoughtfulness and bravery. 

In doing so, they become more than learners—they become Truth Discerners. 

Tim Eddy

Year 9 Coordinator, Deputy Head of Secondary & Secondary Teacher