It’s been a busy couple of weeks in the Humanities department with students from Year 10-12 engaging in some fantastic hands on learning!

As part of their Operations Management studies, the year 12 Business Management classes went to the Yakult factory in Dandenong, to see how Yakult was made and what strategies were used to make the business as efficient and effective as possible. Students will now use this information as part of their next SAC!

Our year 11 Geography students went to Elwood Canals to learn about flood management and flood mitigation strategies, collecting data and engaging with the SES to learn more about their role in the Port Phillip area.

On Thursday 12th of May, our Geography class went to the Elwood Canals to learn about how flooding is managed in the area and how the risk can be mitigated for future flooding events.

Some of these mitigation techniques include the use of artificial wetlands like Elsternwick Park as well as lakes which act as a basin to collect excess water. At the end of our excursion, we had a volunteer from the SES to tell us about his role in minimising the impact of flooding in the Port Phillip Council area. He has been a volunteer for 34 years! This excursion, including walking through the canal and the talk with the SES member, allowed us to build our knowledge for the upcoming SAC.

Max Smith, Student of Year 11 Geography

Finally, our Year 10 cohort had an incursion with the proactive policing unit from Moorabbin Police Station. This visit complimented the Youth and the Law topic our students have been engaging with in their Civics and Citizenship Studies.

Last week on Wednesday the 4th, police from the Moorabbin district came for an incursion to discuss and educate to the year 10’s about a variety of dangers teenagers may do or come face to face with, such as the use of drugs such as vapes, smoking and alcohol. They went over the many dangers and threats one may face and how to handle them and how to ask or get help if they feel unsafe. The officers even gave a peak into what their job entails and the different groups and jobs that come to being in the police force. We were happy to have the Moorabbin police officers educate and inform our class.

Mika Derby, Year 10 Student

Many thanks to the hard working and dedicated Humanities staff for organising these valuable and memorable learning experiences for our students

Victorian Schools Parliamentary Convention

A big congratulations to Sarah L, Patrick S, Anastasia Z and Harleen P on their participation in the Victorian Schools Parliamentary Convention where they did an outstanding job representing Brighton Secondary College and the views of their peers at The Parliament of Victoria.

Our team of year 9 and 10 students represented and debated their views on whether Victoria should retain judge alone trials post COVID. Anastasia made a speech in the Legislative Assembly and each of them spoke on the "soap box" after being addressed by legal experts. They prepared for the day both in their own time and during lunch times and held their own amongst representatives from all school sectors.

A big thanks to Anna Andreou for accompanying them on the day!

The Secondary Schools Parliamentary Convention was an incredible experience, where we got to visit parliament house and discuss the topic of whether or not the Victorian Government should retain judge-alone trials for indictable offences post COVID-19. Throughout the day, we participated in many different activities that gave us a glimpse of the process of passing a bill in parliament. We got a chance to speak in the legislative assembly and heard from other students from different schools across the state. We also heard from The Hon James Merlino, Minister for Education, and David Hodgett MP, Shadow Minister for Education, as well as listened to key-note speakers and experts in their field (including a law professor from Monash University and a Queen’s Counsel barrister), who gave us more insight into juries and the way our legal system is run. We observed and acted out a mock jury selection process and participated in group discussions before coming to a conclusion (through a division vote) as to whether the bill should be passed. Overall, it was an amazing opportunity, and we highly recommend everyone to participate if they get the chance!

- Anastasia Z, Harleen P, Patrick S and Sarah L

Paula Howard

Key Learning Area Leader- The Humanities

CHEMISTRY