HUMANITIES

VCE LEGAL STUDIES INCURSION

Guest speaker: Kristen Ayres (Legal Aid Lawyer) 

On a dark and stormy Friday afternoon in the McKinnon Secondary College Hall, there was a shining light for the elite legal studies students. The Year 11s and 12s were lucky enough to have highly esteemed Victoria legal aid lawyer Kristen “Lady Justice” Ayres (Annie’s mum) as a guest speaker. Ms Ayres spoke to the students about how she became a lawyer, how she got into Victoria Legal Aid and what her day to day activities are. She also told some interesting stories from throughout her illustrious career, which left us mind blown and lost for words. Ms Ayres’ visit was a helpful and informative one, discussing many of the issues that students are studying at this very moment.

Ms Ayres’ breathtaking knowledge of the legal system deeply inspired many of us students to follow our dreams and pursue a career in the law. Star students Jeremy “Judicial” Zivin and Liam “Legislative” Taffe stayed back to gain some extra knowledge from our favourite legal aid lawyer. Posing questions to her on the Jury system, eagerly listening in on her point of views on key principles of the Australian justice system.

We would like to thank Kristen “Lady Justice” Ayres for spending her time with the legal eagles and teaching us what life is like as a lawyer as well as providing us with a vast array of confectionery, including Mars Bars, Milkos, Twixs and various other delectable treats. YUMMY! We would also like to thank Mrs D’Ambrosio for facilitating such a meaningful and insightful session.

Respectfully, sincerely and yours truly, 

Liam Taffe and Jeremy Zivin (Year 12 Legal Students)

MAGISTRATES’ COURT REFLECTION

On Monday 19 August, our Year 11 Legal Studies class went to the Magistrates’ Court where we were privy to how our legal system operates- focusing on court procedures in the courts and the role of court personnel. We observed a range of cases, including people charged with shoplifting, assault/violence and traffic offences such as driving without a license and no car registration. This was an amazing learning experience for myself and other Year 10 students doing VCE Legal Studies.

When we got to the court, we had to go through security and be checked by guards to make sure that we didn’t have anything dangerous in our possession.

After that we went straight into the courtrooms on Level 3. We were allocated to smaller groups where each group observed a different courtroom.

In the courtroom that I visited, we saw about four to five different cases. The first case that we saw was about a single mother of four who shoplifted two items from Kmart. She also had some charges for driving without a license and without registration.

This learning experience gave me an insight into how the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court works. 

Bridget Soteriou

Year 10 Student

EUREKA TOWER

From Monday 5 August to Friday 9 August, Ms Lucarelli, Mr Verlin, Mr Blackwood, Mr Evans and all four of the Unit 1/2 Business students went to the Eureka Tower.

The trip was for our classes to explore the marketing and promotional strategies being used at the Eureka Skydeck. We started the experience with a lesson on the ground floor of the tower where we learnt facts about this tall building.

We then enthusiastically completed a brief activity on the marketing of the Eureka Skydeck, after which we proceeded up the elevators to the 88th floor. While we were up there, we completed a task where we observed clientele, recording the different demographics of the people that were there. 

Overall, the Eureka Skydeck Excursion was an amazing experience for all and we highly recommend future Year 10 and 11 students to consider studying Business Management in VCE.

Aleksandra Petrovska and April Brake

Year 11 Students

AUSTRALIAN HISTORY COMPETITION

On Wednesday 5 June, twenty-two students across Years 7-10 participated in the Australian History Competition. The competition is run to heighten awareness of the great subject of History and for students to consolidate their skills. McKinnon students did very well across all areas of the competition and I applaud their efforts. Certificates have been sent out to the school and will be given out at year level assemblies. 

At Year 7:

Rayyaan Khaleel, Suen Kee and Verlyn Teo all received a Credit level with their results being above the National Mean.

At Year 8:

There were seven students who entered with the group once again being the National Mean.

Ryan Ferry received a High Distinction and Cameron Lai a Distinction. Katelyn Tea and Zoe Taffe received Credits. Luka Magee and Aditya Sharma received Merits with Jessica Wielunski a Participation. 

At Year 9:

There were five students who entered with the school mean being above the National Mean.

Matthew Lusted received a High Distinction for his efforts. Alyssa Nikolakopoulos, Liana Kelemen and Anastasia Livanos all received Credits with Isabelle Sheldrake-Brown a Participation.

At Year 10:

There were four students who entered with the school mean once again being above the National Mean. Aaron Coelho-Irani, Sarah Hatigan and Michelle Gu all received a Credit. Oscar Lanigan received a Participation.

Jonathan Jhoomun

Supervising Teacher