Humanities
There have been three excellent extracurricular programs offered to students from Year 7 through to Year 12 this term in Humanities.
Parliamentarian Visit
On May 2nd we welcomed two Federal Parliamentarians to speak to us about their roles in the Federal Parliament and their local communities. The Honourable Milton Dick, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Member for Nicholls Sam Birrell.
Milton Dick grew up and went to school on the south side of Brisbane and now proudly lives locally in the Federal Division of Oxley. Prior to being elected the Federal Member for Oxley, Milton served as the Brisbane City Councillor from 2008 to 2016 and was elected Leader of the Opposition in 2012.
The Member for Nicholls Sam Birrell. Sam grew up on a property between Murchison and Toolamba, with three sisters. His Mum was a teacher at Shepparton High School and Dad was a lawyer.
Sam stressed to the students that he wants to see all people in the Goulburn Valley achieve great educational and economic opportunities and access pathways into the career of their choice.
The last 20 minutes of the visit were a highlight for the students. Without any prompting prior to the visit the students asked a wide ranging set of excellent questions to both Members.
Maddie Beare asked Sam what he likes to do away from politics. We discovered that Sam has undertaken to visit every AFL and Netball training session in the seat of Nicholls this season and Milton replied that he has visited 100 schools across Australia from Shepparton to the Tiwi Islands and relishes the time at home.
Heemaesh thought that he had Milton stumped on what Standing Orders 92 and 75 were after doing some research the night before. After some thought Milton was able to remember that members cannot ask ‘tediuos questions’ and ‘can be removed from Parliament.’
Lily Anne asked if you could meet any past Prime Minister who would it be. Milton replied ‘Ben Chifley and John Curtin’ and Sam replied ‘Bob Hawke.’ Interestingly both Members also replied ‘Robert Menzies’ and this answer summed up the meaning of the visit being that despite both being from opposite political parties, it was a demonstration of our democracy in action. – Mr Parker
Craig Parker
Humanities Domain Leader
Law Talks
During Victorian Law Week (20 – 26 May), students studying Legal Studies in Year 11 and Year 12 had the opportunity to attend the Regional Law Talks event held right here in Shepparton.
The venue for the morning session was our fantastic Court precinct where we had the opportunity to hear from two Court Registrars about the vital work they do. It’s a really interesting role which gives them authority under the Criminal Procedures Act to ensure the smooth running of our multi-jurisdictional courts as well as enter someone into bail and explain the bail conditions and witnessing affidavits and statutory declarations.
During this time, we were privileged to hear from Judge Chettle about his role as a County Court Judge and how he got to be in his position. Judge Chettle was very generous with his time and inspired many students by his words. Students then heard from the Deputy Juries Commissioner, Laurie Rumbold and had the opportunity to participate in a mock jury empanelment.
The afternoon session was held at SAM and students heard from Nick Gadd from the Victorian Law Reform Commission who explained their role in providing independent advice to the Victorian Government on reforms to the law. This was very relevant as Year 12 students study this topic in Term 3.
We finished the afternoon off by hearing from Andrew Duncan and his colleagues at ARC Justice who spoke about their careers in the justice system. Finally, Kelly Thomas from the Young Workers Centre provided comprehensive insights into rights of young people in the workplace with a focus on casual and part-time work. All in all, an extremely valuable day!
Zarina Fleming
Assistant Principal,
Senior Secondary and Careers
Mock United Nations – Benalla Wednesday 5th June
Students from 9H travelled to Wangaratta High School on Wednesday to participate in a Model United Nations conference. This year's theme was "Modern Slavery: Today's Greatest Threat to Human Rights."
Our students transformed into diplomats, representing various countries and debating the complex issue of modern slavery. They collaborated with students from other schools to draft a Resolution that addressed the issue and could be adopted by a majority of the participating nations.
In preparation for the conference, students utilised their Humanities classes to research their assigned countries and develop position statements. The conference itself involved moderated and unmoderated discussions, allowing students to formally debate the Resolution and its clauses, as well as engage in informal discussions to garner support for amendments.
The experience was a resounding success! Our students displayed exceptional communication and collaboration skills, while effectively representing Greater Shepparton Secondary College. We are incredibly proud of their outstanding achievement!
Tara Warnett
Warrego House Leader 10-12