Department News

English

“A poet dares be just so clear and no clearer... He unzips the veil from beauty, but does not remove it. A poet utterly clear is a trifle glaring.” 

— E. B. White, from One Man's Meat. 

Poetry can change the way people view the world, inspire others, and mend the bonds between people to create harmony with one another. However, poetry, to many, can be considered a dying art in a world filled with technology and more advanced ways of conveying messages of art and beauty.

Poetry is a beautiful form of expression. No other type of literature creates such a plethora of feelings and emotions as the abstraction of poetry. The earliest poetry is believed to have surfaced with the “Epic of Gilgamesh” some time during 2000 B.C., but it is likely that poetry existed even before the spread of literacy. Different types of poetry have trended during different eras and undergone transformations. From sonnets to rap lyrics, the core purpose of poetry remains the same — to explore the human condition and invoke emotion through words. Poetry resonates with the existential dilemmas of mankind, exhuming ideas from deep within. (National Today - World Poetry Day)

Term 1 in the English Faculty saw the teachers and students explore and celebrate the beauty of poetry. Year 10 immersed in the unit of work, War Poetry, with Wilfred Owen becoming their companion for the term. Wilfred Owen articulated himself, ‘Above all, I am not concerned with poetry,’ which seems to contradict the above argument about the importance of poetry. But he goes on to clarify, ‘My subject is War, and the pity of war. The poetry is in pity.’ In Year 10, embarking on a close study, we honoured the literature, not the examination. The thrill of a personal, authentic consideration of text has little substitution and no parallel. We gifted our students the pleasure of textual immersion.

To continue our celebration of poetry and honour Owen’s thematic concerns, we welcomed what has become a regular production at Brigidine College - Poetry in Action. This captivating show reverberated with passion, anger, humour, and heartbreak. The Words of War performance followed the life and works of Owen and the influences that led him to become one of the most striking and brilliant voices of his era. This dynamic show took Year 10 through the horror, heroism, and hopelessness of conflict by examining people’s attitudes to war and how, through his poetry, Owen profoundly captured the experience and pity of war. This enabled the girls to come to a better understanding of war today.

We can’t forget about our younger audience in Year 9 who also enjoyed the thrilling performance of the Poetry in Action's Power of poetry fitting beautifully into the unit of work in English - Roads Less Travelled.

An irreverent and wildly entertaining show, The Power of Poetry introduces students to poetry that contains some large ideas and lots of heart. The show follows a fractured attempt by the PIA troupe to present a show with their star actor, Candice, missing in action. Will they still be able to convey the power of poetry with a ring-in actor with no knowledge of poetry? Can they keep the show on track with a secret crush creating tension at every turn? Will they be able to express how poetry can perfectly capture a moment, transform an opinion, and bring about change, when words keep escaping them? We’ll have to wait and see…! (Of course, they can!) The girls in Year 9 were both entertained and inspired.

World Poetry Day is celebrated every year on March 21, honouring a linguistic expression with which people from all cultures can identify. Poetry can be found in the history of every nation and brings us together under shared values and a common humanity. The most basic of poems has the power to stir dialogue. Here at Brigidine, we have certainly reminded the girls across all years of this special day by engaging in fun, creative, and meaningful activities that brought poetry to life. One of my personal favourites is blackout poetry. Blackout poems can be created using the pages of old books or newspapers. Using the pages of an existing text, blackout poets isolate then piece together single words or short phrases from these texts to create lyrical masterpieces. As always, Brigidine girls never disappoint us! We were amazed by their creativity and insightfulness. I have included a few for you to enjoy.

Science

The Science Department is thrilled to report a fantastic beginning to the 2024 academic year. This year, we are pleased to introduce several fresh faces to the Science Department: Zara Kelly, Clara Cosgrove, Tara O’Brien, Randall Magro, and myself. Each of us brings a unique blend of expertise and experience especially considering many of us have recently relocated from Ireland and we are all eager to contribute to the vibrant scientific culture here at Brigidine.

Our Year 7 students have made an impressive start as they acclimate to life at Brigidine and embark on their scientific journey in Stage 4. They've been developing essential skills and gaining an understanding of the foundational principles of scientific inquiry. It's been a joy to witness their curiosity and enthusiasm for exploring the wonders of the natural world.

In Year 8, students have been diving into the fascinating topic of 'energy.' Through engaging practical activities and interactive lessons, they've been unravelling the mysteries of energy transfer and transformation, all while honing their critical thinking and problem-solving skills. 

Year 9 has been exploring the intricacies of the periodic table and delving into the fundamental principle of the law of conservation of mass. These important concepts serve as the building blocks that will pave the way for future exploration in the field of Stage 5 and 6 Chemistry.

In Year 10, students have been delving into the exciting world of physics, focusing on the principles of motion. Through engaging experiments and theoretical exploration, they've been learning about the laws that govern the movement of objects in the physical world. Additionally, students have undertaken student research projects within the realm of physics, allowing them to delve deeper into topics of interest and develop their scientific inquiry skills.

Additionally, we are thrilled to report great success with our recent Open Day event. We showcased a wide array of exciting scientific demonstrations and activities, including volcanic eruptions, chromatography experiments, flame tests, dissections, and various interactive activities. We want to say a big thank you to our student volunteers who were fantastic at helping lead the various experiments and activities. The event was a fantastic opportunity for prospective students and their families to experience the thrill of scientific discovery firsthand and to learn more about the engaging learning experiences we offer here at Brigidine.

As we look ahead to the rest of the academic year, we are filled with optimism and excitement for the opportunities that lie ahead. 

Amy Commane

Head of Science

Visual Arts 

The Visual Arts department has relished the opportunity to explore student creativity within the classroom across a wide range of mediums and disciplines. We also wish to welcome Mr Vince Papa to our team. His enthusiasm and inspiration can already be seen in the Stage 6 classrooms and our Year 11 class will have a lot to learn and experience through his guidance and support.

Stage 6 Excursion: Kandinsky Exhibition and Art Express Exhibition

While our classrooms are busy with artmaking activities across a variety of mediums and disciplines, we have also been fortunate to extend our experiences beyond our typical classroom structure. Our Year 11 and Year 12 Visual Arts students visited the Art Gallery of New South Wales earlier in the Term to view the Kandinsky Exhibition and the 2023 Art Express Exhibition. Our students found these exhibits highly inspirational and were able to apply what they experienced into their own individual artmaking within the classroom.

On the 15th of February, both senior year 11 and 12 Visual Arts classes visited the Art Gallery Of NSW to explore the life and artmaking process of Kandinsky through his abstract works, and to experience Art Express 2023. We embarked on this journey through our passion for art and were able to build upon our ideas for future HSC projects, gaining a deeper understanding into art history. In the unit Abstraction and Emotion, year 12 and year 11 students studied the deeper connections and processes to Kandinsky’s work, and showed an interest in geometrical patterns and expression shown throughout the exhibition. Everyone also thoroughly learnt and gained knowledgeable insight to HSC works through the Art Express display, and enjoyed this experience, taking away techniques to further explore and re-create.  Thank you Ms Nutter and Mr Papa! 

Angelina Papayianakis (Year 12 Visual Arts)

Year 9 and 10 Aboriginal Artmaking Workshop Incursion

Year 9 and Year 10 students are well underway exploring cultural connections through People & Place and Postmodernism. As part of their experiences they learnt about the importance of materials, symbolism and techniques used by Aboriginal and Indigenous artists in artmaking through their participation in an Aboriginal Artmaking Workshop incursion. This opportunity was enriching and rewarding for our students who have been able to extend their understanding both practically and theoretically within the classroom.

On Tuesday the 27th of March, my year 9/10 Visual Arts class attended an Aboriginal Workshop that helped us understand many different aspects of the Indigenous Australian culture. This workshop offered a unique opportunity to explore the different meanings and stories behind signs and symbols used in Aboriginal art. We were able to participate in creating a communal painting, incorporating Aboriginal art techniques and symbols. We were able to look and feel various different objects created from natural materials, helping us connect deeply to the culture. Touching and using different types of ochre helped us highlight the significance of natural pigments in Aboriginal art. Through this experience, we were able to gain skills in creating Aboriginal art and also deepen our understanding of its cultural, spiritual, and historical contexts. The workshop helped us understand the importance of preserving and respecting Indigenous cultures, leaving us with an appreciation for the richness of Aboriginal heritage.

Zoe Stavrou (Year 10)

Exhibition Entries and Showcases

Adding to our excitement and positive start to the year in Visual Arts, our students have experienced wonderful success with several artworks being exhibited in the Randwick City Artprize, the SCS Portrait Art Prize and the SCS 2023 HSC Visual Arts Showcase. We wish to congratulate our students on their success and look forward to what they continue to create in the future. 

Randwick City Art Prize featuring artworks by Margaret Ma, Isabella Siu, Sienna Majewski.

SCS Portrait Art Prize Entrants featuring artworks by Saskia King, Sophie Behan, Ava Thompson, Jasmine Miller and Chloe Herr.

These student artworks along with all of Sydney Catholic Schools entrants can be further viewed in the online virtual gallery using the following link: Portrait Prize Virtual Gallery. In addition to this, our entrants Ava Thompson, Jasmine Miller and Chloe Herr have been selected to be further displayed in the Sydney Catholic School 2024 Portrait Exhibition at McGlade Gallery ACU from May 2nd to May 16th. 

SCS 2023 HSC Visual Arts Showcase featuring artworks by Nadia Dizon and Scarlette Forster

A huge congratulations to all of our students on their amazing achievements so far. We look forward to seeing the ongoing success and creation of artworks across all our classes when we return next term.

Melissa Nutter

Head of Visual Arts

Drama 

"The rules of improvisation apply beautifully to life. Never say no - you have to be interested to be interesting, and your job is to support your partners." 

— Scott Adsit

As you may have guessed, Improvisation has been a big focus in the Drama department this Term. We started the year teaching the core improvisation skills; offering, yielding, (not blocking), progressing and focus. Some crucial skills which extend far beyond the Drama room.

 These improvisation skills are the foundation of great creative work, an effective and collaborative team and a powerful performance. This has been the underpinning of our Drama assessment in Term 1, with year 11 creating their first Devised Group performance, and our stage 5 classes creating sophisticated Commedia Dell'arte performances and our new students performing on-the-spot improvised scenarios. Our Year 12’s are well practised with improvisation as a tool to build performances and enhance their understanding of texts. Research has shown Drama-based pedagogy, like this, enhances these life-skills;  confidence, collaboration, creativity, engagement and understanding. 

Here are some fascinating links that expand on the documented impact of Drama on students education and wellbeing:https://www.sydneytheatre.com.au/education/teacher-learning/the-research https://www.playyourwaysane.com/blog/benefits-of-improvisation-in-the-classroom 

Extracurricular: SCS Eisteddfod

Our year 9 and year 10 Eisteddfod groups have been working hard in their Wednesday evening rehearsals as they prepare for the upcoming SCS Eisteddfod. Our students have entered the Self Devised Group Performance, where they create a 4 minute performance complete from scratch, coming up with the setting, plot, characters and artistic elements and conventions they wish to use. This year’s groups are already shaping up to display some intriguing concepts with their creative use of space, situation, singing and levels. 

We look forward to the competition in Term 2. We also have some monologue performances in the upcoming holidays. These students are preparing their pieces and showcasing their skills during lunch rehearsal. We wish them all the best in their solo and duologue performances. 

Musical rehearsals & Stage Crew 

Musical rehearsals continue to power through, with our students working diligently to complete Act 1. The stage crew have also been announced and will work together closer with year 12 Hannah Dilger and Ms Whiteman to ensure all of our set and costume changes are impeccably smooth. 

Tayla Whiteman,

Teacher-in-Charge Drama