IDEALS Reflections 

Abby Song, Year 9, University Campus 

'Cooking for Cause' is an experience that is part of the Ivanhoe Grammar School IDEALS program. The activity is aimed at serving the community through food, all while learning essential cooking skills that can be transferred to workplaces. Our peers in this program cook for charity as well as for our Student Enterprise Centre.  

There is a routine to ensure strict hygiene and safety practices are followed. One student said, 'We cook different things every week and it’s usually randomised, there are multiple options, and you get to pick what you cook.' 

 A lot of emphasis is placed on hygiene, one of the participants reported that everyone must pair up and check the cleanliness of each others equipment. The tasks are similar to cooking like in food technology classes, but the IDEALS program involves the guidelines to 'wear hairnets and be very hygienic'.

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Participants in the program are enjoying the practical side of cooking as well as being able to give back to some of the most vulnerable members in the community. This was particularly true for one participant who said, 'I chose it [Cooking for a Cause] because I love the idea of helping others who can’t cook for themselves, while I also enjoying cooking'. Another stated that “'overall, it’s really fun and collaborative'. We look forward to seeing what our Cooking for a Cause participants come up with over the year.

Kheyaira Sharma, Year 12, Ridgeway Campus

Ivanhoe Grammar School has newly introduced the Service and Outreach IDEALS program, run by Isabella and me. It was created to organise more enjoyable activities during important occasions.

Our most recent project regarded creating a set of International Women’s Day activities across both Ridgeway and University campuses. At both campuses, we organised a ‘Gratitude Wall’ for all students to participate in, writing down the name of a woman who inspires them. 

For the seniors at Ridgeway, we arranged for the SALT cafe to sell spider drinks and hand out purple ribbons to those who purchased them. For the Middle Years students, they had the opportunity to decorate cupcakes in purple.  All proceeds were donated to Big Group Hug. 

As for the educational aspect, we produced an information video about IWD to play at assembly and share the reasons behind the celebration.

We hope to organise more events to gather all the students together and celebrate for a cause!

Xenia Theofilakos, Year 11, Ridgeway Campus 

The Ivy Voice IDEALS stream involves organising our student-led publication, where we collect and write a range of articles, including reflective pieces, opinion-based pieces, and informative articles. The articles produced serve to provide updates within our School as well as our wider community. It is also a way to share the many achievements that occur throughout the year.  

The Ivy Voice group is also able to work with Buckley House to highlight the achievements and events happening with our younger students.  Alongside the Buckley House and Ridgeway Campuses, The Ivy Voice also sources articles and photos from Plenty Campus and fUniversity Campus.  

 It allows the opportunity to network, write, edit and stay informed about what is happening at school, providing valuable experience for students interested in journalism or simply contributing to the student voice at Ivanhoe Grammar School. Written by students for students, Edition 19 of The Ivy Voice is jam-packed with interesting content from across the school, including in-depth interviews, student artwork, school-related news, recent events, and much more. We hope you like it!