SOCIAL SCIENCE FACULTY
MUNA - Mock United Nations Assembly
It's not every day our students get to be diplomats for the weekend — but that's exactly what our Year 12 Wyndham students did at this year's Mock United Nations General Assembly (MUNA), and they did us proud.
On the weekend of May 23 and 24, our students travelled to Nepean Creative and Performing Arts High School to represent the State of Palestine. Sarfaraz Basha, Nick Palizgir, and Aiden Power had spent only two weeks getting ready: writing speeches, learning the ropes, and working up the nerve to stand in front of a full assembly. When the big day came, they delivered — speaking with confidence, thinking on their feet, and holding their own in lively debate.
And the issues were no small matter. Across the weekend the students tackled some of the biggest questions on the world stage — from the situation in Gaza, to international human rights, to the role of the United Nations itself — putting forward their nation's position and defending it in front of delegates from across the region.
It wasn't all serious business, though. The students teamed up with delegates from other schools, made new friends, and discovered that a good argument is as much about listening as it is about talking. Along the way, plenty of nerves turned into genuine confidence.
Huge congratulations to Sarfaraz, Nick, and Aiden. They took on a big challenge, stepped well outside their comfort zones, and represented our school with real heart.
Student reflection -
Aiden: "It was fun and overwhelming at first. However, once you got it, it was a very good experience and I learnt lots about public speaking and being more confident. I also had the opportunity to meet with other students from different schools."
Nick: "MUNA was a great first experience in public speaking and debating. It helped me build confidence and improve my critical thinking and teamwork skills. The students I met from other schools were really friendly and made the experience even better."
Sarfaraz:"Muna as a whole was a great experience, it was something I hadn't done before and it helped overcome my fear of public speaking and helped me understand furthermore how public speaking events like Muna are portrayed in real life events such as with politics. Everyone was great, especially the other students and how welcoming they were, the other teachers and catering people for the food. Overall a great event which I enjoyed very much."
Year 11 Ancient History
What's 'New' in History? Year 11 Ancient History have been approaching their studies hands-on. Our fantastic early career teacher James has been teaching students about Palmyra and the Silk Road and what better way to learn about the diverse nature of the city than through 'moulding' the past (pun intended!). Our passionate historians have been collaborating to reconstruct key Palmyran buildings using play-doh and researching the structures further to create a museum style blurb / description about their function and significance. This definitely adds a new to spin to 'Reconstructing the Past!'
Year 11 Modern History
The Year 11 Modern History cohort have also been very busy learning about the past and even got to experience history on the stage first-hand when they watched Anastasia The Musical at the Lyric Theatre.
This was perfect timing to consolidate their knowledge of the Decline and Fall of the Romanov Dynasty Unit, but also aligned perfectly with their current Historical Investigation which focuses on 'Popular' representations of History (for better or worse). Students got a chance to consider the benefits of such historical representations whilst comfortably munching away on popcorn in the theatre and the long train ride home also provided ample time for them to ponder the consequences of such representations for Academic History.
What an immersive way to help them form and explore their own personal ideas for their upcoming Historical Investigations. More to come - watch this space!