Recently at Ivanhoe...

Being a Proud of a Country Delegate for a Day

By Natalia Conte, Year 10, The Ridgeway Campus

On Thursday 9 June, I got to participate in a model UN hosted by Ivanhoe Grammar School, with participants from Ivanhoe, Scotch College, Reservoir High and Preston High. The topic was Artificial intelligence and sustainable development – harnessing the benefits and safeguarding human rights. Everyone who participated was assigned a country in advance, and in a team of 3 or 4, you needed to come up with a position statement; stating what your country believed towards this issue, and how they felt towards the draft agreement. 

My team were delegates from Slovenia, and we soon discovered implementation of AI into our everyday society is wanted by Slovenia, as they are a leader in this field. Because of this, we needed to ensure the policies in the agreement were to our own advantage, and rallied support for possible policy amendments. 

The whole day was spent debating the benefits and downfalls of different policies, each person trying to represent their country as they saw fit.  I felt my public speaking and confidence grew, as you had to persuade people to agree with you and devaluate opposing ideas. 

Overall, it was a really fun experience, as I learnt more about how the UN general assembly works and what is needed to be a delegate of a country.  

The 39 Steps 

M Wyss, Year 10, The Ridgeway Campus

The 2022 production of The 39 Steps was able to help re-immerse the culture of Ivanhoe’s theatre department after the absence of performing arts due to COVID-19. It was incredible to get back on the stage with friends as well as meeting new friends from the younger years.

Having Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays back in the Schuster Theatre reminded students of the lovely arts community that resembles something of a family. It was a fantastic opportunity to see new talent within the community as well as people's confidence growing throughout the rehearsal process.

I personally loved being able to express myself with friends and making jokes with new mates. It was an open environment with a wide spread of people who were always open to helping one another. It was also lovely to just be back on stage with the Ivanhoe community which to me resembles a sense of being home.

This interpretation of Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps would not have been possible without the staff, students and FORT who graciously spent their time on this project, and to that I would like to say thank you.

Empowering Students

By Isabella Ciavarella, Year 8, The Ridgeway Campus

On Wednesday 10 August the Year 8 students participated in an all-day incursion. The cohort was divided into boys and girls, where the boys took part in The Man Cave Workshop, and the girls participated in The Seed Workshop.  The Man Cave is a progressive mental health and emotional intelligence program.  During the workshop, the boys created their own version of healthy masculinity and explored their personal identity and strengths. The SEED Workshop focused on empowering girls to create a vision of the person they want to become, whilst also developing tools of empathy, trust, and gratitude to build a healthier and positive relationship with themselves and others.

Throughout The Man Cave Workshop, an idea and a new thought process was instilled into many of the boys’ minds. “It is okay to not be okay and, “it is important to talk about it.” The boys were challenged to acknowledge their mental health and to create an environment where everyone feels that they can talk to one another about it.  My favourite aspect of The SEED Workshop included the variety of activities, such as making affirmation pockets, learning stress techniques, and watching some of my peers perform in a play.

 Another feature I liked was the deep chats that discussed prevalent issues facing women in today’s society, which I am sure all girls could relate to in some way.  The SEED Program created such a respectful and welcoming environment that by the end of day all the girls felt more connected to one another.  Overall, it was a fun day and a beneficial learning experience.