Student Voice 

ARTHUR DEMETRIOU

Year 10 SRC

Tell us a bit about yourself. What is one thing you really enjoy?

Hello, I am Arthur Demetriou and I am one of the three SRC members for Year 10 at Oakleigh Grammar. I have no siblings. One thing that I really do enjoy is spending time with my whole family. 

How does it feel being a student at Oakleigh Grammar?

I like being a student at Oakleigh Grammar. There is a nice community of classmates and teachers that you can talk to and have a general conversation with. Not many schools are like this. 

What do you like most about being a student at Oakleigh Grammar? 

I like that I can talk to my teachers and not have to be too “classy.” They really want to have a good conversation with everybody. 

Do you have a lot of chances to speak up and share your ideas in this School?

The School is very good at listening to people’s ideas and concerns. They never shut us down when we want to speak up and make suggestions. We, as students, can ask anybody to help us, whether it is our homegroup teachers or the Head of School. That is why we feel confident to speak up.

How important is it for you to get the chance to speak and make those presentations in School?

I feel it is very important for us as students to have a voice. We can have this voice by speaking publicly to people, whether it is to parents, board members or our fellow students. By doing these speeches, we are able to let the masses know our thoughts and concerns, and we can all get on the same page.  When we are all on the same page, we can have discussions and solve problems!

What can your teachers do to make you feel more heard and supported?

Our teachers can make us feel more heard and supported at School by asking us about any concerns and/or problems we have.  As a Community, we can then strive to fix these issues.  

What kind of classroom environment do you learn best in?

I like to work in a classroom where all the tables are positioned in such a way where we can collaborate and help each other. The greatest ideas come from people interacting. I know this idea sounds kind of weird, but it is true. To achieve this ultimate utopia, people have to first be open to sharing ideas and be open to learning from each other. 

Have you had a learning experience that was outside of the normal classroom?

Of course, I’ve had learning experiences outside of the classroom.  In the real world, we learn social smarts and how to act with people. Our theory that we learn in class becomes real, and that is the most powerful thing.  For example, we learn analytical skills in Language and Literature and these skills can be used in real-world situations where something needs to be thought about carefully before it is undertaken.

What excites you about the future?

The thing that excites me about the future is that it is full of possibilities. You can do as much or as little as you want. Whatever you decide to do, as long as it is sensible, is the best thing to do. This may be anything from doing a one-year course to doing a Doctorate at University. 

How can the School support you to prepare for that future?

The School can support us to prepare us for the future by helping us to explore what our future can look like. This could be by looking at different careers (which we are doing) and exploring what different futures look like. For example, somebody might be interested in Teaching or maybe they want to do Forex trading for the rest of their lives and earn money via that pathway. This way, we know what we want to do for the future and have it planned out from early on!

What is one thing you learned in 2020 that you think will be the most helpful for you?

One thing that I have learned in 2020 that will be most helpful to me is that you always have hope. Keep pushing on even through situations that may be hard at this present moment.  I can keep that skill with me for the rest of my life because things are bound to get harder in future. 

What kind of people would you choose to take with you to Mars?

If I were to go to Mars, I would take the people that I love and help me to develop: my aunties, uncles, parents and grandparents.  I would also take with me my parish Priest to be able to perform the Sacraments which we can then participate in. 

Imagine you are the principal, what would you do differently to improve things for your classmates? 

If were the Principal, I would make every Friday on a week B a “Homework” day for all Senior Students, because we get a lot of homework, which is perfectly fine, as it is expected.  That way, we can get some things done at School and some at home. Therefore, we can be more efficient at home and then get better marks! 

What would you like to wish to your fellow students?

I would like to wish my fellow students a good and prosperous year, with lots of success in whatever you want to strive in. As each student is different!