Junior School

Yr 8

Humanities Year 8 Election 2023

On Wednesday, September 13th, during the 5th and 6th periods, an election was held within the Year 8 level. There was a curated selection of parties from each homeroom who put forward videos combined with speeches that elaborated on the objectives and policies they would display if they won over the majority of votes. This exercise was further enhanced with a “Democracy sausage” sizzle along with beverages, as a symbol of voting and our democracy system, within our school as well as Australia's voting process. Furthermore, the greater quantity of votes selected the “Unipolice party” to represent the Year 8 cohort and introduce the idea of a new, improved idea and vision of our College's uniform. 

In the lead-up to the election day, all of the various parties crafted and created their compelling presentation videos and election speeches to be prepared for the class presentation prior to the ultimate electoral showdown. Before the final election was determined, all the parties competed in their homerooms to get into the final election. The parties within the four homerooms with the most votes got through to the proper voting. Each party worked together to produce their election videos, incorporated with interviews, demonstrations of their policies, and important discussions revolving around the school rules. The scriptwriters formulated and curated a speech that summarized their party's main points, persuading the audience to vote for them. At the time of the election, all of the parties had finished their presentation and were ready to win.

 

The Year 8s had an election day to replicate how parliament works as both an educational and enjoyable experience. By simulating the procedures of a real election, students gained practical insights of how representatives are chosen and how decisions are made in a democratic society. 

 

This topic of democracy and the parliamentary systems allowed us to have fun and extend creative abilities to let our voices be heard on specific rules of the school that we thought should be changed. This hands-on experience helped us learn the importance of voting, campaigning and the concept of the preferential voting system, helping to gain a better understanding and awareness of the political voting systems from a young age.

Many thanks to our Humanities teachers – Mr. Natoli, Mr. Andritsos, Mr. Moloney and Mr. Tomassini for organizing this fun and memorable Year 8 event.

Christen Mercuri, Giulia D’abaco and Giselle Gentilin 

Year 8 Red