Humanities News

End Of Term 2:

Humanities News

Senior Debating Team Bounces Back with Their Biggest Win Yet!

Last night, our Senior Debating Team delivered a phenomenal performance in Round 4 of the Schools' Debating Competition, held at Wesley College. 

This round marked a turning point in their season, as the team bounced back from a narrow one-point loss in the previous round to achieve an emphatic five-point victory — an exceptionally rare margin in the highly competitive DAV Debating Competition.

The team’s success was a testament to their resilience, preparation, and growing confidence. Their arguments were articulate, well-researched, and delivered with poise, reflecting the hard work they have put in throughout the year. 

A heartfelt congratulations to all team members for representing our school with such pride and professionalism.

A special commendation goes to Ana Donnellon, who was deservedly awarded Best Speaker on the night. Ana’s performance stood out for its clarity, persuasive technique, and command of the topic — a wonderful achievement and a proud moment for the team.

Meanwhile, our Middle School Debating Team is keeping the momentum going as they prepare for one of next term’s most anticipated events: the Staff vs Students Debate. 

This lively contest is always a highlight on the debating calendar and provides students with an opportunity to test their skills against some formidable opponents — their teachers! Preparations are already well underway, and we’re looking forward to a spirited and entertaining showdown.

Our debating programme continues to thrive, thanks to the enthusiasm of our students and the dedication of our coaches and staff. We congratulate all those involved and look forward to more debating success in the months to come.

 ASX Schools Sharemarket Game Winners 

As part of the Yr 10 Money Matters elective and course program, our students participated in the ASX Schools Sharemarket Game during semester 1.  

The program and game started in March and finished in May, offering our students the opportunity to engage with the world of finance and investing in the sharemarket using  real-world simulation. 

Each syndicate or team received a virtual $50,000 to invest in actual ASX-listed companies. As such students had to consider economic and global factors as well as developing their ability to analyse financial data across the length of the program. 

This was one of the components of the Yr 10 Money Matters course that aims to build financial literacy skills in our students. 

The game provided a focus for weekly discussion about both market trends and potential factors that can be influencing company performance. 

While the game only operates across 10 week period, we discussed the importance of diversifying your portfolio as a means to minimise your risk. In fact, the game has built in rules that promotes the need to diversify as you are not allowed to invest more than 20% of your funds into one company. 

Our school had 22 syndicates in the nation-wide competition with over 20,000 syndicates participating from across the country. While we had over 10 syndicates finish the game in a profit position, the standout team was SEAA enterprises (Erin , Amara , Amalia and Sylvya) who finished on $55,554.82.  

The students finished in an overall ranking of 1519 which qualified them in the top 10% of all participants.  

When asked about their strategy, the girls highlighted two key things.  

1. Firstly, they reviewed their shares and portfolio regularly by logging into the platform on most days including over school holidays. 
2. They would then review each company and if they felt that their growth had peaked, the girls would look to cash in on the gain and then look to buy other companies who could be undervalued and so provide future gains. 
3. They also looked to diversify between well known companies and lesser known ones as well as diversifying across different industries.

We now look forward to the semester 2 game that begins in early August. 

Mr Orologas & Mrs Dunkley 

Medieval Day - Year 8 Humanities

Earlier this term, Year 8 students took part in the school’s first-ever Medieval Day. During the full-day incursion, they explored life in the Middle Ages by rotating through interactive activities including weapons and armour, crime and punishment, medieval Japan, and medieval games. 

A highlight from students was trying on the knight's armour and handling the protective gear firsthand. To end the day, students learned about medieval tournament customs—this included an opportunity to sword fight with the presenter! 

It was a fun, hands-on way to deepen their understanding of the medieval world, and we look forward it becoming a regular part of the Humanities program.

Holocaust Museum Excursion

Visiting the museum for the first time is overwhelming and full of stories unbelievable, some stories impossible to comprehend. I have to say, the third visit, fourth or even the sixth visit, the stories are not more palatable or believable but they are stories that happened and to people I know, who in 2025 still live to relive the horrors, not all Jewish. 

But their stories are the precursor to me being born in Australia. Their stories must be heard and shared. My connection to the hand built model of Tremblinka and the synagogue is through my mother in-law, whose father was the craftsman who survived the camp and from memory built the model.

My family survived both concentration and extermination camps. Their journey lead them to Australia and resulted in my being Australian. 

When asked what my nato is, I’m proudly Australian. My grandparents instilled in us the virtue of being a good neighbour to all and to acknowledge and respect the lands on which we live.

As a family we contribute to our community in different ways, a life of respect, tolerance and shared self determination. My family works hard and we learn, always learning. I grew up with no knowledge of what my family had been through to get here. Only later in life out of curiosity and persistence did the stories become clear.

This year, I had the honour to join the school trip to the holocaust museum, initiated by Mr Platenkamp. 

Students were able to explore a snap shot of what happened all those years ago. We were asked to consider empathizing with the themes that ran through the narratives of those who survived and those who didn’t.

We were encouraged to view the narratives from the perspective of propaganda,

 discrimination, dehumanization, resistance, loss and return to life. From the living, we heard the story of 99 year old Sarah Saaroni, two years younger than my Oma and two years older than my great aunt. Sarah recounts her experience as a 16 year old, of being led to a transport by SS… heads being counted onto a transport bound for death, but as fate had it, she slipped stealth like onto a different transport going the other way, face to face with the soldier in brown (more fearful of the soldier in black) to safety and onto her life in Melbourne and to where we sat that day in the museum, listening to her tell her story.

There was an eery parallel to us getting on the bus to and from school. Have the choice of which bus, which transport to take. Our transport safe and offering education, the opportunity to empathize and listen, safe to be curious, to understand.

To the students of South Oakleigh College, Sarah’s words echo the sentiment of my Oma’s wise words to me, to keep learning, be curious, always learning, “be grateful for your education!

Renee Gross

Media Studies Teacher 

Unit 1 Legal Studies Excursion – Pentridge Prison 

On Tuesday 27 May 2025, the VCE Legal Studies Unit 1 students “Legal Eagles” visited the famous Pentridge Prison., which operated between 1851 and 1997. While the facility is no longer in use, the education program has been newly developed by the National Trust, and utilises the latest in immersive technologies, including soundscapes and audio-visual displays to hear recorded interviews with past inmates, guards and lawyers. Students also get to interact with original artefacts as they explore the cells, yards, warden’s premises and other areas in the facility.  

Our tour guides, Rebekah and Shaun, were both fonts of interesting information. The students were fascinated with the stories of prisoner escapes and particularly enjoyed exploring the notorious H-Division (known as “Hell Division” amongst those incarcerated there, for its harsh conditions). We all breathed a huge sigh of relief on our exit, after only 40 minutes inside the “dark heart” of Pentridge, with its claustrophobic conditions and grim history. The drizzly, dark weather enhanced the gritty vibes of the whole experience. 

While the excursion served as a well-deserved reward for all students working hard so far this Semester, it was also a valuable learning opportunity. Students were provided with background material to discuss during our bus ride to Coburg and prompted during and after the experience to consider the ability of criminal sanctions to achieve their purposes, aligned with Unit 1 Area of Study 2: Sanctions. Only two days later, the students sat for their SAC on this topic, and no doubt the excursion brought the curriculum to life. 

Students and families are encouraged to visit Pentridge in their own time – the precinct is recently renovated and includes everything from cafes and a supermarket to a cinema and hotel. Tours are open to the general public. There is even a night tour, for those who dare! 

Jacinta Marlborough 

Legal Studies Teacher