Year 9 Humanities

From the Courtroom to the Classroom

In Week 3, Miss Hyland’s and Miss Pisconeri’s Year 9 classes welcomed guest speakers from The Law Society of Western Australia, a peak professional association for lawyers with the purpose of giving the voice of the legal profession in WA. Mr Dawkins, a children’s lawyer, gave an insight into the Australian judicial system, from the High Court to the Family Court; in the other class, Miss Hipworth-Bell and Miss Johnston, university students in their final year of Legal Studies, explained Criminal Law and the foundations of justice and rights.

“Students engaged with our guests throughout the presentation, as they delved into case scenarios and shared their views and opinions. There were many insightful questions asked and students showed a keen interest in finding out more about future opportunities to study law, as either a profession, interest or additional skill in one’s pathway towards a successful business. Students felt mixed emotions when they learned that they too one day could be members of a jury and may even be the deciding vote in whether someone receives a guilt or innocence conviction.”                                                                [Miss Hyland]

“On Wednesday 17 October, Mr Dawkins, an independent children’s lawyer, set aside his busy schedule to visit the Year 9 Humanities Extension class. He talked about his role with the family court and told us many stories about his cases, which was interesting and engaging. We learned many scenarios that could happen in court from being incredibly ridiculous to really emotional. Having him in our class was a privilege and we wished we had more time to hear more of his stories.”                                                                                                                                                                [Alina George, P1]

After the success of this year’s trial, from 2019 The Law Society of Western Australia incursions will involve all classes across the relevant year level, as the Humanities and Social Sciences staff are committed to inspiring students in their learning to develop skills useful for life.

Dr A Runco (Head of Learning Area - Humanities and Social Sciences)