Activities

Just Desserts

By Agnes Jones, Year 10, The Ridgeway Campus

For my IGNITE project, I explored desserts from around the world. The first thing we were asked to do is come up with a topic. I wanted to find a topic I would be interested in but could also have fun doing. I decided I was going to do some sort of baking project. However, I wanted to incorporate travelling, so I combined the two and came up with desserts from around the world. 

Next, I researched some popular desserts from a variety of countries. I came up with a list of desserts that I thought would challenge me. At this point the second wave of COVID-19 hit and we had to go back to online school. Lockdown ended up being the perfect time for baking, as I had so much more spare time. Each week I would choose a new dessert, bake it and document my progress. Some of the desserts were much harder than I anticipated, and others were easier. The final step was to set up my presentation. I decided to use a website to display my work. This stage was pretty simple and didn’t take very long. 

Along the way, many of the challenges I faced were related to baking the desserts. One of the hardest desserts I baked was Alfajores. The dough was very sticky, and filling took much longer than I expected to make. Although I had more than a few issues with my desserts it was a learning experience and they still tasted delicious. 

My favourite part of my IGNITE project was baking the desserts and obviously eating them. IGNITE was an amazing opportunity and I’m so grateful I was able to experience it. If you are going into Year 9 and about to experience IGNITE for yourself, I recommend that you do something you're truly passionate about and will have fun with. 

Attention, Sergeants Report!

By Ella Ray, Year 11, The Ridgeway Campus

Despite the current circumstances, the Ivanhoe Grammar School Cadet Program has been able to continue virtually. I completed the Sergeant promotions course throughout the year, and am now a Sergeant in the Training and Assessment platoon. The promotions course was greatly challenging, as it required participants to draw upon knowledge dating all the way back to our cadet year (which for some of us was Year 8!) Many tasks were involved, including writing a verbal orders script, giving a virtual drill lesson, making a mud map within the confines of our home, and presenting a theory lesson to a now-graduated senior. It also required a lot of collaboration, with many The Ridgeway Campus Sergeants collaborating with Plenty Campus Sergeants and vice-versa. The digital age of 2020 has allowed for cross-campus friendships within the unit to flourish – an unexpected benefit of doing the promotions course online. The skills obtained and consolidated during the promotions course have allowed for the 2020-21 cadet year to start well, with everyone in new leadership positions upholding their responsibilities to the fullest, even though the year has started in such a strange way. Currently, lessons are being taught by the Sergeants and Corporals under the guidance of CUOs, in order to teach the new recruits all the necessary skills that will be applied throughout their cadet journey. 

As a TnA Sergeant, I oversee the administrative side of lesson teaching – making sure that the lesson content is being taught properly and in an engaging manner, ensuring behaviour and uniform are up to a high standard, as well as providing feedback to platoon leaders. Hopefully, as restrictions begin to ease further, a sense of normality will return to the unit – despite this, however, both the promotions course and the current cadet year have provided for a wonderful constant. I enjoy each and every week of cadets, and I am sure all involved would say the same thing. 

I would like to express my gratitude to all of the teachers and senior leaders involved in the promotions courses. It was a wonderful opportunity that is cherished by many and was no small feat either – the hours of work put into ensuring the cadet unit was still running during lockdown certainly paid off. 

MUN - More Like FUN

Chris Ross, Year 12, The Ridgeway Campus

The Model United Nations was an incredibly worthwhile and enriching program, particularly for students who enjoy global studies, relations and diplomacy. The program involved rigorous planning in teams of two or three to assigned countries to prepare for the online event, centred on the global issue of achieving sustainable cities and communities. The online event included all the components of the United Nations General Assembly meeting, such as Caucuses - discussions between countries - and the final amendments to the draft resolution based on the topic being explored in the MUN; Sustainable Cities and Communities. 

To prepare for the day, our teams were presented with the challenge of researching the position of our assigned country on the issue and any proposed amendments we had to the draft resolution to achieve sustainable cities and communities. The research was encapsulated in a video which our team recorded on zoom, and was shared with other delegates so that we could become acquainted with the positions of other nations on the issue. This effectively prepared us to understand which other countries agreed with or rebuked our countries position, which would then be debated in the caucuses. 

It was wonderful to see how much detail each respective country had put into their planning which made for some incredibly insightful position statements, so it was clear that each participating team was well prepared for a successful day. The event was run through an online zoom meeting and broken up into the sections of a general introduction from the organising body the United Nations Association Australia Victorian Branch, which I would like to extend my thanks to for their outstanding preparation and facilitation of the event! The sessions commenced with the Moderated Caucuses where countries could present to the full assembly, and then Unmoderated Caucuses where each country was able to meet individually or in groups with other countries to gain support for proposed initiatives and amendments to the draft resolution. The Unmoderated Caucuses particularly, provided a great space for teams to engage in poignant discussions and debate on the topic which I think was a diplomatic experience that everyone could benefit from. 

The event culminated with impassioned debates from countries who supported and opposed the proposed amendments, before a final vote on whether each amendment would be passed. The event overall certainly cultivated a heightened passion for international relations amongst a broad section of the students involved, and I would therefore encourage any interested students to seek involvement in this great event in the future.

A Change of Scenery 

By Ruby Grinter, Year 11, The Ridgeway Campus

The musical has always felt like home to me, and we were fortunate enough this year to be able to stay until the wrap-up – the performances – right before restrictions started to creep in mid-March. This year’s musical, like The Secret Garden, or Into the Woods, was an emotional rollercoaster by the end – especially as it was the last musical for many people we love so dearly. 

The tradition has been, that, months later, once relatively normal sleep and work schedules have resumed, we all cosy up in the Schuster to watch a screening of our hard work. It’s incredibly rewarding, and a wonderful way to reconnect and remember just how much effort and energy we gave to make these performances come alive. 

However, given the circumstances, the screening of Pirates of Penzance this year had to be remote – reminiscing at home rather than next to the people on stage with you. We were incredibly lucky that the wonderful Mr Murphy managed to organise the showing at all, so I was eager to see the production that I had yearned to return to all year one last time. 

On the 24 October, I curled into my desk chair, with only the dimming light of the afternoon creeping through the blind, and hit play. 

The opening notes were thrilling. I was hurled into a nostalgic trip back to March – giggling at jokes I thought I had committed to memory, humming to songs I had heard time and time again, grinning at the tiny figures of my friends on the screen as the product of seven months of rehearsals played out on my monitor. 

I expected to hear the uproarious laughter and quick-witted comments I was used to whilst watching. When none came, I was comforted by the soft glow of those people on the screen. It was different – a little lonely – to not be able to shoot knowing looks at someone across the room, or be elbowed in the side as you flit across the stage. 

By the credits, my throat was tight and my eyes were watering, but I was smiling - a bittersweet smile, but a smile nonetheless. I reached for my phone to see flashing notifications from the cast. 

After months and months with each other had come to an end, we were all experiencing the exact same thing.