Civics and Citizenship

 'Amazing, exciting and interesting'

ON Tuesday, November 8 a group of Year 9 Humanities Advanced students had the opportunity to visit the Francis Burt Law Museum, Supreme Court, District Court and Parliament House as part of their studies of Civics and Citizenship. The students’ approach, behaviour and engagement was outstanding, as was noticed by the facilitators at all locations. Below are some reflections from students about their experiences on the day. I would like to thank Mr McGoorty and Mr Roberts for attending the excursion and  helping to ensure students gained the most out of this valuable learning experience.

Claire Decena: The HASS excursion was amazing, exciting and interesting all at the same time. I found it exciting to see a real Supreme Court room. I learnt some great facts such as from the time of the Norman Conquest (1066) until the end of the 14th century, all court proceedings were spoken in French. Not only that, we went to an actual court case with real issues and matters being discussed. I was excited to find out about the case, however, I was soon faced with all the seriousness and formality when it came to court proceedings. I had thought it would be intense like the movie, but it was more civil and controlled, much calmer than I expected. We also were able to role-play our own court case, which was the highlight of the day. The second half of the day involved a tour around the Parliament of WA, where sat in the seats of the senators and members of government. We were taught about the purpose and aspects of the Legislative Assembly and Council. The day was filled with excitement and knowledge, I was glad that I was given to opportunity to experience these things.

Jeswin Jiji and Aaron Rapirap: First we took a bus ride to the courts and learnt appropriate behaviour and etiquette before we entered the building. The FBLEP (Francis Burt Law Education Program) members guiding us took us to an empty courtroom and sat us in the different seats of the court. We learnt about each position and what they can and can’t do. Next, we were taken to an actual court case in the District Court of Perth. We could feel the intense mood that filled the room as a member of the legal prosecution was speaking. The last activity of the FBLEP was a mock trial. We were given roles, scripts and time for the jury to come to a verdict. It was a different experience from what we thought it would be but we learnt a lot of things like how even though people take an oath, they still may twist the truth or lie and what each legal team is thinking when they hear the answers to questions and try to pick apart alibis, etc. The final destination of the excursion was Parliament House. We learnt a lot about the history of the building and its famous members. We were able to sit in the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council as it was a non-sitting day and learnt about each seat and its history. We learnt a lot about law and our country’s political history and would gladly participate in this excursion again.

Political parties and campaign cakes

THE Year 9 Advanced classes have been enthusiastic in their roles as campaign managers for our next State election. The classes held their own 'cake campaigns' last week as part of their research task on political parties. The cake campaigns featured various different cakes, cookies and even Campaign stickers. We also had some artistic edible pieces for the Animal Justice Party. Well done to all the Advanced classes and their acquired campaign (baking) skills.

Mrs Lindsay Kippen

(Humanities and Religious Education Teacher)