English
Year 9 English - Visit by Bic Walker
The Year 9 students are currently reading and studying novels of their choice about asylum seekers. Students are also exploring the role of the media and how they portray this issue for the Australian public.
On Tuesday 2 March, the Year 9 students were visited by Bic Walker, who was four years old when she and her family stepped into a leaky, overcrowded boat and made the harrowing journey from Vietnam to Australia. Bic is an author of children’s books, a qualified architect and entrepreneur. She engaged the students with her family’s story and brought to life the difficulties they endured.
Here are some student reflections on Bic’s visit:
Bic’s presentation was very touching. Her story about her family was very inspiring and it made me think about how lucky I am to be born in a safe country. Her book ‘A safe place to live’, had a certain artistic style that was very intriguing, and I am very thankful to have been able to learn about her family’s story and refugees.
Jessica Dolby
Year 9
I thought that the presentation was very interesting and I honestly learnt a lot. It was quite sad at times learning about the “re-education camps” and what happened to her dad. I now know that you don’t know what people have been through! Bic’s family looked like a completely normal and happy family in that photo from last Christmas - not a hint of their harrowing experiences.
Emma Stevens
Year 9
Bic’s presentation was about her experience of being a refugee. She shared her personal stories with us. It really hit the spot in my heart.
Lara Everitt
Year 9
Year 12 Creative Writing
The Year 12 English students recently completed their first SAC - a creative response to Toni Jordan’s 'Nine Days'. It’s a difficult task; the students not only have to write to time but they have to emulate Toni Jordan’s style, and produce a response that would sit comfortably in the original text. However, despite these tough parameters, many students impressed us with their insight and flair. Here’s just a short selection of some of the work these students produced:
The tram window is grubby. I notice we’re riding along Victoria Street. Usually I’d walk places, but today my body is thankful for this mode of transportation. My ears clang with the thumping sound of the wheels against the metal tracks, a one-two rhythm echoes whilst my stomach relentlessly churns with nausea. I peer out through the window. My eyes become my lens, focusing them in on a young couple on the footpath adjacent. Using the edges of the window as my frame, I position the embracing pair, ensuring I capture how the light reaches its arm out through the branches above and onto their faces. I replay the shuttering sound of the Argus camera in my head and press my right thumb down on the shilling in my pocket. This would have made the perfect photograph.
Phoebe Standfield
Year 12
Three polished black frames sit in a row not a millimetre out of place. Inside are three certificates printed in nearly illegible font with a red wax stamp in the corner. ‘Bachelor of Psychology, University of Melbourne’; ‘Masters in Psychiatry, Australian Catholic University’; and ‘Doctorate in Psychological Therapy, Monash University’. The gold rim reflects from the clinically white lights, shining into my eyes, screaming to get noticed. Trust me, I noticed. It was the first thing you see when you enter the room, deliberate, of course. She tried to be subtle with it but it was painfully obvious. She preferred ‘Flo’ for her name, as one of the many attempts to make herself younger. Wearing sickly sweet perfume, having her hair in the new trendy style, and covering her wrinkled lips with bright pink lipstick. I’m sorry, Florence, some things don’t change.
Evelyn Ferreira
Year 12
The ‘angel of death’ approaches.
The gravel underneath the boy’s bicycle flicks up, nipping at his ankles. He pedals briskly before abruptly halting at Rowena Parade. Balancing precariously on the tips of my feet, I peer at the boy’s face through the crevices of the fence. He tugs at his collar and shuffles forward timidly, proceeding to knock on the Husting’s wooden door. I divert my attention to the increasingly difficult task of adding pegs to the washing as my hands quiver violently. I eavesdrop dreadfully. The Hustings had not known about mine and Jack’s romance, had they, I would never have been welcomed as family. Mrs. Husting didn’t like Christians like us.
A muffled voice tunnels through, “We regret to inform you that your son, Sergeant Jack Husting, is missing, presumed dead.”
The family comfort of chirping crickets falters and I feel my legs begin to crumble.
Chloe Toth
Year 12
‘This is the best thing for everyone, Connie. Trust me, I would know,’ says Ma as she turns to leave.
Her tone is firm but her eyes hold a silent apology, a sadness that she could not do better for me. The bench is cold against my skin and the ceiling above me is pale and bare. Mrs Ottley is standing in the corner, watching like an eagle. I feel more scared than I did when I realised I was pregnant. I focus on the rise and fall of my stomach and try to imagine a tiny heart beating inside of me, along with mine. A piece of Jack and me concealed in this delicate, tiny creature. A shameful secret to be erased for the good of my family’s reputation. I think of all the women before me that must have sat on this bench, either by choice or desperation; each one with a story of their own. It might be the alcohol, but i can almost sense the ghosts of all the lives that ended here before they even began. I remind myself why I am doing this: to save my family and be a respectable lady. This is part of being a woman. In this world, a woman’s desires always come second.
Kara Miwa-Dale
Year 12
Debating News
The Year 9 and 10 Debating teams have participated in two debates at Haileybury College this year. Round 1 resulted in wins for both teams, with best speaker awards going to Mary Tobin in Year 10 and Kiara Reddy in Year 9.
In Round 2, students were challenged to argue ‘That we support mandatory national service’ and ‘that animal testing should not be banned’. Though both Round 2 debates resulted in a loss, students are continuing to build key research, teamwork and oral presentation skills, and are certainly enjoying the challenges that debating brings with it.
Congratulations to all students involved on their efforts thus far!
Public Speaking News
Year 11 student, Shannen Carty, recently competed as the Kilbreda College representative in the ANZAC Rotary Public Speaking Competition for our region, presenting on the given theme ‘1919 – Coming Home’. The competition evening was held at the Keysborough Golf Club on 18 March, with family, friends, teachers and Rotarians in attendance.
Shannen’s speech, which explored the trials of a returned serviceman, was awarded first place. She will present her speech on various occasions to members of the local community, including a Dawn Service on 25 April.
We congratulate Shannen on her efforts and look forward to having her present her moving speech to the school community.
Kim Elliott and Fiona McDonald
Learning Leaders: English