Student News

Performing Arts | 2020 Wrap-Up

Despite all the odds, Performing Arts thrived all through 2020! Yes, we were isolated in our homes, but that didn’t stop us from creating characters, telling stories, keeping tempo and moving through space all year. As a domain area, we were able to prepare for performance exams, produce a radio play, create ensemble performances, make comedy sketches and play along to awesome songs through history.

In the wider scope of the Performing Arts, Instrumental Music lessons continued, and we are so proud to be able to support students with their studies this year.

The biggest accomplishment, though, would be the continuation of the Production 2020. This was an initiative that just refused to give up. We continued to rehearse in isolation, return to school, back to isolation... We jumped from plan to plan to plan... and on Sunday, December 20th you will all get to share in the wonder of the “Practically Perfect” spectacular! (Click here to join the Facebook event and tune in for the premiere at 7:00pm!)

As 2020 draws to a close, so does my time at Wheelers Hill. I have made the decision to take my final bow in the role of Performing Arts Leader at our College, as I accepted a leadership role at Viewbank College earlier this year. In my four years at this College, I have had the privilege of working with some of the most passionate, hardworking students in the state. Their ability to try new things, strive to improve their skills and accept challenges has been so rewarding for me as a Performing Arts Leader. I’m honoured that I was able to help expand the Performing Arts at our school to new heights and help the students achieve awesome outcomes.

Thank you, family and friends of Wheelers Hill – for accepting my offers, for supporting new initiatives and backing the change. I trust that you will continue to create incredible work for many years to come. 

Ms. Genelle Lentini | Performing Arts Leader

Year 8 Music | Audacity Compositions

Year 8 Music students have been creating their own compositions this term using the software program Audacity. In preparation for this task students discussed and experimented with the musical elements (such as volume, timbre, texture, pitch, tempo, duration and form) and how they could be manipulated to reflect a certain mood or theme. They were then given class time to both record their own sounds and locate sounds online to use to create their own compositions. All Wheelers Hill students have access to this software program on their school laptops, so hopefully this introduction to Audacity will allow them to apply their skills in other areas in the future. 

Here are some fantastic examples of the compositions that students created.

Kirsty Mechielsen | Year 8 Music Teacher

Chloe B

The theme of my composition is exploring a haunted house. The two different piano tracks represent the mood for example, curiosity and then fear. The bongos represent footsteps, slower at the start, to represent cautious walking and then faster near the end to represent running. I also used silence to create suspense and show how cautious the character in the composition is. I recorded the first piano track myself online and I also recorded the bongos for the footsteps. The rest of the tracks were sourced from the internet. 

Samantha L

I’ve chosen to express the process of a storm using audacity and various sound websites including SoundBible, free sound and SoundCloud. I was inspired by my dad who meditates after he works to let go of his stress. He was listening to rain and that encouraged me to create a composition that is based on meditation. This piece includes the sounds of rain, a full on thunderstorm, lightning, thunder, then eventually, birds chirping and frogs croaking. Additionally, I recorded chords and tunes from the flute which was played from my keyboard. At the beginning the sounds were calm but it gradually changed into a thunderstorm. At the end I included light and happy tunes with birds chirping and frogs croaking.

Aria S

My theme is about rain turning to sun and then lastly, to a rainbow. You will hear different sounds such as raining, rain drops, thunder, a flute, drums, birds singing and a piano. My composition was inspired by the nature around me. We don’t usually take notice of the rain nor the sun. We only notice it when it’s getting in our way. My composition is showing the beauty of rain and the sun. The sound I recorded myself is the quiet clapping in the background, imitating footsteps. I also recorded the loud bang at the start, conveying a bang of thunder.

Shay C

I have chosen to convey grief and regret in my mood composition. I used various sounds sourced from SoundBible, including rain, thunder, and walking on gravel. My composition was inspired by a story I created, about an escaped warrior searching for their partner, who left confinement before them. They then find their partner’s cloak and weapon lying in a puddle on the path. I didn’t use specific sound effects to represent this exact concept, but the composition was based off of that particular scene. I also recorded a short piano adaptation of “Hero’s Shadow” (an OST from Boku no Hero Academia) and used an official version of the OST “Anguish of the Quirkless” to further continue the sad atmosphere and help the flow of the composition.

Year 7 Humanities | National Identity

This term, Year 7 Humanities students studied Australia’s national identity, identified the importance of shared values, explained different points of view and the diverse nature Australian society. Students analysed issues about national identity in Australia and the factors that contribute to people’s sense of belonging.

Students learnt about Australia’s First Nation people in terms of identity, loss of identity, culture, history and reconciliation. Students created a collage that showed what they believe are the key components of Australian identity and designed their own inclusive Australian Flag. 

Ms. Michelle Galea | Humanities

Year 8 STEM | Abandon Or Adapt Program

As soon as our Year 8 students got back learning face to face this term we jumped straight into our Abandon or Adapt STEM program to try to solve the big question – should we stay on planet Earth and try to fix our climate disaster, or do we prepare to leave and find ourselves a new home elsewhere? This exciting program ran over four weeks across Mathematics, Science, Material Technology and Visual Arts classes.

The students collaborated on a variety of learning tasks throughout the program and through the Design Thinking process developed their very own solution. The program culminated in an exciting showcase where students had the opportunity to present their own mini-pitch to teachers from the whole school as well as their peers from across the Year 8 cohort. It was truly exciting to see the out of this world prototypes student teams developed and even more impressive the way that our students could articulate their creative ideas. Well done Year 8s! 

Year 9 Humanities | Election Wrap-Up

Year 9F Humanities students developed an understanding of the Australian electoral system by campaigning as candidates and spokespeople for actual political parties or independents from the Australian federal parliament. They used the policies from the parties and independents in their campaigns. The election was held using the preferential voting system. The students did an amazing job coming up with campaign materials and slogans, well done!

Ms. Michelle Galea | Humanities

Year 9 Urban Connections | Sustainability

Year 9 Urban Connections students worked in teams and clearly identified a sustainability issue and its problems, discovered and discussed a solution to the problem. Students completed a portfolio with information about the issue and design process. Students then completed an oral presentation with appropriate visuals and 3D model (using materials from the Reverse Art Truck) to support their information and ideas.

Ms. Michelle Galea | Community Connections

Middle School | End of Term Activities

Our final College week featured a range of activities for the Middle School students. They played, competed, collaborated, created and enjoyed the three day program. Special “shout out” to the staff who supervised and supported all sessions. What a team! Thank you to the PE, Arts and Food staff for their facilities and equipment. The included photos are just a few of the activities enjoyed by all students and staff. Thank you to all students for their enthusiasm.

Ms. Field, Mr. Shepherd, Mr. Pousoulis and Ms. Wilson | Middle School Team

Monash Tech School | Superpets Excursion

At the end of this Term, our Year 7A class was lucky enough to be invited to try out the new 2021 SuperPets Monash Tech School STEM Program. In this exciting Program, the students worked together through a Design Sprint to solve a problem very close to all our hearts, the wellbeing of our best friends – our pets! Each student team had their own pet patient and had to be creative in how they could prototype a solution to the many health issues the animals faced. Students used modern technologies such as TinkerCAD, 3D Printing, and LittleBits to produce their ideas over the two days and we were all blown away by their creativity and problem solving skills.

Year 8 Humanities | Sustainability Posters