EAST CAMPUS NEWS

YEAR 9 WISDOM & SERVICE PROGRAM 2023

This year marks the second year of our Year 9 Wisdom & Service Program at East Campus. This unique program not only embodies our school’s motto but provides an avenue for our students to put our motto into practice.

So, what exactly is the Year 9 Wisdom & Service Program? In “teacher talk”, it is an amalgamation of Civics & Citizenship, Careers Education, Financial Literacy, Sociology and Personal Development, built on a foundation of Positive Education and Personal Learning Goals. In “lay persons” terms, the program aims to develop our students’ understanding of responsible citizenship as well as extend their capacity in becoming highly functional members of our greater community, whether that be local, national or global.  

Fundamentally, the program explores the question “What does it mean to be a McKinnon SC student?” while embodying our school’s values of Respect, Integrity, Resilience, Community, Creativity and Success, ultimately sowing the seeds of the phenomenon we call the “McKinnon Magic”.

iDECIDE ELECTION – MONDAY 24 MARCH 2023

In term 1, Year 9 Wisdom & Service classes, as part of the “iDecide” module, explored Australia’s Democratic system and engaged in what is arguably our most valuable human right: the democratic election process. 

To provide an authentic learning experience, the appointment of the East Campus Student Council follows elements of Australia’s political system, namely:

• Each student is placed in one of four electorates (e.g. their “House”);
• Each class is its own political party and selects a candidate for each electorate;
• Each class conducts a political campaign with specific policies targeting the needs of their constituents at East Campus;
• On election day, students attend a voting station where they have their name marked off an electoral roll and fill in a preferential voting ballot paper;
• On election day, everyone gets an opportunity to purchase a ‘Democracy Sausage’.

The election itself was a complete landslide victory for Year 9E (Elixor Party) who ended up winning all four electorates. Congratulations to Vibhan Jivanjee (Member for Chisholm), AJ Martin (Member for Flynn), Anna Dosen (Member for Gilmore) and Tori Sam (Member for Monash) for their successful election campaigns. I look forward to working with these students as part of the East Campus Student Council for 2023. Overall, well done Year 9 on an outstanding display of Australia’s democratic values.

There are many people that I would like to thank for the success of the iDecide Election day, particularly Raelene Evans, Peter Rogosic and Dylan Kernaghan for their support with the sausage sizzle, as well as our Year 9 School and House Captains for, not only running the voting station and the sausage sizzle at lunchtime, but also for their vigilance, maturity and leadership on the day.

Chris Pantelios

Year 9 Curriculum Program & Student Manager