Pax et Bonum Cannon Hill Anglican College magazine
Issue 14 路 Summer 2015
A world of opportunities 3
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contents Pax et Bonum supplements the fortnightly newsletter in maintaining links with parents, grandparents, friends and supporters of the College. The magazine keeps the CHAC community informed of current activities and achievements, and highlights Faculty and College initiatives throughout the year. Thank you to all staff, parents and students for your contributions. ANNE ANDREW Editor
I am blessed to work with a wonderful Senior Leadership Team that cares very much for our staff, our fabulous students, and for one another, and which brings a collegial stability and passionate commitment to education that permeates through every aspect of College life. As a team, we have long tried to define what it is that makes our College so…well…’CHAC’. And we have also considered the question of whether the College should be defined by a particular area of success. Some schools like to be known for strengths in a given subject or cultural activity, or sporting prowess. We debate whether we should highlight our popular Mathematics Faculty, exceptional literacy program, well-resourced and patronised performance arts offerings, Exceptional Scientists’ Program, or our elevated successes in the TAS sporting competition (top of the table in Trimester 3). We always arrive back at the same conclusion: CHAC is the sum of its parts, and our students’ academic and social demeanours are a reflection of an educational offering that caters for every aspect of their development, with an impressive and exciting range of opportunities at every turn. We encourage students to get involved, to try new things, to do everything with enthusiasm and to the best of their ability; to stretch their personal boundaries and challenge themselves which, in turn, contributes to the ever-evolving, dynamic nature of CHAC. In short, our College is defined not by stats on paper or successes in academic outcomes and competitions although, naturally, we are proud of these and revel in sharing in the joy with the participants. Rather, it is defined by our students and the holistic activities that they enjoy day by day; from academic, sporting and cultural pursuits, to their spiritual, pastoral and selfless service-oriented activities. And by the humble ways in which they celebrate triumphs, accept defeats, and support and encourage one another either way. This is what defines our College. This is what creates the special feel in our community. This is what makes us ‘CHAC’.
During Camps, students have the opportunity to try a range of activities.
And so it is with an excited sense of ongoing expectation that we continue to give each student every opportunity to explore new learning territory, challenge the boundaries of their experiences, and participate in a whole host of extra-curricular activities designed to enhance their journey through education, build character, nurture dispositions toward serving, sharing, giving, leading and gratitude, and to develop faith.
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Albert Einstein said, ‘All that is valuable in human society depends upon the opportunity for development accorded the individual’. In this issue of Pax et Bonum, we explore just some of the many opportunities that present themselves to not only our students, but to the wider CHAC community also.
Editorial Contact Details Communications Office P 07 3896 0439 E publications@chac.qld.edu.au Cannon Hill Anglican College Pty Ltd ACN 010 733 249 ABN 46 010 733 249 Cnr Junction and Krupp Roads, Cannon Hill Qld 4170 PO Box 3366, Tingalpa DC QLD 4173 P 07 3896 0444 F 07 3896 0448 E college@chac.qld.edu.au CRICOS PROVIDER NO. 00646F
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May we all grasp every opportunity with both hands, and with open hearts, minds and spirits. Robyn Bell Principal
Opportunity to fail In this issue of Pax et Bonum, we focus on some of the many opportunities available to our students – opportunities for adventure, extension, incursions with working professionals, excursions to meet exciting people and explore exotic places, and opportunities to benchmark skills alongside peers from other schools, in healthy competition. However, in order to have the courage to fly, students need to be confident in the support they will receive should their fledgling wings fail them in the first instance. CHAC’s Principal, Mrs Robyn Bell, raised the important subject of failure during her Annual Awards Evening address on 17 November. Below are some extracts from the speech that highlight the importance of failure, and the freedom to fail.
A wonderful attitude was displayed by the Year 7 Opti-MINDS teams, who said ‘Although we didn’t take home any trophies, the fun we had working together was our trophy’.
resilience
I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Thomas A Edison
Extracts from the speech I recently read a number of research reports submitted by Year 12 students in Term 3, as part of their Business Management course. The topic was Innovation and Entrepreneurship. I discovered in those reports some welldeveloped arguments around unfamiliar terminology such as intrapreneurship in Georgia’s assignment, and serial entrepreneurship in Kate’s. I’ve listened to many speakers and reflected a great deal on enterprise and entrepreneurship in the past couple of years – and Kate’s research crystallised the ideas we have been pondering in the context of CHAC’s future. As always, we as a staff can learn so much from the inquiry of our students. Kate noted that while entrepreneurship is the starting of a business that possesses an innovative process, service or product, serial entrepreneurship is the practice of continually being innovative. She argued that in Australia, the need for innovative thinkers is paramount and that our country must foster serial entrepreneurship within the next generation of entrepreneurs in order to maintain its economic and business position in the global community. Successful serial entrepreneurs exhibit an ability to cope with failure and to
treat failure as a learning curve for the future. For the past five years, Finland has celebrated a National Day of Failure on 13 October. The event is an effort by Finnish students to promote entrepreneurship. They encourage people to cast off their inhibitions and fear of messing up. The Chair of the Aalto Entrepreneurship Society commented: ‘The most interesting things are not success, but the often rough growth stories that have led to success.’ What do these matters of innovation, entrepreneurship and failure mean for you as graduates and students of CHAC? It certainly means switching on to initiative and possibility – right now. It means having faith in yourselves and your peers to have a go and to value learning through action; it means growing in confidence and resilience. The word resilience has become a clarion call. Students report generationally higher levels of anxiety than previously evident. Parents call for help in building resilient young people. Teachers try to work out how they can do so in the micro-society of the school – when the relative affluence, indulgence and risk aversion of our broader society seem to work against providing the childhood experiences
that allow for failure and the building of resilience. There is a great deal of research on resilience that would suggest it can’t be created for our children by our own intervention, either as parents or educators. It relies on them responding to challenge and dealing with struggle – being stretched to achieve beyond the comfort zone. People who thrive see struggle as a challenge, and failure as an opportunity to grow. At CHAC, encouragement is given generously, challenge is presented rigorously, imagination flourishes and innovation becomes part of our core business. We continue to strengthen our resilience, by challenging the obstacles that get in our way, by moving from the language of can’t, to maybe, to why not; by stretching our capacity beyond the current known. We all face unique pressures in a hypedup world. Our challenge is to adapt and to create – to learn to try, to fail, to try again, differently. To create and innovate does require risk and resilience – and CHAC has been, and will continue to be, a safe place to do so.
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Yardsticks Yardsticks Throughout the year, students enter a host of academic and creative competitions, and apply to gain entry to prestigious learning opportunities. If we may be permitted to blow our own trumpet, our students do rather well! As this particular issue of Pax et Bonum focusses on opportunities, we’d like to highlight the many and varied challenges accepted by our students, with the encouragement, support and guidance of their teachers and peers. Any chance to increase one’s knowledge and understanding is valuable and we applaud all students who avail themselves of these opportunities to advance their learning.
Teamwork skills developed ‘The Spaghetti Bridge Building Competition, held at TAFE, Southbank, was a chance to test our bridges, made entirely from glue and spaghetti. Throughout the weeks leading up to the event, we spent time and effort designing, testing and creating a (hopefully) strong bridge. During this time, our creative, engineering and teamwork skills were developed. In the end, we finished with a bridge worthy of the competition. We learnt a lot from the other teams’ designs, and had a great time while doing it.’ Emma Cooney Year 7
Everyone was motivated with CHAC spirit”
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Two Year 7 teams punched well above their weight when they competed against students several years their senior in the Opti-MINDS Challenge State Final. Held at the University of Queensland, our Language and Literature team and our Science and Engineering team both performed well. ‘What a life changing experience it has been competing in the Opti-MINDs Challenge. Although we didn’t take home any trophies, the fun we had working together was our trophy,’ said Mackenzie Riemann. ‘Everyone was motivated with CHAC spirit and willingness to help out their team at any expense.’
Victorious in the Grand Final One of the College’s two Year 8 debating teams – Lars Forsingdal, Libby Crowley, Ellie Ryan, Mia Forsingdal and Ben Farrell – was victorious in the Grand Final of the Queensland Debating Union. Arguing the affirmative of the proposition ‘that we should require commercial television networks to broadcast the same amount of women’s sport as men’s sport during prime time’, the CHAC team won in a 2-1 decision. The win means that this was the most successful Year 8 team from a pool of over 160 teams, drawn from State, Independent and Catholic schools all around the Brisbane and Sunshine Coast regions.
Mathematical Olympiad
‘The daily timetable consisted of a mixture of lectures and problem-solving sessions, with some exams thrown in there as well!’ said Madeline. ‘Topics covered included number theory (divisibility, modular arithmetic and methods of proof ), geometry, algebra and combinatorics (counting things without physically counting them). All in all, it was a lot of hard work and fun times and I aim to keep achieving highly enough to see everyone again.’
Best in Queensland Lauren Tipping (Year 10) achieved not only a High Distinction in the ICAS Writing Competition, but she also attained the highest result in Queensland, resulting in the presentation of the ICAS Medal for Writing. Best-in-Queensland results were also achieved by Year 11’s Madeline Nurcombe, in Mathematics and in Science, and Joseph Willian for Year 12 Science.
The word is out The College introduced Public Speaking this year and our talented students have already made their mark.
Anderson Janes (Year 8) won the Junior Division Final of the English Speaking Union’s Public Speaking Competition, speaking on the topic ‘Our words make a difference’. Aleisha McLaren (Year 11) was the runner up in the Senior Division, speaking on the topic ‘Whose language shapes our world?’. Emma Cooney (Year 7) and Luke Sarlanis (Year 10) made the Regional Finals of the Rostrum’s Voice of Youth Public Speaking Competition.
Public Speaking
Madeline Nurcombe was one of 23 students from across Australia selected to attend the Australian Mathematical Olympiad Committee (AMOC) School of Excellence. The AMOC holds three schools annually and selected students attend the School of Excellence held in Melbourne in December. Participants are contenders for the next International Mathematical Olympiad team.
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Canberra, Camps and Crêpes There is nothing quite like ‘the real thing’ to enhance learning and cement concepts into the mind. Moving students from their traditional learning spaces to places that may take them near or far, in or out of comfort zones, and to new physical, emotional, spiritual or academic experiences, enhances growth and builds resilience. Such opportunities are an integral part of an holistic education focussed on preparing students for the real world.
Emotional, engaging and unforgettable Year 6 students can be taught about the importance of the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, and see images of the Wall of Remembrance, punctured with hundreds of red poppies, but there is nothing quite like placing an individual poppy next to the name of a soldier that they have researched, to make the experience infinitely more emotional, engaging and unforgettable. Emma Gamble and Holly Perks share a little of their experience.
‘Unbelievable activities’ Camps are definitely the activities from which life-long memories, and friendships, are made. The feedback from students is always exciting and bubbly, as they speak of new friendships, closer relationships as a cohort, the thrill of trying something new, and the lessons learned from team work and collegiality. Such outdoor experiences form a strong base to the College’s Pastoral Care Program, which aims to instil in our students a sense of security and connectedness with the College. The program focusses on students understanding their place in the school community, taking responsibility for their attitudes and actions, and understanding those around them. ‘Even I, a comfort-zone-loving French boy, found it easy to enjoy myself, with unbelievable activities such as abseiling and kayaking,’ said Year 8 student, Jacques Dennison. ‘These activities allowed for the new Year 8 students to become more comfortable in the group, as well as testing our teamwork and support capabilities. These activities all helped to break down those barriers about what we thought we could do as an individual or as a team, before camp. ‘By the end of camp, we had all had an amazing time, and the experiences we shared will be the ones we look back on as a year level in the years ahead.’
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‘Upon entering the Australian War Memorial we immediately felt a great sense of sorrow and remembrance for all the brave men and women who have made the greatest sacrifice for our great country. This was made all the more sombre as our visit coincided with the 25th anniversary of the Vietnam War. ‘Prior to our visit, we had researched an Australian solider who died fighting for our country. This gave us the opportunity to visit the Roll of Honour and place a poppy next to our chosen soldier, as a sign of respect. We were all very moved by this experience. We also visited the Pool of Remembrance and saw the eternal flame. We had a tour guide who showed us around the museum and told us information about the exhibits and how difficult life was for the soldiers in the trenches. ‘After we had visited all of the exhibits, our tour guide gave us a cross to write a small message on and send to the Gallipoli battlefields to place near a grave to show respect from our school. Then we went to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier; the room had an amazing coloured roof and surrounding the tomb were lots of wreaths. The Australian War Memorial is a very special place and we were honoured to have the opportunity to visit.’
Boys
being boys
Each year, a group of male students and their dads (or significant male mentors) head off into the wilds (well, Yarramalong Camping, Charlwood) to enjoy a weekend of ‘boys being boys’, for the Boys’ and Men’s Weekend. Wood is collected, campfires built and tall tales told. It is a special time for significant male bonding, as the men and boys take time out to spend quality time with one another, cook over the campfire, swim in creeks and kick a ball around. The fishing rods come out and inhibitions (and digital media!) are put away, and the feedback from man and boy alike is heart-warmingly positive.
A touch of France ‘During the French Immersion weekend, generous native speakers came to CHAC to help us practise for our upcoming oral,’ said Year 10 student, Luke Sarlanis. ‘Working with them improved my ability to speak correctly and enabled better pronunciation of the French language. By the time it was time to go to bed, we had eaten crêpes, played numerous French games, presented sketches, improvised French advertisements, won prizes, eaten chocolate cake, mingled with some Year 11 French students (who came as well, to hang out with us) and enjoyed pizza.’
‘Real-world examples’ Early each year, Year 12 Biology students head to the Moreton Bay Research Station on North Stradbroke Island, for a two-day Biology Camp. As Biology is all about the study of the natural systems of the living world, it makes sense to get up close and personal with the real thing, a fact confirmed by Senior student Mitchell Breyder.
Overall, the French Immersion weekend was a thoroughly enjoyable experience, and definitely is an integral part of the Year 10 French course.’
‘It was incredible to see real-world examples of what we have been learning in class. We spent the first day travelling to the four unique habitats found at Polka Point, Brown Lake, 18 Mile Swamp and Main Beach. Whilst at each spot, we observed the biological processes of succession and zonation, as well as each organism’s adaptation to the differing environments. On the second day, we investigated the differing adaptations of organisms found on rocky shores with increased wave activity and exposure. These included oysters, barnacles, chitin and periwinkles.’ Biology Camp certainly helps students to gain knowledge of the living world as well as develop the capacity to identify, gather, manipulate and process information.
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Hands of Friendship In Term 3, the Primary children welcomed visiting Years 4 to 6 students from Mino-Jiyu Gakuen Primary School in Osaka, Japan. The young visitors spent an entire week at CHAC, participating in the daily life of the school, while also enjoying leisure time with their host families. It was a real treat to witness these brave youngsters mixing with their Australian peers, and sharing their own culture with a Year 3 class, as they demonstrated their calligraphy and origami skills. It was touching to see how willing and eager they were, to help their new friends master these cultural arts.
Cultural exchange Nelson Mandela said that if you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head, but if you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart. This is but one of the many benefits of learning a second language, not least among which are also the ability to better understand your own language, the strengthening of neural pathways in the brain, and the capacity to discover and respect a different culture. CHAC students start learning Japanese from Prep and an impressive 29% continue language studies through to Year 12, with French coming into the mix in Year 7, as an alternative option.
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Hungry for learning A taste of Japan
日本語
Year 7 students enjoyed a picnic in the Wetlands at the end of Term 3, with the highlyanticipated Japanese Obento boxes, while Year 8s made delicious chicken teriyaki sushi rolls, with help from Chaki-san and Hiromi-san from Mizu Restaurant.
A snapshot of opportunities for Secondary students studying Japanese: • Biennial tour to Japan, taking in some key sites as well as spending time with a local host family. • Regular outings to Japanese restaurants or shops. • Immersion evenings with native language speakers. • Hosting visitors from our sister school, Seiryo High School. • Annual Bursary for two students entering Year 12 to spend part of the end-of-year break in Japan. The 2015 awardees were Sorrel Cooper and Bethany McLeod. • Japanese cooking experiences in class, including an ‘obento’ lunch box picnic for Junior year levels.
Jane Everett, specialist teacher for Primary Japanese, is constantly amazed at the progress and enthusiasm of her Primary students. ‘The children are so enthusiastic about Japanese,’ said Jane. ‘They are excited to learn. Not only have they readily picked up the new language, but many show an extraordinary interest in Japanese writing. ‘One such learner, Noah Davis, has shown an exceptional interest in learning how to write the hiragana characters. The curriculum states that students in Prep to Year 2 are given the opportunity to “recognise and copy some hiragana and a few high frequency kanji”. Noah has also taken it upon himself to write kanji numbers beyond 130, at home! It is extremely rewarding to observe students engaging passionately with their learning, pushing themselves and extending their new knowledge beyond the classroom.’ Jane also teaches a handful of students already fluent in Japanese. In addition to their collaborative learning in class, their knowledge is further extended as they engage in online Skype lessons with a mentor in Japan.
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A Night at the Cathedral
In October, 19 CHAC students and three staff members spent the night in St John’s Cathedral, in support of Anglicare’s Homelessness Service. Even under the shelter of the building, the discomfort of sleeping rough reinforced just a small aspect of the challenges that the homeless face every day,’ said CHAC’s Assistant Chaplain, Mrs Zoë Browne, ‘and encouraged us all to consider how we respond to the marginalised.’
Outback Pilgrimage During the September holidays, students from four Anglican schools combined as part of a tour to learn more about the challenges of living in the drought-affected communities of South-Western Queensland. The purpose of the tour was to inform participants of the struggles and hardships of the Outback, as well as investigate possible service activities CHAC could perform in the future. Sierra Mossman, Year 8
In Term 3, a group of Secondary boys volunteered at the Mission to Seafarers, as they refreshed their facilities with new furniture. Meanwhile, the Girls’ Education Committee organised the packing of 200 birthing kits to send to Papua New Guinea, in support of the Zonta program.
Christmas Shoeboxes Primary once again supported Operation Christmas Child, run by Samaritan’s Purse. Shoeboxes were filled with gifts and essential items for a child in a developing country. The collection of boxes was part of Primary’s pastoral focus in Term 4, as they focussed on Compassion.
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Socially-conscious young women I
n Australia, the miracle of life – the journey of pregnancy, childbirth and motherhood – is celebrated, yet in one of our closest neighbouring countries – Papua New Guinea (PNG) – the reality of this ‘miracle’ can be life-threatening for many women and their babies. In PNG, women are 242 times more likely to die during pregnancy or childbirth than in Australia, with the likelihood of deaths related to birth being as high as one in 19 women. Furthermore, over 83,000 babies die each year in PNG before the age of one, many due to easily preventable complications during birth.
Whilst one of GEC’s main concerns is creating supportive, inspiring, fun events and spaces for our CHAC girls here at school, sometimes it’s important to look beyond our insular community and into our broader society where many women have greater needs than our own. As socially-conscious young women, we saw the afternoon as a great way to work together and help make a difference in the lives of other women who don’t have all the opportunities we are so lucky to have at CHAC. Naturally, we put the kits together to a great soundtrack of trashy pop music and succeeded in having a lot of fun while contributing to a worthwhile cause.
This tragedy can seem hopeless - just another gut-wrenching statistic to add to an insurmountable list of problems that face the populations of third world countries. But there is something we can do - just $3 is enough to save the life of a mother or her child, through the assembling of birthing kits that give expectant mothers and their birthing attendants the supplies to maintain more hygienic and safe conditions during birth, minimising danger to mothers and babies.
Personally, the activity really opened my eyes to the realities of women in less privileged environments and made me grateful for the conditions that I would have otherwise taken for granted in the future, when starting my own family. It’s easy to forget that these situations are very real for a large proportion of our global community, and I hope that the Girls’ Education Committee continues to be involved in social justice issues that affect women across the globe, as well as those closer to home.
During the last week of Term 3, a group of students from the Girls’ Education Committee (GEC) spent their afternoon assembling 200 of these kits for the Birthing Kit Foundation Australia. The Foundation will send them to women in Papua New Guinea who cannot access hospitals or adequate health support for their childbirth.
Aleisha McLaren Year 11
The activity really opened my eyes to the realities of women in less privileged environments and made me grateful for the conditions that I would have otherwise taken for granted.”
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Above
and beyond
If there is one thing that this issue of Pax et Bonum clearly demonstrates, it is the inexhaustible range of opportunities constantly on offer to our community of learners, of all ages, level of development and ability. Opportunities, such as Science Club, external competitions and music ensembles exist for students passionate about exploring further their favourite subject or activity. For students with proven exceptional abilities in given areas, opportunities exist with external partners and peers, and tertiary institutions, to extend their learning opportunities, subject to their capability to manage the additional work load.
Excellence The QUT Future Leaders two-year program offers selected students valuable leadership and life skills, and many lasting connections with peers from other schools and within the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) community. Ailish Hallinan recently completed the Year 11 component of the program and Lauren Tipping, entering Year 11 in 2016, has been accepted into the QUT Future Leaders program for her final two years of schooling. CHAC graduate, Joseph Willian, was presented with his program completion certificate by Vice-Chancellor, Professor Peter Coaldrake AO. ‘Joseph was a member of our first intake of QUT Future Leaders, who have had the opportunity to attend up to 11 official Future Leaders events and were offered a number of additional exclusive invitations to hear from worldrenowned guest speakers and attend conferences,’ said Vanessa Gunn, School Liaison Coordinator for QUT.
Extension STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Camp is a program run by the Queensland University of Technology over the September holidays, catering for 160 high-achieving Year 11 students from across Queensland. This year, CHAC had an impressive three students selected to attend the Camp – Joel Bulow, Ricks Somers and Marcus Flook. ‘Across the week, I had the chance to build a solar cell made of different berries, and test different variables and their effect on efficiency,’ said Marcus Flook, Year 11. ‘One of the best parts of the week was using my research and data to create a presentation that would be understood by a non-science audience. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to present at the Vice-Chancellor’s Dinner and was able to discuss ideas with industry leaders from across Australia.’
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Exceptional
The Cannon Hill Anglican College Symphonic Band performed at the Annual Awards Evening on 17 November 2015.
An exceptional 23 Students were selected to participate in the State Honours Ensemble Program (SHEP) at the Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University – a remarkable testament to the strength of the Performance Music Program at the College. ‘CHAC Music in 2015 has been stronger than ever. Throughout the year, we have had many opportunities to learn, perform and grow, bringing the CHAC music community even closer,’ said the 2015 Music Captains, Mia McLay and Victor Findlay.
Exemplary Year 12’s Baxter Butler, who has juggled Senior studies with running his own graphic design business, has been recognised this year as CHAC’s nominee for the South-East Brisbane Chamber of Commerce’s (SEBCC) Young Entrepreneur Award. Baxter attended this week’s SEBCC meeting with Year 11 CHAC entrepreneur, Liam Walpole, to be presented with his cash award but, more importantly, lots of encouragement to continue his journey as a young innovator and entrepreneur.
Expeditious Queensland’s Minister for Education, the Hon Kate Jones MP presented Joseph Willian with his prestigious 2015 Peter Doherty Awards for Excellence in STEM Education. Joseph’s outstanding academic record included the completion Mathematics B and Biology at the end of Year 11 (with VHAs), and this year the study of Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics C. As a result of his acceleration in Science and Mathematics, Joseph has been able to study MATH1051, Linear Algebra and Calculus, at the University of Queensland this year. ‘Although I have not yet decided on my future, I am definite it will involve science. I am currently planning on sitting the undergraduate medical admission test, aiming to achieve provisional entry into a graduate medicine degree. I then plan to do an undergraduate science degree. As someone unsure of their future, this would allow me to try science at a level more indicative of the workplace.’ In the ICAS annual Science competition, Joseph has been the top student in Queensland, in his year group, for an impressive two years in a row. He was also a part of the 2015 Runners’ Up team in the International Space Settlement Design Competition.
‘Baxter’s design talents were first noted by the College last year when his poster, prepared in Information Technology Systems, to promote the College’s Literacy Program, was selected from a wide range to be published and displayed throughout the College,’ said Penny Cummins, Head of Faculty – Business. ‘Since then, he has developed websites and promotional materials for a number of local businesses and worked with family members to seek seed funding to launch software for use by educational institutions. While Baxter’s business has proven a commercial success, the College was delighted to receive more than six nominations for the award from Years 11 and 12 students, who have various business ventures underway or intended for launch. Congratulations to all of our young entrepreneurs. Our Business subjects will continue to foster entrepreneurs.
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Artistic licence Students studying The Arts – from Prep to Year 12 – are given a stunning array of opportunities to participate in activities, competitions, artists in residence, and incursions and excursions across dance, visual art, drama and music. This year, Secondary students have produced an impressive body of work which has been appreciated and enjoyed not only by the CHAC community but, if the number of accolades and awards are anything to go by, then the wider community and arts fraternity as well.
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Names up in lights F
our Year 9 students – Matt Gleeson, Hamza Jaffer, Luca Camuglia-May and Bailey Theobald – were selected as finalists in the goa Billboard Photographic Competition. These talented CHAC students represented an impressive 26.7% of the 15 school finalists, which is a stunning result for the students and CHAC Visual Art. The line-up of judges attests to the quality of the competition: Henri van Noordenburg, Artist and Workshop Facilitator; David Berthold, Artistic Director – Brisbane Festival; Jason Smith, Curatorial Manager of Australian Art – QAGOMA; and Celise Gibson, Tutor Visual Arts – Queensland University of Technology. Their work was displayed on digital billboards around Brisbane and was exhibited in the goa Project Exhibition at the Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts.
Fruits of labour This year, four CHAC students – Natasha Menchi, Claudia Mrozik, Lillian Jessop and Holly Ellis – competed in the EKKA’s annual Natural Fibres Make and Model Wearable Art Competition. ‘There was stiff competition, including university art students, returning competitors and past winners, said Holly Ellis, Year 10. ‘It was therefore to my delight (and surprise) that my garment received Highly Commended and placed within the top five. The overall day was an exciting new experience for all of us and hopefully there is more success within this competition for future CHAC artists.’
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Design excellence Neve Wansey’s photograph, featured on the back cover of the Winter 2015 issue of Pax et Bonum, took out the top award – the Award of Excellence – in the QIEU Awards for Excellence in Art Design. Neve was also awarded a Commendation Award in the highly regarded Creative Generation Excellence Awards in Visual Art. In the QIEU Awards for Excellence in Art Design, Chloe Gonzalez was awarded Highly Commended for her work (featured) and Billy Moir, whose photo also featured on the back cover of the Winter 2015 issue of Pax et Bonum, was awarded with Highly Commended.
Who can forget the ring-tailed Lemur, King Julien, ‘moving’ in the DreamWorks animation, Madagascar? As the Artistic Director for Zen Zen Zo, a physical theatre company, Lynne Bradley definitely likes to ‘move it’!
‘I like to move it, move it!’
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hysical Theatre is all about movement,’ Lynne said. ‘When my partner, Simon Woods, and I formed our company back in the 90s, we were at the cutting edge of the physical theatre wave as it crashed across the Australian shores. Theatre people said “you move, you must be dancers”. Dancers said “you speak, you must be actors”. But it is a fusion of dance and theatre; it is about being more expressive with our bodies. We love disseminating our specialist skills, including going into schools to work alongside teachers and students. ‘The company has been coming to CHAC for 10 years,’ Lynne noted, ‘and this is our first year as actual CHAC parents. Our team has always had very positive things to say about the culture here, so we were relieved when our children were offered places.’ Lynne kindly donated four days of her valuable time to work with Secondary students across all year levels.
‘It was a fantastic week! Our goal was to engage students and encourage them to think about theatre in the broader sense. The Year 7s were great fun. As a parent of a Year 7 student, I know they don’t like to sit still, especially the boys! Physical theatre is ideally suited for these active, kinaesthetic learners.’ ‘We did speciality training with the Year 12s, providing them with a range of new skills and ideas. For their assessment pieces, they devise their own works and so we taught them the skills to very quickly create a piece from scratch, by getting ‘into the flow space’. They were coming up with amazing work in just 15 minutes, once they learnt the techniques. ‘The students we worked with across the four days may not go on to study drama, but we motivated them to discover a new approach to theatre, in a fun and engaging way. The lessons learned in stimulating the creative side of the brain in different ways can be used in a variety of contexts, not just in drama.’
Head of Faculty – The Arts, Carmel Mungavin, is delighted that Lynne has volunteered to assist in future performance projects at the College. ‘What a privilege, and an opportunity for realworld learning. Lynne’s calibre of expertise and experience will prove invaluable for our students,’ said Carmel. Lynne is currently directing Zen Zen Zo’s “very exciting collaboration” In the Company of Shadows. Due for release in April 2016, the cast travelled to Japan as part of their preparation, to train with a local dance company. The collaborative production will include a spoken word artist/slam poet; members of the Deep Blue Orchestra, who will embrace the physical aspect of performance; a dancer from the Japanese company and one from Singapore; and an aerialist from New Zealand.
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A sensational year of sport 2015 has been an amazing year for CHAC on the tracks, fields and courts, with 17 Premierships, a Cross Country Championship, a JTAS Red Division win for Primary, and – most exciting of all – the top spot in Trimester 3 of Secondary TAS sport. Highlights for TAS sport and carnivals include CHAC being crowned the Cross Country Aggregate Champions as well as the Boys’ Cross Country Champions. CHAC is also the number one Boys’ Volleyball College and placed second overall in Girls’ Cross Country and Boys’ Basketball.
From tiny acorns … Our Primary children thoroughly enjoyed their rain-interrupted Athletics Carnival, patiently awaiting their chance to develop their long-jump and high-jump prowess, and to demonstrate their javelin-throwing techniques to their older counterparts. Clearly their guidance paid dividends if CHAC’s performance at the JTAS Athletics Carnival is anything to go by! ‘Our Primary athletes performed exceptionally well and produced some amazing individual and team results. The College’s Junior Open Boys’ Team won the Red Division and, overall, CHAC placed third in the Red Division,’ said Melinda Myles, Coordinator of Health and Physical Education in Primary. In TAS Athletics, CHAC improved on its 2014 standing by an impressive two spots on the table, with both boys and girls finishing in fifth place. We look forward to cheering them on to even greater things in 2016. ‘2015 showed great effort and spirit from the CHAC Athletics team and the athletes fought hard to improve on last year’s performance’, said the Athletics Captains, Georgia Warren and Liam Toohey. ‘The level of dedication shown by the athletes on the day, and at the numerous training sessions that were made available is to be commended. Without this, we would not have achieved the result we did.’
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2015 Champions
For the second time in three years, thanks to the depth of our talent and commitment by the runners, CHAC was crowned the TAS Cross Country Champion. Our Primary students competed in the JTAS Cross Country Carnival the next day, where our 11 Year Girls won the Champions pennant while, overall, the College came fourth in the Red Division, having displayed exceptional support and encouragement for one another on the day.
Trimester 3
‘This is an amazing accomplishment that demonstrates the accumulated commitment and effort of all students, parents and staff towards sport at the College.’ Trimester 3 saw a first for CHAC, as the College topped the table following a hard-fought season of Football and Basketball for boys, and Volleyball and Touch Football for girls.
‘This is a commendable effort and all teams should be congratulated on their hard work and achievement throughout the season.’
‘This is an amazing accomplishment that demonstrates the accumulated commitment and effort of all students, parents and staff towards sport at the College. Achieving this feat is a first for CHAC sport and provides further evidence of the development of sport within the College,’ said Mark Spindler, Director of Sport.
Boys’ Basketball finished in second place for the season, only two points behind the Premiership team.
The Volleyball girls won three out of six Premierships, a feat applauded by the Volleyball Captain, Georgia Warren.
‘No team placed below third on their respective ladders, which is an amazing feat,’ said Boys’ Basketball Captain, Douglas Carroll, ‘and is testament to the dedication and commitment displayed by all students and coaches. I would especially like to congratulate members of the 2nd V and Year 9 teams, which finished at the top of their ladders and won their Premierships.’
Summer 2015
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(Above) Dr Gavin Nicholson, Chair of Council, presented awards at the Annual Awards Evening (Below) Mia Forsingdal with Emeritus Professor Robert Milns, AM.
The Intrinsic Project Services team search for their lost ball at the CHAC Foundation’s corporate golf day
Gift of time Charities, community groups and, indeed, schools owe much to the selfless work of volunteers. Dictionaries describe a ‘volunteer’ as a person who offers their services without being paid. But perhaps more pleasingly is the fact that they offer their services ‘without being compelled’. Many volunteering opportunities are immediately apparent to the CHAC community, from work in the Canteen and on the sporting fields, to help with College events and the literacy support program. Every day, our lives are touched in some way, thanks to the selfless commitment of our volunteers. Some of these ways may not be apparent or receive regular public acknowledgement. Here are just a few examples:
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With a deep belief in the importance and power of education, I deem it a privilege to be able to advocate for the kind of vision and values we share at CHAC at the national level, for the benefit of all Australian children.’
Advancing education They say that if you want something done, give it to a busy person. National Board Member of AHISA (the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia), Robyn Bell, could protest that her plate is already full, and yet the busy Principal of CHAC stretches the already maximised hours in her long day to contribute more broadly to the industry for which she harbours a great passion. In the College’s 25th history book – With Courage and Compassion: A celebration of the first 25 years – Robyn described her own ‘brand’ as ‘vision and values aligned, future focussed, relational and shared.’ This personal brand is also clearly reflected in her vision for the future of Australian education, her hard work for which resulted in her being awarded an Australian Council for Educational Leaders (ACEL) Fellowship. ‘With a deep belief in the importance and power of education, I deem it a privilege to be able to advocate for the kind of vision and values we share at CHAC at the national level, for the benefit of all Australian children.’
Enriching We are blessed with passionate teachers that, every day, go the extra mile for their students through tutorials, pastoral care, excursions, immersion experiences, tours, giving up their rest breaks, etc. Their commitment to their profession extends beyond the CHAC community, as well, as they volunteer time on the committees of professional associations. Michael McMahon, Head of Faculty - Social Sciences, for example, has put many hours of support into the History Teachers’ Association of Australia, including this year the organisation of the Queensland component of the Australian History Competition. ‘It’s a big commitment but important, I think, to spend some time supporting the bigger picture,’ said Michael. ‘It is to the ultimate benefit of our students.’ The History Teachers’ Association of Australia aims to foster an interest in History and, each year, runs the National History Challenge. This year, the special Magna Carta category – in recognition of 800 years since the signing of the Magna Carta – was won by Mia Forsingdal (Year 8). Her award was presented by The University of Queensland’s Emeritus Professor Robert Milns, AM.
Philanthropy personified The College is blessed to be supported by three major volunteer groups that support and enhance the journey of a CHAC student: The Past Students’ Association (offering support to current and past students of the College), The Parents and Friends’ Association (providing volunteer resources and fundraising – as well as fun raising!), and The CHAC Foundation (building secure sources of future income through major financial gifts and corporate relationships). The collective contribution of time given by these groups is priceless. ‘Our experiences as students of the College are a source of fond memories and, importantly, a substantial contribution to our academic, personal and professional development during our formative years,’ said Past Students’ Association Vice-President, Sam Walpole. ‘Accordingly, it is a great privilege to be able to develop programs and initiatives that benefit both past and present students, whilst contributing to a sustained sense of community.’
Our experiences as students of the College are a source of fond memories and, importantly, a substantial contribution to our academic, personal and professional development during our formative years.’
God bless our Homebakers! The taste of CHAC’s Homebakers’ deliciousness is hard to beat and adds a beautiful touch to events. Chief among the contributions (according to the Editor!) are mouth-watering raspberry and coconut muffins, and we are delighted to share this volunteer Homebaker’s recipe with you.
Raspberry and Coconut Muffins 2½ cups self-raising flour 1 egg, lightly beaten 90g butter, chopped 1/3 cup desiccated coconut 1¼ cups buttermilk 150g fresh or frozen raspberries 1 cup caster sugar 2 tablespoons shredded coconut Preheat oven to moderately hot (200 to 210ºC); however, drop the temperature by about 20ºC for fanforced ovens. I tend to cook at 180ºC and always check 5 to 10 minutes before time and rotate if necessary. Grease a 12-hole (1/3 cup capacity) muffin pan.
Past students prepare a sausage sizzle for the departing Year 12s
The P&F is already hard at work on the 2016 Wetlands Festival
Place sieved flour in a large bowl and use fingertips to rub in the butter. If the butter has been cubed nice and small and is cold, then it should go into the flour easily. This takes a little time (10 minutes) but get this right and you are on your way to a great muffin. Add sieved sugar and coconut, buttermilk, egg, and raspberries and, using a fork, mix until just combined. Spoon into muffin pans (papers) and sprinkle with a little shredded or desiccated coconut.
Governance The College is governed by a Board of Directors, the College Council, and its related key committees for finance, audit and risk, and buildings and grounds. These areas carry a tremendous fiduciary and strategic responsibility and time commitment, yet all members serve as willing participants in a voluntary capacity.
International Volunteer Day is celebrated each year on 5 December and was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1985. And so, as another school year draws to its conclusion, we trust our wonderful volunteers will take a moment on December 5th to take a bow, as we salute you for the many, many valuable ways in which you support our, and the wider, learning community. Thank you.
Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes, and then place on a wire rack to cool. Muffins may be dusted with icing sugar. PS: The recipe doesn’t have it but I like a bit of decadence in life and since you are eating berries with a great tangy tartness, I think it is okay to add a bit of chocolate. I chop about 100g of white cooking chocolate, or you could use little white chips, and mix in at the dry ingredient stage before the liquids go in.
Life is like that – full of additions and subtractions. Share a muffin and it will taste even better! Summer 2015
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Amy Broadfoot
Jesse Fang Lauren Jenkin
Here’s the story of some lovely ladies... … who were teaching some very lively classes. The Year 7s had great imagination The youngest one had glasses.
Tom McNeil
Marianna Malenica
Here’s the story of the 7s creatures Which were designed by students on their own. Each one used skill and time and talent To mould their creatures unknown. Now some of these you might find loudly bellow While others have much more than a hunch. And yet these creatures must somehow form a family That’s the way they all became the arty bunch.
Maxi Mossman
The arty bunch The arty bunch That’s the way they all became The arty bunch!
Emily van der Merwe
Archie Baker
Amelia Stevenson
Oliver Ward
Caitlyn Butt
Matilda O’Neil
Kayla Evans