STEPPING INTO LEADERSHIP

ERNA WALSH

CEO and Co-founder Kfive + Kinnarps JANET MCCULLOCH

Principal Interior Designer JMC Design

HUMAN CENTRED

DESIGN

Our design collaboration with Erna Walsh and Janet McCullouch has been a resounding success and described as one that puts our community "at the heart of the project”. We spoke to Erna and Janet about the impact of human-centric design in creating modern and beautiful spaces that foster high performance learning through personalisation, and celebrates community.

In speaking with Erna Walsh and Janet McCulloch about their design collaboration with Southern Cross Grammar for the Centauri Centre and Middle School upgrades, it is evident that their passion for human-centred design and their alignment of values with our school led to the resounding success of both projects. “The collaboration with the school, Janet, and myself was a fantastic match because everything we do is humancentric and has people at the heart of the process,” Erna said. “The entire project from start to finish was all about the school community because while buildings are important, they are for people to use.” The human-centred nature of both projects is evident in the personalisation, care, and thought in the design and curation of teaching and learning spaces, and hubs for our community to gather. From opening hallways to allow for easier flow of movement and traffic in the Middle School Building through to creating vibrant spaces for connection such as the Year 7 Hub and Year 12 Common Room, and aiding dynamic modes for teaching and learning through introducing flexible furniture in classrooms, the choices in design and furniture all support outcomes for high performance learning, work, and collaboration. “Every student works differently and every teacher works differently," Janet said. "You can't get the best out of people if you rigidly pigeonhole them into one way of sitting and learning. “One important feature we introduced to classrooms was a combination of higher seating and lower seating. So this meant students had the option of whether they wanted to sit at a table with stools or a

The Centauri Centre features sophisticated and beautiful furniture that adapts to different modes of learning and promotes human connection. Ottomans and structured zones lend themselves to collaborative work and learning; tables with stunning wooden finishes draw students and staff to connect, hold meetings, and complete focused work; and flexible furniture promote learning in a university tutor style arrangement.

In speaking of the use of colour and patterns in the space, Janet said, "It was important to use colour throughout [the Centauri Centre and Middle School Building]. I wanted a more mature solution and something that was more calming, so we used a lot of dusty colours that are a little more muted but still give a beautiful colour pallet. The patterns in the Centre are also muted to offer a sense of calmness and tranquility." table with regular height chairs. All these options were reconfigurable to allow for flexible learning.” Having being introduced to the school by Janet due to an “innate sense that she would resonate with the school and its philosophies,” Erna Walsh’s passion for sustainability and ethically made furniture added another element of sophistication to the project. “I am a believer that furniture should last as long as a tree, and at KFive, we work with brands and manufacturers who care about the environment and create sustainable and ethically-made furniture,” Erna said. In 2020, KFive joined the United Nations Global Compact: the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative, to drive change through innovative solutions in areas including human rights, labour, the environment, and anti-corruption. Erna and KFive’s philosophies regarding the individual and environment was evident whilst curating furniture for the

school. This included prioritising furniture that used vegetable glue, non-chromium coatings, and non-toxic foams. “Glues are really complex materials and does so much to children’s environment because the air they breathe also emits from furniture, and lasts five years,” Erna said. “I wanted to make sure students were not breathing toxic glues or materials. That’s why we decided to use vegetable glues and non-chromium powder coatings, and that’s really unusual, even for a school.” The Centauri Centre’s spaces have been well celebrated in our community with areas such as the Year 12 Common Room —which transforms into a restaurant during celebration evenings and events— reflecting the richness of our school and our community. In speaking about the Year 12 Common Room and its multiple functions for our community to gather, Janet said, “The Year 12 area celebrates the diversity of the school community. We set up the space so you could have groups of people coming together, whether Year 12s or the community, for events and functions. "Matt [Dodd] was really keen on families being involved and parents being able to come in and show different traditional ways of how they cook and eat as part of celebrating significant cultural events in their communities.” More recently the Year 12 Common Room was transformed into a vibrant restaurant for the Year 12 Induction. The event saw Year 7s cater and serve guests of over 200. Erna and Janet have been blown away by our community’s reactions and response to the Centauri Centre and Middle School Building upgrades. “The face can tell a million words and the expressions on students faces in the photos and videos shared, show genuine and real joy,” Erna said. “It has truly been a highlight of my career.” Janet echoed her statement saying, “It’s amazing seeing the joy in parents', students', and staff’s faces as they entered the spaces for the first time this year, and seeing the community’s reactions and use of the facilities. ”I’ve never seen a school that looks like Southern Cross Grammar. There’s something about it, when you walk in, that makes you think ‘This is special’. It just feels special. "There’s a lot of love that has gone into both projects, from everyone involved, and that shows and lends a warmth to the space. I think a lot of that has to do with the direction that Matt is heading in and what he wants from the school. With the completion of both projects, that vision has definitely come through.”

Left to Right The Library, as is custom with the spaces in the Centauri Centre contain vibrant and flexible furniture. Our young students explore the comforts of one of the chairs in the library during their first visit. Students work together in the cafe after school. Year 2 Strings students perform during the Music Information Evening in Term 2.

STEPPING INTO

LEADERSHIP

Year 12 marks a significant milestone in a student’s life and in their journey toward adulthood. With the opening of the Centauri Centre a few weeks prior, the significance of formally acknowledging the Class of 2022 as our most senior students was felt by all as students, families, and staff gathered in our newly commissioned auditorium.

(Left) School Captain, Pallavi Reddy, addresses guests at the Year 12 Induction. (Right) Jeremy Ramos performs Yiruma's 'River Flows In You'.

"Formally introducing our Year 12s as the Class of 2022 and the most senior leaders of our student body in front of our community and their families, is an important moment in their academic lives as they journey through this significant year,” Dr Amer Ibrahim Basha, the Head of Year 12, said. The Year 12 Induction joins the suite of milestones and events that have marked the Class of 2022’s journey this year as soon-to-be graduates. Having begun the year with their Year 12 Leadership Retreat at YMCA Lady Northcote and presented with their Year 12 Jumpers in Term 1, the Class of 2022 cemented their place in our school’s proud history as the first graduating class to formally set foot into the Centauri Centre. Having watched the Centre rise and take shape on our campus over two years, and having listened to the many stories that have come from the Centre since its opening on the first day of Term 2, the night was especially poignant for the Class of 2022 with their families in attendance at the Centre. “I was so pleased to see parents’ and family members’ happy faces as they stepped into the Centauri Centre to support students in such an important time in their student journey. After years of social distancing and time apart, the warmth of seeing new and familiar faces together in the Centre was so welcomed,” Dr Basha said. “One prominent highlight for me was seeing parents inside our new building and areas for the first time,” Year 12 student and School Captain, Antonio Magro, said. “It was clear that they enjoyed the spaces, from the Year 12 Cafe and Common Room to the classrooms, first floor library and cafe, and of course the auditorium.” Year 12 is a journey not achieved alone, but one achieved with the support of and guidance of many, including staff and parents. The night formally acknowledged this important partnership with statements of commitment from staff, parents, and students to support one another and the Class of 2022. For School Captain, Pallavi Reddy, watching her parents lead the parent statement of commitment was a “proud moment” and one that reinforced the commitment shown throughout her life to her learning and development. “It was really great to see all the students, teachers, and families together show their support for our year level. It has been a source of comfort and joy for us as a cohort to know that we are

truly supported by all members of our community.”

The Year 12 Common Room was transformed into a restaurant for the event. School leaders and members of the Executive Leadership Team donned their academic colours and gowns for the Induction.

Our Year 7 students rose to the challenge of designing a menu in preparation for the event, and cooking and catering at the Induction, serving over 200 guests.

The night was especially poignant for the Class of 2022 with their families in attendance to mark such a significant milestone in their journey towards adulthood.

The Year 12 Induction was made all the richer by our Year 7 students who cooked and catered the supper following the event. Having worked hard behind the scenes in the days leading up to the Induction, the Year 7s, led by our food studies team, crafted a delicious menu fit for such an occasion. “The night would not have been the same without our Year 7s and their hospitality,” Dr Basha said. “We all enjoyed their delicious menu and seeing the passion they had for their roles, whether it was cooking in the commercial kitchen, making beverages, or serving food and drinks in the Year 12 Cafe.” As the Class of 2022 set their sights on the future, they saw a glimpse into the many diverse and successful futures that await them during the night with members of the Executive Leadership Team and staff leaders donning their gowns and graduation colours for the event. “Our gowns and graduation colours are an important part of our identity as individuals,” Dr Basha said. “It also shows the diversity in our leadership team and how we all, collectively, have combined our different areas of expertise to support our students and community. It is also a powerful message to our students to aim high and pursue their academic dreams.” The night was as much a celebration of the Class of 2022 as it was of the diversity within the cohort and our community more broadly. To end the night, students shared messages of well wishes to their peers in their native language(s). "Seeing students' well wishes on the auditorium screen added another layer of warmth to the evening, not only for our students but to their parents and grand-parents as we acknowledged the many cultures that form our community," Dr Basha said. The Class of 2022’s Year 12 Induction marks the beginning of a new tradition at Southern Cross Grammar in formally acknowledging the milestones that shape a student’s journey into adulthood. When speaking about the impact of the Induction on future Year 12s to come, Dr Basha said: “The Year 12 Induction sets a tradition that will hopefully continue for many years to come. As we enter the next decade of our school, events like these give us opportunities to build traditions that reflect who are as a community that is multicultural, diverse, and high performing.”