The Buzz Spring 2014

ST HILDA’S MAGAZINE SPRING 2014

Buzz The

A Focus on Leadership :: Nicholas Rinehart Science Centre Opens :: Living Leadership :: Quiet Achievers

From the Principal

What is Leadership?

The theme for this edition of The Buzz is leadership. Questions such as “What is leadership?” and “What are the qualities of a leader?” have exercised educators, researchers, management consultants and life coaches alike for decades. Some entrepreneurs even claim to be able to teach behaviours which will make you a leader. I’m not sure about all that but I do think reflection and guidance can help people be better leaders. Reflection and guidance improve capability in any endeavour. In the end though I’m wondering if leadership is a lot simpler than that.

Leadership implies action, taking the lead. A leader sees a situation, envisages a solution and takes the initiative to act, empowering others to act with her. I am reminded of the incident at a suburban train station recently when a Transperth employee initiated a rescue plan which saw dozens of commuters combine to free a fellow passenger whose leg was trapped between a train carriage and the platform. It was an example of insight and the ability to engage people, in this case very quickly, in securing a solution. This was leadership.

If we subscribe to this understanding of leadership, we are able to recognise it in many settings, from the international stage to within a school, family or group of students. St Hilda’s has a strong tradition of producing women who recognise what is needed in a situation and acting accordingly, bringing others with them. The stories of a few of the many Old Scholars who are leaders in their workplace or community are captured in this edition.

We also look at how the leaders of tomorrow are being developed. For current students it means creating opportunities for all age groups to take the initiative in solving problems or improving situations. First we must ensure our students feel confident that their insights are valued and that they can bring about change. It begins with becoming self-motivated, independent learners who can set goals and carry them through. With multiple formal and informal opportunities for initiative within the School, each student is encouraged to exercise

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leadership. In the pages which follow, you will read of leadership in practice. From the work of student committees to Outdoor Education and Sporting programs, to Community Service and the House system where older students encourage and mentor younger ones, I am sure these stories will inspire you.

Finally, of course, young people are influenced by their parents, teachers and the other significant adults in their lives. It is important, therefore, that St Hilda’s staff model taking initiative and acting to make a difference in their areas of influence. A few examples is all we had room for, but these articles add to an understanding of leadership at St Hilda’s.

In some remarkably simple and effective ways, leadership is well and truly encouraged and exercised in the St Hilda’s community.

Joy Shepherd Principal Principal

From the Chair of Council

Thoughts on Leadership In my first year as Chair of Council, it is a great pleasure to pen some thoughts on leadership, our theme for this edition.

Across the generations, St Hilda’s has been the starting point for women who have gone on to become leaders and great role models in our community. As a St Hilda’s student almost 40 years ago, I gained the confidence that, as women, we could do whatever we set out to do. Role models played an important part and I particularly remember the former students who returned to speak to us about their overseas exchanges. They inspired me as much as their stories did and in many ways have influenced my choices and decisions ever since. This kind of leadership is at the heart of our School and is the embodiment of our philosophy ‘opportunities for life’.

The following pages will give you a glimpse into some past and present students as leaders, how leadership is woven into School life and some areas where we are achieving success that is setting us apart from other schools. Space limits us to a small slice of leadership across the St Hilda’s community and I encourage you to view our website and other newsletters for updates and other inspirational stories.

It is vital that we continue to inspire young women to excel at St Hilda’s. Research clearly shows that, for many young people, interest in a specific career begins at school. Imaginations are captured by inspirational teachers, excursions, visiting speakers and mentoring by Old Scholars. At the same time, the industry is looking to improve gender balance in leadership roles which will only be possible if strong numbers of women are entering those careers. This is especially true in the engineering and science based professions.

Council and the entire School community I extend our deepest appreciation to Mrs Shepherd for her leadership in every aspect of the School. We wish her and her husband John all the very best for their next adventures.

As the editor of The Chronicle in 1977 (above, front row, 2nd from left), I reflected that the really important aspects of St Hilda’s were the people, the aims and the character of the School and these had remained unchanged over time as we prepared each girl for her life outside St Hilda’s.

In 2014 we are still celebrating the success of our School, our students and the women who have passed through its doors, a testament to leadership at St Hilda’s in all its forms.

Deidre Willmott

Chair of Council

Our recent investment in the new Nicholas Rinehart Science Centre is a huge boost to offering more hands on science courses to more students and increasing their opportunities to pursue a broader range of careers. Increasingly we will see industry looking to partner with us to inspire our senior girls and this can only be an amazing window through which to view possibilities for life after school.

With leadership as our theme, it would not be possible to compile this without tribute and thanks to Joy Shepherd who has been our leader for the last 17 years. On behalf of the St Hilda’s

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LEADING IN SCIENCE EDUCATION

New Science Centre

On 16 October our impressive new Nicholas Rinehart Science Centre was officially opened by Nobel Laureate, Professor Barry Marshall.

In his address, Professor Marshall Professor Marshall highlighted the incredible contribution women have made to Science including Marie Curie, the first person to win two Nobel Prizes (for Physics and Chemistry), a feat which has never been repeated again. He also spoke about WA’s female scientists who have changed our world – Old Scholar Professor Fiona Stanley AC, Professor Fiona Wood AM and Professor Lyn Beazley AO and highlighted that hard work and the pursuit of truth have driven these women to achieve great things.

Following the theme of Mrs Rinehart’s speech, Professor Marshall stated that ”Science is not a democracy. Through research, hard work and ignoring negative input, the truth will be the winner.”

Designing a fundraising initiative for this particular building required precise planning due to the timing of a third large capital project in 10 years. Strong networks exist both within the School community and with Old Scholars, 4

we have a wonderful reputation for academic excellence, tradition and doing things in a particular way unique to our school, and there is an ongoing focus on developing the best environment for our students. This is a good, solid position to be in from a fundraising perspective. We have carefully crafted a personal, meaningful and very specific campaign and many of the spaces in the Centre bear the names of individual donors or groups like the Old Scholars Association or the Parents’ and Friends’ Association who have significantly assisted us in achieving our goals.

Even though we had a number of donors who made a considerable contribution for which we are incredibly grateful, the important thing is that our community responded when asked for help. It was the many modest gifts which really got us over the line. The sense of everyone doing their bit to help - collectively you assisted St Hilda’s in producing such a wonderful facility and without your ongoing generosity

we cannot hope to progress projects like this.

The lead donor to this project is Gina Rinehart, an Old Scholar, past parent, current grandparent of St Hilda’s and an extraordinary business woman and philanthropist. Gina’s support of this project was the culmination of over 10 years of discussion about strategic developments, beginning with our Junior School development, the value of Science for young women and her special interest in robotics. Gina has been a long-standing donor and supporter of the School. In the early 90s she was Chairman of the Chapel Appeal and the restoration of the original school building, and funded the renovation of Hope Nicholas House and the Hope Gardens outside the Chapel. Both were named in honour of her mother, Hope Nicholas, who was also an Old Scholar and one of the first boarders on this site.

Our Science Centre is named after both these incredible ladies in recognition of their contribution to St Hilda’s. We are immensely grateful for this generous gift which will be a lasting legacy to generations of women scientists at St Hilda’s.

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Science Week 02 Science Week: Doing the serious stuff so kids can have fun Science Week in August was an opportunity for three senior scientists from Telethon Kids, who are also Old Scholars, to share their career journeys with our Year 11s and 12s. Carol Bower (’64), Belinda Hales (’89) and Felicity Flack (’86) were delighted to answer questions and see the new Nicholas Rinehart Science Centre in action.

Professor Bower researches birth defects, neural tube defects and fetal alcohol syndrome. Associate Professor Hales is Head of the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research Group and Dr Flack is the Manager of Policy and Client Services for the Population Health Research Network.

All were impressed with the breadth of courses on offer at St Hilda’s. Professor Bower was also delighted to see lessons have moved from the demountables she learned in.

Science Week: Beyond the Beaker During Science Week our Year 10 students enjoyed an interactive ‘Beyond the Beaker’ presentation from SciTech.

The program is designed to inspire students to pursue careers in Science, Maths, Engineering and Technology.

The students were encouraged to participate in jousting using motion sensor technology and constructing a device to clean a polluted water sample. They watched a short shadow puppetry show to demonstrate the historical discovery of antiseptics which revolutionised hygiene in medicine and then participated in an activity to show how easily ‘glow germs’ are spread in a population. In between these demonstrations, students watched clips from interviews of young scientists working in the fields of nanotechnology and TV communication.

Science Week: Robogals visit Year 9 About 20 of our Year 9s recently had some fun with the Robogals – a university student run organisation that aims to increase female participation in Engineering, Science and Technology through fun and educational initiatives for school aged girls. The girls had to build and program a small robot vehicle using Lego Mindstorm. They programed it to do different tasks such as clean up an oil spill, distinguish between white and black paper and use different sensors and arms. From 2015, all Year 9s will do a robotics component as part of their Physics course.

01 Jessica Lee (Year 10) Beyond the Beaker 02 L-R: Felicity Flack (’86), Belinda Hales (’89) and Carol Bower (’64) having fun in one of the new Science labs.

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Working Holidays: Megan and Madeline Megan Baxter was off at the National Youth Science Forum...

The National Youth Science Forum (NYSF) is a national program that invites Year 12 science students to participate in a two week science program held every January. The program offers science students a unique opportunity to visit science facilities and laboratories, meet leaders and experts in various scientific fields, discuss and debate current scientific issues and have fun and socialise with like-minded students from all over Australia.

Following a rigorous selection process, Megan Baxter (Year 12) was invited to take part in this year’s forum at the University of Western Australia.

“During the very busy two week period, I stayed in residence at the university.

I visited numerous laboratory facilities including a pathology lab and sleep clinic and practised my suturing at a clinical training centre. I had the opportunity to listen to some amazing science presentations, was interviewed by some leading scientists in a ‘mock

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job interview’ and presented a speech on my research topic ‘printing organs’.

I also had fun attending a bush dance and a science themed disco. This fantastic opportunity really allowed me to understand the importance of science, and the huge impact it has on our world today.”

After Year 12, Megan is contemplating a biomedical science course.

01 Megan in action at the Clinical Training and Evaluation Centre.

02 Madeline in the laboratory at Murdoch University.

03 L-R: Juliet Brook, Ashani Jeyadevan and Megan Baxter

Titration Stakes: Silver and Gold While the Titration Stakes may sound like a horse race, it’s on the chemical field that our Year 12s have had a win.

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...while Madeline Robinett was chosen for the WA Science & Engineering Summer School Last summer holidays Madeline Robinett (Year 12) was selected to spend a week at Murdoch University as part of the Western Australian Science and Engineering Summer School. It was a great privilege and she has shared an account of her week: “I formed lifelong friendships with 80 likeminded, amazing people who had travelled from all over WA to attend the school.

I attended many lectures and hands-on laboratory sessions on topics including Forensic Biology and Toxicology, Sports Science, Physics, Chemistry and Veterinary Science.

“We also had a day where we visited the Harry Perkins Research Institute and the WA Department of Food and Agriculture. This day consisted of many hands-on activities including working with HELA cells and the chance to speak with many scientists regarding their careers and work in the research field.

“I also had dinner with about 30 scientists who were all at different stages of their careers. This was such a great chance for us to have a chat to them about their careers and how they got to where they are today.

At the closing ceremony I met the recently retired Chief Scientist of Western Australia, Professor Lyn Beazley. It was amazing to listen to her speak about her career and the difference that she has made to the world of science. I had the most amazing week of my life and I would recommend it to any girl who is interested in a career in the science fields or engineering in the future.”

Next year Madeline plans to study a Bachelor of Physiotherapy and a Bachelor of Sports Science along with Human Biology at The University of Notre Dame.

Congratulations to Juliet Brook, Ashani Jeyadevan and Megan Baxter who represented St Hilda’s at the Royal Australian Chemical Institute Titration Stakes Competition at Murdoch University. Juliet received a silver medal and Ashani and Megan both received gold.

For the non chemists among us, titration is a chemical analysis technique used to find out the concentration of an unknown solution.

It is used in many industries to find out the compositions of things such as wine, fruit juice, foods, dairy products and minerals.

St Hilda’s had three teams compete in the State competition in June and one team (Juliet, Ashani and Megan) advanced to the national finals. At this level there is a team score as well as individual placings.

In the final competition, each student competes independently completing a fairly complex titration and their results are added together to give a final team placing. The girls were placed sixth in WA with no other IGSSA school gaining a higher place. A fantastic result!

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Success at Brain Bee Challenges St Hilda’s is a regular participant in the Australia-New Zealand Brain Bee Challenge. A competition for high school students to learn about the brain and its functions, learn about neuroscience research, find out about careers in neuroscience and to dispel misconceptions about neurological and mental illnesses.

2014 Team Wins

This year our Year 10 team proved themselves as WA’s ‘brainiest’ students after winning the team event. Isobel Yates, Celeste Kalnenas, Maggie Wang and Mai Hoang made up the winning team beating over 80 students from schools across WA. Isobel also came third in the individual event.

The girls invested considerable study time outside school hours with support from their Science teachers. Although in Year 10, the girls are required to work at a Year 11/12 level to be competitive in this event. About 28 girls are currently studying neuroscience as an optional unit in Year 10.

The girls completed a brain-teasing team challenge and neuroscience quiz to test their knowledge of the brain and how it works. They also toured UWA’s world-class facilities and met with renowned scientific researchers.

01 L-R: Isobel Yates, Celeste Kalnenas, Mai Hoang and Maggie Wang 02 Katie Roche receives her medal from John Rostas.

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Nationals for Katie

Katie Roche (now in Year 11) was the individual WA winner in 2013 and travelled to the national competition at the beginning of 2014. Katie was placed an amazing third and gives us an insight into the challenges she faced: “The competition was held over two days at the University of Adelaide.

On the first day we completed three rounds of exams. First was the anatomy challenge where we had to identify structures of real human brains. The second round involved answering five questions in the space of an hour. Next was the clinical diagnosis section. This was the hardest part as it involved watching videos of patients with some form of nervous system damage or disease and making a diagnosis. That evening we attended the plenary lecture of the Australian Neuroscience Society Conference, given

by Professor Moses Chao from New York. After the lecture the competitors were introduced to Profressor Chao and other neuroscientists. On the

second day, the final round was held in a lecture theatre at the Adelaide Convention Centre. All the competitors had to stand at a podium on the stage to answer the live questions. There were five judges and 15 questions. At the end of this round the winners were announced.

“Although I was a bit apprehensive before the competition, I ended up really enjoying myself! I got to meet people my age who were interested in the same things and we got to bond over the experience. It was also really cool because we were able to attend an official invite-only conference filled with academics and neuroscientists from Australia.”

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Election time Year 12 is a serious and academic year for all our students but being at the top of your game can also be fun. As part of the leadership election process, students are asked to deliver a ‘pitch’ for the girls in their House – these are often quirky, funny and very individual.

A simple personal advertisement is also provided – here are some examples from this year:

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Chevron Women in Leadership Program Thanks to Chevron and Old Scholar Susmita Thomson, ten of our Year 10s spent a week last holidays as part of Chevron’s Women in Leadership Program. Each girl was assigned a mentor for the week who they shadowed in all her work activities.

such as Chevron as well as a personal connection with their mentors, who will remain in touch as the girls continue their school careers.

As you would expect, there was a huge range of areas covered from earth science, geophysics, sub surface operations, the non –operated Joint Ventures and the Energy Technology Company. One student was asked to develop a Powerpoint presentation for the geophysics team, others had to manipulate data into graphs and then analyse it and one student helped at a community service activity. There was also training in safety and personal protective equipment, personal presentation and deportment and some lively discussion on women working in a traditionally male dominated environment.

It was an ‘access all areas’ approach and everyone came away with a real understanding of the breadth of roles available in a global company

01 Front L-R: Cecelia Kinsella, Maggie Wang, Celeste Kalnenas, Mai Hoang, Joy Shepherd, Rhea Pereria and Stephanie Wong Back L-R: Lucy Wu, Emily Parkinson, Natasha Mehl, Olivia Hurley, Ann Linehan

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LIVING LEADERSHIP Senior School Everyone at St Hilda’s is encouraged to be involved in our decision making processes and be proactive in the wide range of activities within our Senior School.

Our leadership groups operate on a non-hierarchical organisation structure which sees each group working towards a common goal.

“We want every student to be involved in a formal group at some point during their time in Senior School, “ says Dean of Students Diana Stanley. “We believe this is a really important part of building leadership skills and we want St Hilda’s to develop independent thinkers who can ‘get on and do’ in their lives after school.”

Structure

The student leadership structure is: School Officials, House Officials, Year Representatives and Tutor Group Officials, Student Representative Council and Committees. To be considered for a School or House Official position, you need to complete at least 20 hours certified community service in Years 10 and 11.

The School Officials work on school wide issues within their area of responsibility for the benefit of all students. They meet monthly with the Principal and Dean of Students for support and guidance.

The House Officials work within their House group and with a specific year group. They meet regularly with their House Coordinator and Head of Year. All these Year 12 positions are voted for by students in Years 7-12 with a weighting in favour of the votes from students in Years 10-12. House Officials are only elected by members of their House following what are often very creative, energetic and humorous presentations to the students.

Variety and fun

“Seeing the students develop during their term of office is a wonderful journey to be a part of,” says Head of Blackwood Sophie Godkin. “As their confidence grows, so does their ability to think outside the box and some amazing 10

(and some slightly crazy!) ideas for House Meetings, Chapel, Arts Festival or marching are born. The ideas that are different are the ones that create the best memories, not only for the Year 12s but for our future House leaders.”

For our long serving Head of Fitzroy Vicki McAlinden, “working with the girls of Fitzroy is just a part of the job I cherish.”

In Senior School we have six year levels with a Head of Year responsible for the welfare of approximately 140 students. Each Tutor Group has a Tutor Captain and Deputy voted by students each semester. There are two Year Representatives elected by their peers for each year.

Variety on offer

A large part of our leadership learning happens at the committee level where we have the largest percentage of students involved. From astronomy, debating, dance, ecology and languages, there is an enormous range and variety of interests on offer. These committees are run by the students and without their tireless efforts and the valued assistance by staff, many activities at St Hilda’s would simply not be on offer.

According to Diana Stanley, the leadership journey is sometimes bumpy but that in itself is key to learning.

“Sometimes we have to stand back and wait for the girls to work things through.

It can be hard to be on the side lines but trial and error is part of the process and we rarely have a situation where things do not work out for the best,” she says.

From Katie Frazier Junior School Head Girl It doesn’t take an amazing person to be a leader. In fact, leaders are simply ordinary people who step up to the challenge of guiding others through life. These leaders have their faults but they strive to be the best they can be, even when that isn’t easy. The ideal leader thinks of others before themselves. As Head Girl of the Junior School, I’ve had the opportunity to try my hand at leadership. My realm of influence is only very small and I don’t pretend to be a perfect leader or even a good one, but I’ve been able to come to a better understanding of the responsibility and privilege it is to be able to hopefully make a difference, no matter how small in someone else’s life.

To me, that’s what being a leader is all about.

From Phoebe Carrington Jones Head Boarder In my opinion, leadership encompasses not only striving ahead, and setting an example, but immersing yourself in the community; being able to lead from within the group. I find that generally commands more respect from your peers as they know and trust you as leader.

As a boarder, holding a School leadership position not only means being a role model during school hours, it extends to other aspects of your life, particularly socially. You will get younger girls adding you on Facebook and following you on Instagram, and it is really important that your profile sets a good example. The girls will never respect us or listen to us if our profiles portray exactly the image we discourage at school. A School Official position really becomes integrated into all aspects of your life.

To me, any responsibilities or consequences of holding a position are largely outweighed by the pride I feel every week when I sit on stage at assembly. To be able to represent such an amazing group of people is such a privilege and anyone would be lucky to do so.

01 From Ellie Hamill Head Girl I was so lucky to be voted as Head Girl for 2014 and it has been an amazingly busy year. There are some important skills a leader needs which I have used in my time as Head Girl.

It was absolutely crucial for me to be organised and manage my time well so that all the work didn’t pile up and so I could manage both all the demands of Year 12 and my duties and responsibilities. I found it really important as a leader to be in touch with the School and my Year group, so that when making decisions I could consider the feelings of others and make a decision that hopefully reflected what the girls wanted, while still knowing it’s impossible to make everyone happy.

Being a good communicator is really important- staying connected with information you’re getting from teachers, communicating with other

School Officials and making sure other people know what’s going on, as Head Girl you often get information you need to pass on to others. Being able to multi-task and prioritise was also super important for me as I still wanted to keep up all my extra-curricular activities.

It was a big load keeping up with all these commitments but I wouldn’t have done this year any other way.

but you just have to pick yourself up and move onto the next thing. Be kind to yourself, it can feel like there’s a lot of expectation on you to be amazing, to achieve incredible results, but you’re only human so just keep doing what you do and everything will be okay in the end.

I also think it’s really important to be a friendly, warm and approachable person, for girls of all ages. I am lucky to have made lots of great friends in many years and that has made my job a whole lot easier and a heap more fun.

My advice to our 2015 Head Girl, Alexandra, is be yourself, everyone is different and you’ve been picked for the strengths you’ll bring to the job. Don’t worry if things don’t go the way you plan, it’s a busy year full of lots of things to organise and do, and if every now and again something you planned falls through, it’s okay, I know there were a number of things we planned that just didn’t work out

01 L-R: Phoebe Carrington-Jones, Ellie Hamill and Katie Frazier in the Board Room.

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Leading the way in Year 6 “What are the qualities of a good leader?” “What does leadership in action look like?”

“What does it mean to be an effective team member?” “What gifts, talents and passions can you bring to your role as a leader?”

These were some of the questions posed to our Year 6 students as they embarked upon their Junior School leadership journey at the beginning of the year.

Student leadership in the Junior School comes in many forms. Some of the actions taken by the girls are highly visible to the school community; many take place ‘behind the scenes’ on a daily basis. Leadership in action ranges from making presentations at assemblies to planning and preparing activities for weekly House Meetings to offering support and friendship to younger members of the Junior School community.

House Meetings take place every week and are organised and presented by the House Captains with the support of the Year 6 students, who each take responsibility for a small mixed group of students in Years 1 to 5.

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The activities nurture friendship, team work and collaboration skills. The girls enjoy working together and learning from each other on a wide variety of structured activities such as a skipping competition, role playing scenes from their favourite books during Book Week and taking care of the local environment by weeding and planting at Ladner Park.

contributions to St Hilda’s and the wider community and at the same time develop important skills in the areas of team work, confidence, public speaking, initiative, responsibility and organisation.

Each member of the Year 6 cohort is a member of a committee, which meets regularly with a mentor teacher. This year, the committees have met to share their ideas and take action in the following areas: Art, Community Service, Environment, Information Technology, Music and PE. Being involved in leadership is a challenging, exciting and rewarding part of being the most senior cohort in the Junior School. Through the work of the committees, the girls are able to make many important and rewarding

01 Mrs Shepherd and Mrs McNally welcoming the new Junior School leaders at the Year 6 induction

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2015 School Leaders School Officials

House Officials

Head Girl Alexandra Finlay-Jones

BLACKWOOD Faith Chow - House Captain Cassandra Bond Gabriella Brown Vinuri Gajanayake Catherine McClure Matilda Simcock

Administration Captain Katherine Roche Arts Captain Mira Sertorio Drama Captain Cassidy Dunn Head Boarder Isabella Aird Head Sacristan Julia Baddock Music Captain Ashley Skead Service Captain Kate Woolhouse Sports Captain Monika Blankenburgs

01 L-R: Mira Sertorio, Isabella Aird, Julia Baddock, Katherine Roche, Alexandra Finlay-Jones, Cassidy Dunn, Monika Blankenburgs, Ashley Skead and Kate Woolhouse

DE GREY Naina Akella - House Captain Maggie MacEvilly Noni Mills Raquel Rebelo Georgia Sturgeon Megan Tonkinson FITZROY Cameron Hurst - House Captain Vanessa Anderson Georgina Clarke Catherine Fenna Sarah Moody Rohanna Stoddart GASCOYNE Annie Jiang - House Captain Emily Benson Charlotte Brown Alice Hamilton Marcella Kandiah Tessa Sproul

Strength from within According to Head of Boarding Leonie Jongenelis leadership within the boarding community comes fairly naturally to most. “Many of our boarders have grown up in communities where their parents and relatives are heavily involved the social and political life of their towns. Strong community participation is how small communities thrive. Independent thinking is necessary but working together and learning to negotiate are also vital. A boarding experience fosters these important skills and leadership is embedded throughout the years and age groups.

“From the earliest years, the girls take turns in representing their cohort as a Year Representative. There are many opportunities to work with the senior leaders to support and enthuse their peers to participate in the many activities on offer. Many of these initiatives are about developing a social conscience and awareness of need in others.

“All Year 10s take part in a leadership training program each November. Those who then wish to hold a Peer Support position for new students can apply. The training also provides information on what leadership is and what it means in the boarding community. I am really proud to see many of our boarders subsequently nominated for leadership positions in Year 12.”

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LEADING SELF

In the great outdoors Our students are fortunate to have opportunities to participate in many wide and varied outdoor experiences.

Currently, the compulsory Outdoor Education programs begin in Year 7 and continue through to Year 10. As our students move through the School, the Outdoor Education programs focus less on activities and more on leadership, with the final shared outdoor experience being the Year 10 student led Odyssey expedition at Wooleen Station.

Outdoor Education is a highly valued part of our curriculum as it lends itself to providing leadership opportunities and experiences. The dynamic nature of student personalities and the natural environment are the main elements that shape how an individual will lead and how a group will respond in unpredictable social and environmental conditions. Consequences during outdoor experiences become very real when students are faced with the prospect of potentially walking an extra five kilometres, capsizing their kayak or sleeping in a wet tent! This makes it apparent very quickly to students that leadership in the outdoors is not about rank but choice- to look after people 14

and make them feel safe, physically and emotionally. The safer leaders make individuals feel, the more individuals feel they belong and the more individuals will work together to perform as a group to overcome and experience things together. The reality is that not all groups will perform as a cohesive unit based upon student leadership, however the staff always facilitate the process to highlight and achieve positive outcomes for individuals and the group.

Leading by example is fundamental to our programs and nowhere is this better illustrated than by our Principal Joy Shepherd who has abseiled down the spectacular Wilyabrup sea cliffs with the Year 9s, spent days hiking the Cape to Cape track with student groups and become engrained with the red dirt of Wooleen Station.

Photo Credits: Nic Covelli

Rhea Pereira - South Africa This is my favourite moment while on exchange. We visited a Cheetah breeding reserve. It was so incredibly amazing to be able to play with cheetah cubs and it was definitely one of the best moments of my life!

Away from home Year 10 is a particularly special year for the girls who spend time away from St Hilda’s and home on overseas exchange. It is a wonderful experience to be an ambassador for St Hilda’s which provides many opportunities for personal growth. Here is a snapshot from some of this year’s travellers.

Ella Crust - New Zealand

New horizon for Nicole Year 10 boarder, Nicole Manifis is just back from the trip of a lifetime. Chosen for the 2014 IF Foundation International Leadership Programme, Nicole spent most of September touring the USA. It was the first time Nicole had travelled overseas and she really enjoyed the experience but attending New York Fashion Week was a great thrill.

Above: Nicole was fortunate to meet the US Consul General Ms Cynthia Griffin when she recently visited St Hilda’s.

Maddie Sandl and Rachel Bright - New York “I have thoroughly enjoyed shopping, sight-seeing, going to Broadway shows, meeting new people and experiencing a completely different schooling life. My favourite moment has definitely been when we went to Six Flags Amusement Park on a school trip because I love roller coasters! This photo was taken outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art on the Upper East side of Manhattan.”- Maddie

“New Zealand was such an amazing opportunity and I loved every minute and living in a Boarding House was definitely one of the highlights, it was so much fun getting to know all the girls.

Snow skiing at Cardrona was a huge physical challenge but I had a blast even though skiing is not one of my skills.

I also thoroughly enjoyed touring the Cadbury chocolate factory, YUM!.”

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Spreading our wings campaign launched

Chidley Campus is purchased Rowing: St Hilda’s wins First VIII Trophy, Head of the River Regatta Champion School and Perpetual Trophy for School Girl Premiers

“Space gives all sorts of opportunities - there’s physical space, particularly for younger students, there’s educational space that the whole School can use such as the sports fields and the Cortile, and space to develop new facilities.”

Joy Shepherd, Bulletin Autumn 2004

St Hilda’s survives the Y2K bug

Joy reflects on her first four years at St Hilda’s in the Autumn 2002 edition of Bulletin, “Four years on, together we have reviewed and made changes to pastoral care, student leadership, the curriculum and co curriculum.

We have an Enterprise Bargaining Agreement for academic staff.

We have restructured the senior staff team, purchased the Chidley campus, built a new boarding house, refurbished Parnell House and opened the new sports courts and carpark”

Mrs Joy Shepherd with Kate Longhurst at her first Year 12 induction ceremony.

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Fire in Parnell House - Boarding moved to vacant WA Education Department site at Chidley.

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School Production Oliver!

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Mrs J Shepherd Principal 1998

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2005

Work begins on Junior School at Chidley Campus and new home for Head of Boarding

Inaugural sports dinner 25 October 2001, the establishment of 24s Club

St Hilda’s wins at National Awards for Quality Schooling

School Production No No Nannette New Boarding House opens and Day Boarding is introduced

June Jones Teaching and Learning Centre opened Anna Dunnill is awarded WA Young Writer of the Year

According to the West Australian, St Hilda’s is ‘the top’ TEE school in Western Australia in 2005

St Hilda’s wins Overall Champion School IGSSA Sport

St Hilda’s team wins Grand Final of Mock Trials run by the Department of Justice School Production Anything Goes

School enrolments

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Joy Shepherd is welcomed as the new Principal at St Hilda’s. In front of the altar and the robed Sacristans, Mrs Shepherd is presented by Mr Groves, Chairman of Council, and is commissioned by the Archbishop.

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New swimming pool complex is opened by Gemma Beadsworth (‘04) St Hilda’s wins IGSSA Swimming Carnival for the third year in a row

School Production Beauty and the Beast St Hilda’s wins Eric Carlin Award as best secondary school for writing.

Year 7 is now part of Senior School

New Library & Technology Centre opens

100 years of Boarding at St Hilda’s – Peer Support Leaders introduced across Boarding & Mentoring Program.

Katie Dyer wins WA Young Writer of the Year.

School Production Grease

The new Junior School at Chidley Campus opens in January there is a Ribbon of Blue walk from Bay View Campus to celebrate

Old Scholars Association time capsule is buried under Chidley portico

Extend-ED introduced at Chidley Campus.

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Construction of geothermal bore for new pool begins

HOTmaths introduced to Years 7-10.

Tablet PC introduced into classrooms

St Hilda’s wins Eric Carlin Award as best secondary school for writing.

Elizabeth Hemsley Art & Design Centre opens First Contemporary Art Fair

School Production Annie

“Follow your dreams, but be prepared to change them as you learn more about yourself and the world.”

Joy Shepherd Chronicle 2007

Performing Arts Centre officially opened

School enrolments

1240

Spreading Our Wings campaign closes - 700 individual donors pledging $2.8M out of a total $3.6M Spreading Our Wings Sculpture donated by Old Scholar, Angela Bennett.

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2007

St Hilda’s wins IGSSA Swimming Carnival

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St Hilda’s wins Eric Carlin Award as best secondary school for writing – record 6th year

Beazley Medal winner – Kathleen Dyer

School Production Cabaret

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Nicholas Rhinehart Science Centre opens 16 October

Contemporary Art Fair

St Hilda’s Library & Technology Centre wins Australasia Regional Educational Facilities Awards for Outstanding School Facilities, Renovation & Modernisation - July 2008 (Marshall Kusinski Design Consultants)

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Dr Pam Garnett, Joy Shepherd, Hon Julie Bishop and Robin McKean appear on the cover of Autumn 2006 Bulletin at the National Awards for Quality Schooling

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2011

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Mrs Joy Shepherd’s final year at St Hilda’s.

St Hilda’s team wins Grand Final of Mock Trials Final Speech Night in Winthrop Hall, UWA St Hilda’s wins Eric Carlin Award as best secondary school for writing.

Construction of the Performing Arts Centre begins

School Production Bugsy Malone

2013

100 years of GHS & Old Scholars Association Holly Jian wins WA Young Writer of the Year St Hilda’s wins Eric Carlin Award as best secondary school for writing.

Contemporary Art Fair Katerina Chua wins Beazley Medal.

School Production Oliver!

Joy joins the girls onstage in her cameo appearance as a flower seller

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Leading with soul

01 01 L-R: Principal Joy Shepherd with delegates from the Anglican Schools Conference

Australian Anglicans have recently elected a new Primate. Not to be confused with our evolutionary ancestors, Primates are far from ape like…at least, usually.

The role of a Primate is to lead the Church and represent it to the wider world. In an organisation modelled on the servant leadership of Christ, leadership that works in both the church and the world context is perhaps impossible. In the 2000s, the Church of England appointed a theologian, an academic and poet, as Archbishop of Canterbury. His skills were perhaps wasted when trying to be the manager of an institution. His replacement is a former senior executive manager in the oil industry and it is easy to see that the Church is trying to find out whether a manager might be more successful than a theologian at uniting a diverse international church.

Church history is littered with such wondering. The Anglican Church is so diverse that there is no such thing as an ideal leader. We are at the same time, too Protestant for some, too Catholic or Orthodox for others; too liberal and too conservative, too biblical or too worldly.

So often we hear the expression ‘that’s not the Anglican way’. Usually it means people have a very limited experience of Anglicanism, and their judgements are based on very narrow samples: one school at one time, or one parish in one place.

In a series of lectures at St George’s Cathedral various clergy are painting a broad picture of our Church. In 18

its history, the Anglican Church has produced leaders of immense faith and ability, who have brought about reformations or revivals. In the nineteenth century, the Tractarians, later known as the Oxford Movement, then as Ritualists or Anglo-Catholics, reminded the Church of England that it was not merely a social welfare arm of the state, a treasury of antiquities or a Protestant sect. It was part of an international community that taught the faith of the apostles, shared the creeds, and handed down Christianity from one generation to the next. It was catholic, universal, and an authentic expression of Christianity. Its leaders suffered persecution, mockery, even imprisonment for making such claims, in an age where people had got used to the church rubber stamping the secular culture. This movement produced martyrs: those who gave their lives not only for the church, but for the sake of doing Christ’s work, where doing social work alone had become the expected norm. The Church as we know it today still bears the marks of this movement.

The vestments, furnishings and rituals of our services reflect the care, dignity, beauty that was set apart for God, and sought to draw people out of the slums, the workhouses and the cathedrals of industrial pride into the kingdom of heaven.

Fr Toby Sherring

Anglican Schools Australia Conference.

This year the annual Anglican Schools Australia conference, Mining the Soul, was held in Perth. 200 delegates including principals, council members, bishops, chaplains and teachers took part.

Aspiring leaders in Anglican schooling signed up for a day focusing on leadership, modelled by three WA principals. Our Principal, Joy Shepherd welcomed the delegates to St Hilda’s and was able to share something of the remarkable journey that led her to the position of leader in our St Hilda’s community.

Su-Yin Lew, St Hilda’s Community Service Captain, took part in a student panel discussing the ways in which an Anglican school had helped students to mine their souls.

Our Chaplain, Father Toby, was a member of the conference committee.

His leadership included planning a day specifically for chaplains, and overseeing the liturgical events. This included a eucharist with the Archbishop at St George’s Cathedral, in the presence of the Primate of Australia. St Hilda’s students displayed leadership, taking part as sacristans, and singing in the combined choir made up of students from across the Anglican school community of WA.

Our Inspiration: St Hilda of Whitby Our patron saint, St Hilda of Whitby, was known as a strong and persuasive leader who brought literacy and learning to Britain and greatly influenced its transformation from paganism to Christianity.

Our knowledge of her life is mainly through The Venerable Bede’s Ecclesiastical History of the English People written while he was a monk in Northumbria in 731.

Royal Princess

Hilda was born into the royal Deiran household in 614, the great-niece of King Edwin of Northumbria. Almost immediately after her birth, Hilda’s parents and older sister were sent into exile in Elmet in western Yorkshire and her father, Hereric, died there. Soon afterwards her mother, Breguswith and her two young daughters moved back to Northumbria under the protection of King Edwin.

In 627 King Edwin took the momentous step of accepting the Christian faith.

He was baptised on Easter Day 12 April, in a small wooden church, hastily constructed for the occasion, near the site of the present York Minster. Hilda was among the nobles and courtiers who were baptised with Edwin. This means as a girl, she must have been aware of the traditions of the Church in Rome and of the existence of monastic life.

From 627 to 647 there is nothing documented about Hilda. It seems likely that when King Edwin was killed in battle in 633 she went to live with her sister at the East Anglian court. Bede resumes her story when at age 33, she is about to join her widowed sister at a convent in France. She decided instead to answer the call of Bishop Aidan of Lindisfarne to return to Northumbria to live as a nun.

This was the turning point in her life.

Abbess of Hartlepool

After Aidan saw her great ability to lead a small monastery, he persuaded her to become the second Abbess of Hartlepool, a double monastery on a headland at the mouth of the Tees estuary. In 657, King Oswiu gave Hilda ten hides of land (about 1,200 acres) called Streanaesalch to build a double

monastery and to raise his infant daughter, princess Æfflæd there. Later this monastery became known by the Viking name of Whitby.

Whitby flourished and became a centre of great literacy and learning. As Abbess, Hilda emphasised learning and literacy, scholarly study of the Bible, good works, holding all things in common, and living with one another in peace and love.

Bede records that Hilda was so loved and respected that everyone who knew her called her ‘Mother’. Whitby became one of the greatest religious institutions and learning centres in England at that time. She was a great religious leader and teacher who was not only deeply spiritual, but was also a powerful administrator and visionary.

Meeting Caedmon

Many current and former St Hilda’s girls will be familiar with the painting Sing to Me Caedmon currently hanging in the School Hall. He was a cow herder on the monastery lands who had a way with words and music. Hilda recognised his gift and encouraged him to stay at the monastery to learn the Bible stories and to create them into poetry and song.

She must have realised that teaching the Bible in the vernacular instead of Latin would help bring the people of the area to Christ. Through this encounter with Hilda, Cædmon became the first English poet.

Towards the end of her life, Hilda began a satellite convent at Hackness, in a very beautiful part of North Yorkshire about 13 miles from Whitby. It is likely that she also had a hermitage in Cumbria.

01 followers urged them “to maintain the gospel peace among themselves and with others.” Hilda was probably buried at Whitby and her relics later taken to Glastonbury.

Hilda has influenced Christianity for over 1400 years with many churches, colleges, convents, schools and organisations named for her. Our corner of Perth is part of a broad world wide community acknowledging and celebrating her leadership in education and Christianity.

Lifelong Leadership

Hilda became very ill in the last six years of her life. In spite of her long illness, she kept serving the Lord with energy, strength, creativity, and courage.

On her deathbed, she had her last Communion surrounded by her nuns on 17 November 680. Her last words to her

01 This painting is proudly displayed above the entrance in the School Hall.

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Determination in sport

It is sometimes said that sport doesn’t build character, it reveals character. With over 12 different sports and an extensive list of fitness activities, almost every girl in St Hilda’s is involved in physical education.

Our Physical Education team regularly sees our students growing and developing the personal attributes required for sound leadership.

According to Head of Sport Naomi Bryant, “the girls that are involved in school sport are learning skills for life often without realising it. We have spent time considering the work of Donna Lopiano, Ph.D., President, Sports Management Resources and the following are just some of the personal attributes we see daily at St Hilda’s.”

Being a skilled communicator - able to clearly explain tasks and inspire others with varying backgrounds and perspectives.

Being confident - poise, clear thinking under pressure, conviction in the course being set, and decisiveness are characteristics that earn the respect and loyalty of others.

Being generous - a ‘giver’ rather than ‘taker’; a giver of time, knowledge and caring.

Being honest - truthful and openly selfcritical with regard to acknowledging own errors.

Showing humility - modest about her 20

abilities and always respectful of others.

Being passionate - performs work and play and approaches every task with passion and enthusiasm.

Being trustworthy - builds trust and confidence by acting in team member’s best interest and not revealing confidential information.

Nowhere are these attributes more evident than in rowing: “The experience of leading a sporting group has developed our character and set us up for strong future paths and careers. Communicating with large groups of people, both students and staff, has helped us to build on our independence and organisation skills.

Being a part of a team environment has given us the motivation and determination to succeed in whatever we do and has provided us with the mental ability to exceed our limits.

Working together in a team and trusting one another has given us the capability to have confidence that we can rely on, not only in our team mates, but also in our future alliances and relationships in both the working world and family world.

“Sport has allowed us to accommodate the needs of our peers and team mates and has given us the ability to listen to others rather than dominate over others’ decisions and opinions.

In a team sport, all players are on one level and in order to succeed, all team members need to be equal. The ability to understand the notions of team play and fairness will allow us to work well in future organisations we become involved in.

“One of the roles of being a team leader is to encourage others and have optimism in all tasks given to us. It is important to create an environment that is positive, hopeful, buoyant and enjoyable for all. We have taken our inspiration from the American football player and coach Knute Rockne -“One man practising sportsmanship is far better than 50 preaching it “We’ve been part of many sporting groups over our school years and our passion to participate and achieve great things has built over the years. As St Hilda’s Rowing Captains, we have seen the passion and drive in the younger year groups grow and develop into a strong thirst to continue with what they love.”

Abigail Lyons & Annie Lester 2014 Rowing Captains

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Communication is key Recently competing as part of the Australian U18 Women’s Water Polo team has given Tess Hosking (Year 12) some insight into the importance of good leadership in elite sport.

She also has direct experience as Captain with her club the Dolphins, St Hilda’s and leading the WA U16 team in national competitions. “From sport, I’ve realised how important effective communication is, both in conveying my own ideas to team mates but also making sure everyone’s ideas are listened to and respected. Managing to keep myself and team mates focused no matter the circumstance is an important skill. This also translates into life outside sport; staying positive lifts your confidence in your ability which influences your results and it can also lift others around you.

01 Tess Hosking in the pool.

02 L-R: Cate Allen, Olivia Fitzpatrick and Montana Lane with coach Zoe Timmers

“I’ve realised that a good leader isn’t always leading their team as much as they are taking up whatever role the team needs filled at the time. That’s to say, a leader should be able to clarify things for team members, liaise between players and coaches, listen to new ideas from other members, or even listen to team mates who just need to let off a little steam and rant about something! Obviously in competitive sport you and your team are trying to get the best result, so leaders need to make sure that there aren’t any problems and that the entire team performs at their best.”

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Photo Credit: Theo Fakos

Physical Education teacher Zoe Timmers is back from representing Australia in the high jump at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Her personal dedication and positive attitude have seen her reach an elite level in sport but at St Hilda’s we are equally proud of her as a role model in the Senior School.

Zoe has been an inspiration to her students and has also started a special high jump training group. We now have three girls – Cate Allen, Olivia Fitzpatrick and Montana Lane – training at a senior level as a result of her expertise and achieving personal results they never thought possible.

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Incredible success for our writers Outstanding success for St Hilda’s again this year in the 2014 West Australian Writing Competition.

We won the Eric Carlin Award as Top Secondary School in WA for the sixth consecutive year. Rohanna Stoddart (Year 11) was also chosen as West Australian Young Writer of the Year. These are fantastic achievements as, once again, this year’s competition received over 2000 entries from young writers throughout WA. St Hilda’s had twelve award winners and seven finalists in this year’s competition.

Our individual award winners were:

Year 11 and 12 Poetry: 1st Rohanna Stoddart, 4th equal Cameron Hurst and Christina Grant

Year 11 and 12 Prose: 1st equal Isabelle Leclezio, 4th equal Emily Leung and Su-Yin Lew

Year 9 and 10 Poetry: 1st Sirling Chua, 2nd Celeste Kalnenas

Year 9 and 10 Prose: 1st equal Isabelle Higgins and Martha Mellor, 3rd Maeher Trisal

Year 7 and 8 Prose: 3rd Eliza Smith

Year 6: Amelia Beck

Too Primed to Tremble by Rohanna Stoddart

Short consonants spit urgency like bullets, cracking across the river And calloused vowels, roughened with saltwater, are elongated with anticipation, in the practised cry “ALL CREWS ATTENTION–” Commanding you to readiness.

Restless thoughts still And layers of consciousness are peeled away and drop curling onto The riverbed Narrowing the gap between you and the rough wood catching on your sweating palms, the anticipatory muscles bunching in your legs.

Breathe.

The words expand and echo in an instant of climactic immediacy And time stretches So the moment is a gleaming droplet hanging from a spiders thread, Eternity glimmering in the frozen suspension, expanding in the shattered second of hesitation, before it falls.

All around you the silvery light of the morning sun grazes the river And the water is quicksilver.

It gleams in perfect swollen eddies, lapping against the boat with small slapping sounds that you feel but don’t hear because the breaths swelling your chest swell in your ears.

Breathe.

You crouch in your glass bubble, Arms extended at the catch, knees tucked into your chest, Ignore the cramps, they don’t exist, push down the nerves with air, take more loud, harsh breaths that sting your throat, that roar.

You can coil yourself tighter, feel the seat move up the slide by a hairsbreadth, another gleaming strand of gold propulsion.

Fix your eyes straight ahead, at coils of Blue and yellow ribbon Strips of colour that will constitute Your entire world for the next four-hundred-and-eighty seconds.

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Breathe.

Time inches forward with each pounding heartbeat, In the spaces between breaths you feel it Pulsing in your chest, fingertips, Weak and inconsistent but growing.

That hiccup Perched on the edge of each ragged breath That jolts your heart a little with each excited beat That tingle Tempering the steel wings of sharp butterflies and Honing eyes to reveal vibrant colours of a world painted impasto That rush Lacing fear with pure quicksilver, Addictiveness making your blood glow the silver of the river That drive That fire That relentless desire to push yourself further and harder.

To find the wall, to force burning legs right up to its solidity, close enough to smell the warm, grittiness of the unyielding brickwork, and then to throw yourself at it, again and again until it explodes around you and you’re through.

Breathe.

The moment swells and rounds, gravity tenaciously dragging it away from the spiders thread.

Shots of quicksilver race into muscles too primed to tremble And collect in little pools, Gleaming reservoirs of adrenalin.

Nerves and excitement are indistinguishable, swelling under your ribs Forcing hiccupping breaths to come faster and faster Until the instant twists, shudders, drops.

And the glass bubble shatters.

Muscles lock, breath hitches, heart stops.

“ROW”

before you can succeed and that the way you deal with the failures is most important.” Cassidy Dunn Year 11

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Life with Drama

01 L-R: Isadora Bogle and Donna Hughes

Old Scholar Isadora Bogle (2009) recently inspired our Year 11 Drama class which made Head of Drama, Donna Hughes reflect on drama skills complementing leadership.

“Isadora’s talk reminded me that Drama students have a special ability to see an argument from various points of view which gives them excellent leadership skills. Through the study of drama, students learn about powerful, persuasive and effective ways to engage an audience. They learn about language and develop strong communication skills. They are often able to compel people to action with their enthusiasm.

They have a natural empathy with people, learn strong critical thinking skills and are highly collaborative.

These are all the ingredients needed to operate in a world that needs innovative and creative thinkers. These are the types of people we want as our future leaders!” commented Head of Drama Donna Hughes.

Below are responses to how some of our senior students feel drama is setting them up for life success: “Drama enables you to adapt to all situations. It provides you with the

ability to assess and understand an audience, to address groups of people with confidence, to communicate effectively with anyone and to think on your feet. The skills covered in drama help you to problem solve quickly, handle high pressure situations and use your initiative.

“Drama students are really good at rallying the troops and motivating people to get a job done. They have to have an excellent work ethic to get through the course! I am thankful for all the skills drama has given me to use for the rest of my life.“ Ellie Foley Year 11 “Many employers look for people with drama backgrounds, knowing they have the ability to think individually and laterally.”

Arts Captain, Ally Harris Year 12 “Through workshopping you come to the realisation that you need to fail

“Isadora discussed the value of the detailed analytical skills she had honed in drama. She made me see that our ability to analyse, interpret, justify and then realise our understanding of a text in performance was a deeper style of learning than most.”

Kiara Green Year 11 “Since leaving St Hilda’s five years ago, I have only grown more grateful for the perspective I developed studying Drama. I believe Drama is an often underestimated WACE subject that has a unique academic focus in demanding that students are sensitive to the motivations behind the words and actions depicted in theatre. This focus is complemented by the significant reliance on group work which develops strong collaborative skills, essential for success in life after school.

“Studying Drama changed how I viewed the world. It has allowed me to understand issues from a wide range of viewpoints, which is essential both to starting a conversation, and shaping a persuasive argument. Drama has given me the confidence to communicate effectively on an academic, professional and personal level and I know that the skills I learnt will continue to be instrumental in my future successes.”

Isadora Bogle (‘09)

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Sweet success in Art 2014 Artist in Residence Nicole Andrijevic is really enjoying her time at St Hilda’s.

“The residency is giving me the opportunity to explore many new ways of working with sugar, as well as developing some new photographic works. Ms Eliza Leano was one of my high school art teachers and her encouragement definitely got me thinking in new ways. I absolutely loved modelling sugar fondant flowers with senior students during the residency.

They were so beautiful; I have included them in the installation works.” Senior School students across all years have had the opportunity to observe, work and learn about the sculptural and painterly applications of sugar from artist Nicole.

So far this year, Junior School students have worked with local artist Lucinda Crimson who shared her expertise in printmaking. Nicole will begin working with Junior School students during Term 4 on the Mandala Dream Creations project.

01 L-R Ella Fitzpatrick, Elektra Darvall, Ms Nicole Andrijevic and Ella Berson 02 Sugar art installation 03 Sugar art installation

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Our Artist in Residence program began in 1994. With the assistance of the Parents and Friends Association, two artists per year are invited to visit and work with students in the school. It is a way to expose students to emerging and established artists

who work with a myriad of themes, techniques and materials. Some artists choose to work directly with planned classroom projects; others set up a studio work space and provide practical workshops for students and teachers.

Previous artists include Mason Kimber, Susan Flavell, Nalda Searles, Stewart MacFarlane, Andrew Baines, Rick Vermey, Minaxi May, Rachel Jessie Rae O’Connor and Miles Carpenter.

The program complements and enriches classroom art learning in addition to visits from and to artists, exhibitions, and a bi-annual overseas art tour. Over the years St Hilda’s students have worked with a veritable who’s who of the Australian art world including George Gittoes, Evelyn Kotai, Phillip Ward-Dickson, John Paul, Robert Juniper, Leon Pericles, Yvette Watt, Brian Mc Kay, John Beard, Indra Geidans, Michael Challen, Pippa Lightfoot, Philip Ward-Dickson, Roberta Leary, Valerie Anderson, Kevin Robertson, Wendy Lugg, Richard Merito, Kate Campbell-Pope and Tania Ferrier. We thank them all for their insight and support.

Art Exhibition Awards As anyone who visited our recent student art exhibition Wonder will know, art in its many forms showcases individual excellence and creativity.

Congratulations to our 2014 award winners.

The Johneen Beilby Art Encouragement Award acknowledges students who show commitment and enthusiasm for the subject with a positive attitude. It is named in memory of our first Junior School Art Specialist. Johneen joined St Hilda’s in 1990 and developed a whole new approach to teaching art in Junior School. Johneen created the encouragement award to develop and extend those students who she felt deserved some recognition for their efforts and to acknowledge burgeoning talent within the art curriculum other than those winning the top awards.

This year’s winners consistently display a positive attitude, aim to achieve their personal best, complete work with pride, seek and act on advice to improve skills and apply the effort to understand ideas thoroughly.

Year 5: Samantha Warren, Trinity Chisholm, Erica Lee Year 9 Photography: Novita Carolina, Olivia Caldow

Year 9 Art and Design: Grace Smith, Rosalie Perdersen, Charlotte Salom Year 10 Visual Arts: Emily Price, Jess Lee Year 10 Photography: Siobhan Blake Year 11 Visual Arts: Rachel Ren, Emma Foreman The Artemisia Award for Outstanding Commitment to Art or Design is named after the 17th century female artist Artemisia Gentileschi. Artemisia was a teenager when she began her career as a painter during the Late Renaissance in Italy. Her passion and commitment to her art was strong enough to overcome adverse criticism and discrimination from the male dominated art world of the time. The 2014 recipient Kay Martin (Year 12) has consistently challenged herself, exploring bold ideas and techniques and responding to advice to produce thought provoking, skilful work. Her commitment and dedication to her practice and studies makes her a positive role model to younger students and her peers.

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QUIET ACHIEVERS Leadership is synonymous with our Old Scholars and over the years, we have proudly profiled many women and their career and life passions. There are so many stories to tell across generations and continents we will always have great examples of the contribution our graduates make to their communities.

The following quiet achievers are no exception.

“Some people are quick to let you know, others more tolerant. Having made the decision, you need to give sound reasons why it was made. Public speaking and dealing with the media are also a challenge for me.

“On the other hand, meeting interesting people is a real bonus. The recent Davis Cup international tennis played at Cottesloe is a great example and it was a great thrill for me to be involved and to meet the Uzebekistan and Australian tennis teams.

Jo Dawkins Mayor of Cottesloe “In retrospect and although I was unconscious of it at the time, my six years of education and boarding at St Hilda’s gave me a degree of self confidence and more importantly, being able to be comfortable with people from all walks of life. I also think that growing up in the country had a bearing on that. It was very stable and grounding. That confidence instilled at St Hilda’s continued to build during my working life.

“Being Mayor of Cottesloe was certainly not a position I aspired to. After retiring from 30 years of commercial property management, I was approached and spent six years as a Cottesloe councillor. With a property background it seemed a good fit for me to do my ‘community bit’. When the incumbent Mayor decided to stand down, I was approached by several Cottesloe residents to nominate. They felt my council experience would be a good foundation for the role.

“For me it is challenging to sometimes have to make a decision that I know some people will not be happy with.

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“Although I am the first female Mayor of the Town of Cottesloe, there are many many women in leadership roles across local government and in the business world. I don’t see gender as something that matters. Being capable of and willing to do a role is important, not whether that individual is male or female. It is whether the person is capable of carrying out their duties effectively and efficiently that is important. Having said that, I believe women and men look at problems and issues from different perspectives.

Gender diversity in any organisation achieves a healthy balance and the right outcomes.

“I believe our Year 12 students these days are much better prepared when they leave school for public or leadership roles than we were 40 years ago. They are more mature and confident than I was at that age and they have a broader education.

However it is also true that the older one gets, the more you realise there is so much to learn, understand and experience. Life is the best teacher!”

Ingrid Puzey Chairman UWA Centenary Trust for Women “I was invited to become part of the Trust and was drawn to it because I believe in education for women and particularly regional WA girls who would not otherwise be able to get a tertiary education. To me, a good education can be empowering and life changing.

“The Centenary Trust for Women was established in 2002 as a vehicle to fund scholarships for women in financial need to complete their studies at the University of Western Australia (UWA).

Our other focus is to mentor and help empower women with a transformative education. We believe education is key to improving all aspects of a woman’s life.

“The Trust has grown and expanded in the past 12 years; having raised over $2.6 million; created ten named scholarships and helped 50 students with emergency Study Support Grants.

I really enjoy meeting new people and particularly meeting the scholarship recipients and seeing them graduate.

“As with all not for profit organisations, the Trust made up of inspirational leaders. Recognising the importance, value and good luck in receiving a UWA education (many of us when it was free), we see enormous importance in helping others also receive a world class UWA degree. Like most organisations one can become involved in, the more you give the more you receive.

“At the Trust, leadership shows itself in the combining of energy and goodwill, various skills – financial, marketing, management, educational, research, event management and communications – time and even a sense of humour. All these areas and more create a team that can make a difference. And of course, it is enormously rewarding to be a part of that.

“While there are always frustrations with working with groups of volunteers – largely because each person volunteers for their own personal reasons and each gives what time and skill they have – the results keep me going.”

to speak and effectively communicate and could no longer return to work and run the company. With no one to step into the position, I thought I would ‘have a go’ at running the company, as I understood the business and knew the staff. I had no previous management experience or training and had never led a team before but I like a challenge and thought I could make a positive contribution.

“I found that working in the business and running the business were two very different things and it was quite tough with no previous experiences to draw from so I took an organised approach and went with my gut instincts. I gave myself a time limit of one year- if the company was on track, well and good, and if not, well at least I tried. With the mindset of only being successful, with no margin for error and the thought of 250 employees relying on me for their pay cheques each week and my family relying on me, this spurred me on.

“I was successful after that first year and now after 10 years of being the CEO at Sealanes, the company has doubled in size and we are the largest and most innovative foodservice company in Western Australia.

“Effective leadership for me means having a vision of what I want to achieve, setting the steps to get there and having the right people join me on the journey. The important qualities of leadership are honesty, integrity, vision, communication, passion and an ability to help others around me to achieve their own goals. When you can inspire others to do their best, they can push through any obstacles.

Leeanda Piano Chief Executive Officer Sealanes Leeanda Paino (‘93) shares her journey from young lawyer to CEO of Sealanes Pty Ltd and her insights about leadership.

“My journey as a Chief Executive Officer started unexpectedly. I was working in our family business, Sealanes, as Legal Counsel part time while undertaking a PhD when my father suddenly had a stroke in late 2004. He lost his ability

“I have always surrounded myself with positive people and this has kept me focused on achieving my goals. I have always been a highly motivated and driven person. From a young age I would see my father working tirelessly in his business with total dedication and drive and that tenacity to succeed rubbed off on me. My teachers at school were also influential in being positive role models as well as the friends and mentors I have had along the way.

“Successful people are all around us, we just need to take the time to listen, observe and see the leadership qualities they possess.”

Martha Forrest reports from France Martha Forrest (‘13) is challenging herself this year on a Rotary Exchange in France. Living in the town of Hazbrouk near the Belgian border, Martha is the heartland of this year’s centenary celebrations for WWI. She has learned much about Australia’s role on the world stage.

“This year has been an incredible year in terms of the WW1 commemorations.

I attended the ANZAC Day Dawn Service in Flanders Fields as well as another ANZAC service after that at the biggest war memorial in Belgium, Tyne Cot. Most recently, I attended a service at Fromelles for the Headstone Dedication for Australian soldiers killed during the Battle of Fromelles 19-20 July 1916.

This commemoration service was also attended by the Australian Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Michael Ronaldson.

“These ceremonies and the multiple museums I have visited are incredible and I have a much better understanding of how influential the Australian war effort was. France really recognises the other countries (especially Australia) who helped in the war and everyone recognises that the fate of their country wouldn’t be the same today without the aid of other countries.

“I felt it was poignant that one of the main ways that France has commemorated WWI was when the French President Hollande formally met with a German representative. They both recognised that the difficulties facing European leaders today are nothing in comparison to those of the war times and that this initiative should be used to overcome modern day conflicts.”

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Professional Leadership We are proud of our employees and support their professional development and involvement in external organisations.

Outside school hours, many of our academic and professional staff are involved in professional associations, advisory organisations and are often invited as guest speakers. This provides deep understanding of current education standards and issues which is further input to excellence at St Hilda’s.

Here is a snapshot of what they’ve been up to.

Recent Conferences Fr Toby Sherring recently gave a lecture at St George’s Cathedral as part of a series ‘What is Anglicanism?’ His subject was ‘The Tractarians – one of a range of reforming ‘movements’ in the Church of England whose effects are still visible in the Anglican Church today.

Robin McKean (Deputy Head Junior School) and Karen Donnelly (Year 6 teacher) presented ‘Coding the Curriculum’ at the Australian Computers in Education Conference Innovating Education in Adelaide.

Sharon Ainsworth (Head of Languages) presented ‘Differentiation and Best Practice: Stories from WA’ at the National Symposium on Japanese Language Education in Sydney.

Peer recognition

At the Educate Plus international Conference, Joy Shepherd (Principal) and Mandy McFarland (Director of Development) received awards. Joy won the Institutional Leader Award which is given to an educational leader who has supported and contributed to the role of educational advancement in their school. Mandy won the Mentor Award in recognition of her strong sense of motivation and encouragement and her willingness to share ideas and experience with new Advancement practitioners.

Lisa Barrett (Technology and Enterprise teacher) was chosen from hundreds of teachers across Australia as a judge for the Australian Teachers of Media (ATOM) awards. The awards are the second-longest-running film and media awards in Australia, behind the AFI/ 28

01

02 AACTA Awards and recognise film and media excellence in education and industry.

Margo Whittle was recognised for her outstanding contribution to Japanese language education by the Japanese Language Teachers’ Association this year.

Expert Advice

Cecilia Kinsella (Head of Science) is a member of the WA Curriculum Advisory Committee for Biology and was one of the team that developed the new ATAR Year 12 Biology course.

Maree Baddock (Dean of Curriculum) is Chair of the WA Curriculum Advisory Committee for Chemistry and is a long standing member of the committee developing the ATAR Chemistry course.

Maree was also a member of the review panel for the Year 11 and 12 National Curriculum for Chemistry.

03 Sharon Ainsworth (Head of Languages) is the Association of Independent Schools WA representative on the WA Curriculum Advisory Committee for Japanese language.

Sharon Sinclair (Head of Health and Physical Education) is assisting the Schools’ Curriculum and Standards Authority to develop the Scope and Sequence document for Years 7-10 Health Education.

Chris Kelley (Head of Humanities) is part of the extended Curriculum Advisory Council for Geography and is also a member of the ‘Judging Standards Project’ for the new K-10 Curriculum for Humanities.

01 L-R: Josie Brierley, Julia Sladden and Chloe Jones with Media teacher, Lisa Barrett 02 and 03 Joy Shepherd and Mandy McFarland collecting their awards

President’s Report

Welcome to the Spring edition of The Buzz. It is with great pleasure that I share the activities and achievements of the Old Scholars Association (OSA), now 101 years old.

As an affiliation of over 10,000 Old Scholars, the Association is committed to promoting a friendly spirit between Old Scholars, current students and the School. Scholarships funded each year by the OSA, along with the OSA Mentoring Program and a range of social events, are examples of how we build a strong alumni community, whilst advancing the welfare and interests of the School.

Each year the OSA fund eight scholarships, thanks to the contribution of Financial Life Members and fundraising activities of the Association. Following the interviews for the Year 11/12 OSA Scholarship, the panel considered it a privilege to meet so many mature, well presented and confident girls. Libby Kelsall (Frayne, ’81) shared her thoughts: “We particularly enjoyed hearing of the accomplishments that had earned the badges, bars and bands proudly displayed on their blue blazers. All the girls were thrilled to be attending a school with family connections and we took time to explore these wonderful associations. We had a very difficult decision but came away with the firm impression that the future is in good hands. “

Worker at Princess Margaret Hospital, and will return to St Hilda’s to share her experience.

The Old Scholars Association wish to farewell Mrs Shepherd at a lunch on Saturday 1 November and all Old Scholars are invited to attend, particularly those who have been educated at St Hilda’s during Mrs Shepherd’s tenure. Please refer to the events calendar or visit the School website for booking details.

During the 17 years in which Mrs Shepherd has been Principal at St Hilda’s, we have witnessed exceptional success on many fronts. As Patron of our Association Joy has always been interested, supportive and encouraging of our endeavours and we thank her most sincerely.

Angela Heaton (Mitchell, ’75) President

Joint winners of the Year 11/12 OSA Scholarship are Ella Crust and Darcie Young.

I am delighted to announce the winner of the OSA Academic Year 7 -12 Scholarship is Findlay Roe from Dandaragan Primary School. Findlay has many family members connected to the OSA. Findlay’s mother is Amanda Roe (Brockway ’90), aunt is Juana Paynter (Roe, ’90) paternal grandmother is Fiona Roe (Szczecinski, ’63) and great aunt is Anne Szczecinski (Cooper, ’63). Findlay will join her sister Darcy at St Hilda’s.

Applications for the OSA Travel Award (for endeavours in 2015/2016) are currently under consideration and the winner will be announced at the OSA Biennial lunch in November. The OSA Travel Award for 2014 was awarded to Kylie Jones (Morrison ’86).

Kylie travelled to Melbourne to attend a conference related to her career as a Social

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News Snippets

2003

Victoria Johnson has been awarded the Western Australia’s Young Tourism Professional (YTP) for 2014, gaining herself a place at the Australian Regional Tourism Convention, Port Stephens in October.

2004

Gabrielle Goodier works as a Clinical Psychologist, with her latest research on eating disorders published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders earlier this year.

2010

Acclaimed Artist and Writer, Denise Scheer, has launched a new picture book “The Running Horses”.

It was a beautiful spring day which began in the Chapel, followed by morning tea, a school tour, welcome drinks and a gourmet lunch.

Much laughter and shared memories of school days followed. Rosemary Cussons (Arrantash) told of having met and bonded with a brand new friend when she moved to Busselton a few years ago. She was taken aback to see the said friend at the reunion and there was great hilarity when they realised they had gone through St Hilda’s in the same year! The joys of changing names; Peta Nicholas is now Petra Williams.

Had we changed? Maybe, but not the good things about us! I thought we were a fabulous group of women with strong, well developed ‘backbones’ which was one of Jo Samson’s messages from the 1970s. Thank you to Sue, Heather and Flicky for organising such a fabulous lunch.

Didi Caddy (Donalds)

Gill Johnston (Forbes)

70+ Morning Tea Next time you consider buying a walking stick, take the advice of one returning Old Scholar and colour match it to your outfit! Such was the stylish turnout of over 120 women who returned to St Hilda’s for the annual 70+ Morning Tea in August. This special event is a wonderful indication of how important the School and school friendships are to Old Scholars forever.

L-R: Kathy Mann (Black), Michelle Tozer(Davis) and Jacqui Cox (Warwick).

L-R: Vanessa Cornelius (Ellison), Sue Ford (Trimby) and Sarah McElwee (Over)

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Class of 1974 40 Year reunion Our 40th reunion was a wonderful occasion, celebrating a time in our lives that was so short but so meaningful when you reflect on your life. Sitting at a table with my best friends from ‘Remove’ (what a terrible name for a Year group!) was so comfortable, interesting and lots of fun as we shared stories about our jobs, families and the happy times we had at school.

Three Old Scholars came from Sydney: ‘Caddy’ Green (Carolyn Garton-Smith), Libby Plaskitt (Anderson) and Bernie Nicholls (Bernice Henning). Nancy Sharrad (Elphick) and Leslie Ann Grimoldby came from South Australia, Anna Gray from Canberra and Jane Chetwynd from New Zealand. It was agreed that although we have spread to many parts of the world since leaving school, we continue to share a very special bond from our days together at St Hilda’s.

2013

Emily Wesche has won an Australian Vocational Student Prize. The Australian Vocational Student Prize gives national recognition to achievements in vocational training completed in secondary education.

Class of 1964 50 Year reunion Saturday 13 September saw 56 Old Scholars from the 1964 year gather at St Hilda’s for their 50th Reunion.

L-R: Jane King (Ratcliffe), Debra Malaga (Phillimore), Fiona Pixley, Nikki Iffla (Cameron), Flicky Keogh (Grant)

Social Golf Day The fairways glistened with morning dew, the sun shone brilliantly and the greens were in good condition as 36 players prepared for an enjoyable game of golf and lunch for the first combined St Hilda’s Old Scholars, Whitby parents and current parents social golf day at the Mosman Park Golf Club held early in September.

We would like to acknowledge and thank Old Scholar Sara Breen (Smith, ’74) for her generous donation of prizes on the day.

Grateful thanks to all who supported the day and congratulations to the winners.

Winners were: Anne-Marie Tsaknis (Lilburne, ‘77), Bonnie Tollafield (‘71), Claire Moody (Stokes, ‘79), Sue Wilson (‘77) Net score 25 13/16 Second : Jane McNamara , Angela Heaton (Mitchell, ‘75), Tracey Forward (Stone, ‘74), Michelle Mackellar. Net 29 5/8 Third: Elizabeth Black (Cater, ‘61), Katrina Chalmers (Black, ‘85), Fiona McKenzie (Haslam, ‘74), Jenny Mattiske NTP 3rd(Nearest the Pin), Jenny Mattiske, NTP 7th Anne-Marie Tsaknis, Longest Drive 2nd Jodie Pyke

School Reunions

Births

1994: 20 Year Reunion Saturday 13 December and Sunday 21 December Cocktail party on Saturday followed by a family picnic, the next weekend on Sunday Contact: Rosie Hough on 0427716055 sthildasleavers94@gmail.com

Congratulations to Old Scholars and their families on the following births: Wanda Tingley (Coad, ‘91) a daughter, Grace

2004: 10 Year Reunion Saturday 20 December 3:30pm onwards Steve’s, Nedlands Contact: Amy McKerracher 0423598720 amymck@iinet.net.au

Megan Tidbury (‘02) a son, Oscar Charles Garner Oram

Save the Date!

Old Scholars Biennial Lunch

Saturday 1 November 12:30pm-3:30pm The Cortile, Wright Bennett Centre, Chidley Campus $40 per head includes glass of bubbly on arrival Contact: Deborah Hill, Alumni Officer deborah.hill@sthildas.wa.edu.au or 9285 4246 Book online: www.trybooking.com/FIEF

Check the Website

Nothing showcases the Performing Arts Centre better than the drama and musical performances of our St Hilda’s students. Old Scholars and friends are warmly invited to join these fabulous shows, details of which can be found on the School website. (www.sthildas.wa.edu.au) Make sure you regularly visit the website to keep abreast of the latest news and entertainment.

Emma Leggett (Crocker, ‘91) a son, James Douglas Harris Sarah Gerke (MacKellar, ‘99) a daughter, Winnie

Casey-Marie Nelson (’06), a daughter, Isabella Lilly Pearse

Deaths

The School community extends sincere sympathy to the family and friends of: Helen Cooksey (Smart, ‘60) and Joan Tuke (Hislop, ’45)

Publications

In a home where more than one Old Scholar resides, you may wonder why you receive just one copy of The Buzz or Chronicle Post. This issue has been carefully considered taking into account economic and environmental factors, resulting in a decision to limit postage of one publication per household. The publication that you receive is certainly intended for the family as a shared resource for everyone to enjoy (despite it being addressed to the oldest Old Scholar). We are constantly seeking email addresses to facilitate continuing communication so please ensure we have your correct details by emailing us at oldscholars@sthildas.wa.edu.au.

Engagements

Min Hye Kang (‘03) to Ivan Lau Zoe McGill (‘03) to Fred Baynes Gabrielle Goodier (‘04) to Max Heley L-R: Rosemary Gray (Richardson,’65), Jill Goetze (Tregonning, ’71), Kathy Mann (Black, ’64)

Meredith Martin (‘05) to Stuart Muggleston Fleur Viner (‘05) to Jamie Noble

Chapel Weddings

Vanessa Wetters (‘01) to Craig Magee

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