St Hilda's Ammonite Spring 2016

Ammonite Spring 2016

Contents 3. Council update 4. From the Principal 5. Former students succeed across the board 6. Snippets 12 . Steering girls through transformation 13. Summer of science 14. New chaplain makes history at St Hilda’s 16. Striking the right chord 20. Mud! Glorious mud!

22. High School Musical 24.

Sleuth Biz

26.

IGSSA Athletics

Galleries

28. Junior School Cross Country 30.

Grandparents’ Day

32.

Fathers’ Day

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34. Junior School Athletics 36. Year 12 Curtin PUPS 38. Dressed to the Nines 42. 2016 Student Art Exhibition Awards 44. Young ICT Explorers have bright ideas 47.

Wide Angle

48.

Sporting Excellence

20

51. Indigenous discovery 52.

Science Week

56. Paradise Lost 57. Rainstorm of the 10th Storey

44

58. Strawberry Jam Front cover: First VIII heading towards Elizabeth Quay.

From the Chair of Council

Ms Deidre Willmott Chair of Council

Council update The School Council recently gathered and acknowledged the contribution made by members of the School Council who have retired in the past three years.

Those recognised included Rob Appleyard, Ken Ashford, Michael Manford, Steve Kempin, Denise Stransky, Mark Puzey and Jeeva Maistry. We also celebrated Karen Farley SC who was the first Old Scholar to hold the role of Chair of Council in the 100 year history of our school.

As Chair of Council Karen guided us through a period of huge growth in the School. We added significant new buildings including the new swimming pool and the Joy Shepherd Performing Arts Centre. We also commenced the Nicholas Rinehart Science Centre. Our gathering was a time to reflect on the role of volunteers in our school.

Indeed without the voluntary contribution of many, many people our school would not be the institution that it is today.

We have been dedicated to producing an outstanding education for girls and boys in the Early Learning Centre for more than a century. Our mission is as relevant and important today as it has ever been. Supporting young women to develop the confidence and tenacity that they

will need to reach their full potential in their careers and lives is vital for our whole community.

In business and in other areas we continue to hear about WA’s stubbornly persistent gender pay gap and the unreasonably small number of women in senior leadership roles. Women need to support each other to progress in these areas. St Hilda’s provides the opportunity for our girls to form lifelong relationships to support them in their future endeavours. It also provides access to an ever growing network of women in senior roles throughout the community.

The Old Scholars Association has this year started a new initiative to develop our networks by hosting gatherings of professional women. I was fortunate to address the first event focussed on Old Scholars and mothers of future Old Scholars working in law and related fields. It was a great evening hosted by Old Scholar Anna Casellas at her firm Clayton Utz. I congratulate OSA President Anu van Hattem and her committee in this initiative and encourage you to look out for future opportunities to develop our St Hilda’s networks.

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From the Principal Mrs Kim Kiepe Principal Academic research shows the many positive benefits for girls educated in single-sex settings. Studies demonstrate that girls feel empowered to behave in more competitive ways without the presence of boys. St Hilda’s girls are confident and assertive in their all-girl environment.

Our girls have access to all leadership positions, every position on school sporting teams, every role in drama productions and musicals, and every instrument in our bands and orchestras. Girls are encouraged to participate, lead, compete and take risks – all of which are advantageous skills for careers and leadership.

Salomone (2005) refers to a range of life outcomes for girls educated in all girl settings. In her book Same, Different, Equal: Rethinking Single-Sex Schooling, Salomone asserts that girls’ schools “seem to provide girls a comfort level that helps them develop greater self-confidence and broader interests, especially as they approach adolescence”. This is the intention of our culture, as it aims to grow a level of confidence that girls can take into their post-graduation lives. Taking action is expected of our girls. According to Richard Petty, a psychology professor at Ohio State University, “Confidence is the stuff that turns thoughts into action.”

I am delighted to recognise the confident young women who will be our student leaders next year. I look forward to the Induction Ceremony in February where we will formally induct these young women as our 2017 School Officials. Every Year 12 student will receive a badge to signify her role as a leader in her final year.

Such celebratory events are memorable and enjoyable occasions for our students, families and staff.

Our School Official positions are: Head Girl, Head Sacristan, Head Boarder and Captains for Administration, Arts, Drama, Music, Service, Sports and the four Houses.

The Student Officials assume the responsibility for each portfolio, while the House Captains enlist the assistance of the House Officials. Specific Sport and Music Ensembles will also elect Captains to lead particular activities, such as Rowing, Athletics and Strings.

My thanks to the Class of 2016 for their fine leadership throughout this past year. They have demonstrated tenacity, confidence and compassion on many occasions during their school days and I wish them every success and happiness for life beyond school.

2017 student leaders.

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St Hilda’s Ammonite

Former students succeed across the board How does a St Hilda’s education get your career started? What careers do our graduates go on to pursue? What tertiary qualifications do our graduates complete?

These are a couple of the questions we sought answers to in a recent online survey of 2800 St Hilda’s graduates from 1976 to 2015. Our thanks to nearly 700 respondents who helped us understand how women who have graduated from St Hilda’s compare, in terms of further education and career choices, to the WA averages of women of the same age.

The majority of respondents (62%) still live in Perth and completed their education at St Hilda’s until Year 12 (97%). 70% were day students and 30% were boarders.

We compared our results against the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2011 Census data. St Hilda’s is well above the State average for tertiary education, with 46% of St Hilda’s students obtaining Bachelor Degrees ahead of just 19% for WA. Post Graduate study also fared well for St Hilda’s girls at 26% compared to the State average of 4%.

Our students are also more likely to take on management roles at 33%, ahead of the State average of 9%.

From these results, it’s very clear that St Hilda’s Old Scholars are doing us proud.

We were overwhelmed with the willingness of our alumni to share their career experiences and knowledge with current students and there is also interest in career networking for Old Scholars.

The survey was also an opportunity for graduates to share a wealth of experience and make comments – good and bad. These anonymous comments are a rich source of conversation for the School’s leadership. While thoughts were diverse, there were clear threads about the importance of educating women to a high standard; concern about the rising costs of independent schools; the importance of great teachers who have a unique opportunity to influence young minds and the need to ensure the School has a focus on preparing students for life beyond St Hilda’s.

We also learned: •

•

Most respondents (43%) work in large organisations (state-based; national or multinational). Our top three industries employing St Hilda’s graduates are health care and social assistance (16%), education and training (16%) and professional, scientific and technical services (10%).

•

53% of St Hilda’s graduates under 30 years are currently studying for their Bachelor Degree and 27% are studying for a Post Graduate Degree.

•

In the age group 20 and 29 years, 55% of boarding students completed their Bachelor Degrees compared to 52% of day students.

The top three qualifications for our graduates are medicine (12%), law (9%) and teaching (6%) but the range of professions is huge – everything from professional musicians and artists to safety sciences and engineering.

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Snippets Science forum serves an eye-opener Olympian up life lessons

Olympian Alicia Molik stopped by to visit Year 3s St Hilda’s Junior School.

After being selected to attend the Youth ANZAAS science forum in Brisbane, two Year 12 students never imagined how it would change their perspective about the field.

Youth ANZAAS is run by the Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science to bring together students in Years 10 to 12 for behind-the-scenes tours, lectures with leading scientists, hands-on research and the latest technology.

The Athens Bronze Medallist walked into an extremely excited class of Year 3 students on the back of the Rio Olympics, where she coached the Australian women’s tennis players and led the Australian tennis team.

“Each day we had different workshops and lectures on different areas of science,” Jaylie said.

“I always hope to bring the reality of my job, my role and my sport to the kids,” she said.

“It was very broad. One day we got to dissect animal parts and then the next day we looked at how lasers work in astrophysics.”

“Already at their young age they’re old enough to understand responsibility and dedication.”

Jaylie said she found paleontology and pharmacy to be much more interesting than she first thought.

“I’m considering going into pharmacy now as my undergrad. Medicine has always been my final goal but I wasn’t sure how I was going to get there.”

Mai said the forum allowed her to experience all of the different subcategories of science within the larger branches, such as human biology and chemistry.

“It was quite interesting to find out about how different each of those subcategories were,” she said.

“If I plan to follow one path of science and it doesn’t work out I still have heaps of other routes to follow.”

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Anything is possible if you work hard and are prepared to make sacrifices, Olympic medallist and Australian tennis coach Alicia Molik told St Hilda’s Years 3 students.

St Hilda’s Ammonite

Alicia told the class about her trip to Rio for this year’s Olympics, her favourite Olympic memories including watching Cathy Freeman win her race in Sydney and the way she felt when she stood on the podium at the 2004 Athens Olympics about to receive her bronze medal from the tennis singles.

“I like to give them a taste of my story – I didn’t always believe in myself but I think I was always a hard worker, so that helped me in my tennis career.

“The better I got the more I pushed the boundaries of how good I thought I could get.”

Year 3 student Lykke Honnens said she was inspired to play tennis when she was older after learning how it felt to be in the Olympics.

From around the School

Sisters argue together The Smith sisters were united in their argument last month winning the Grand Final of the WA Debating League’s British Parliamentary Debating competition against some fierce competition. Isobel (Year 12) and Eliza (Year 10) are both passionate about the importance of discussing contemporary issues and understanding political and cultural diversity in our society which shone through in the competition.

Isobel was introduced to debating in primary school and began to pursue it seriously from Year 7. “I think my favourite part of debating is the incredibly diverse and cool people you meet from a wide range of age groups.

If you enjoy history, learning about social issues and you are prepared to listen to different points of view, you will enjoy debating.

“Although the topics we are given vary widely, many are sensitive such as LGBTI issues and youth suicide which can be confronting for secondary school debaters and their audience. This is balanced by some fun topics such as a recent one where we had to argue that people preparing for Doomsday should be permitted to bring about the Apocalypse.”

Eliza is also a drama student and believes the two activities complement each other. “Drama teaches you how to stand up in front of an audience with confidence and I guess gives you an understanding of stage presence which is vital when you are trying to win an argument.”

The art of winning an argument will stand both girls in good stead for the future. From next year Isobel hopes to study law and Eliza’s long term ambition is to become a playwright.

A total of 17 schools and 55 teams competed.

Maths without borders During the July holidays, four Year 7 students Katie Yau, Lauren Yee, Beverly Kwan, and Samantha Warren competed in the 19th Po Leung Kuk Mathematics World Contest in Hong Kong. The trip was a very enriching experience for the girls especially with regard to the new friendships formed with students from around the world.

The contest aims to enhance the school students’ interest in mathematics, and to provide a cultural and academic exchange opportunity for the students. It is extremely competitive with a total of 40 participating teams from Australia, Bulgaria, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Macau, Malaysia, Mongolia, Singapore, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, The Philippines and USA. The girls performed well particularly in the group section of the competition, demonstrating their ability to work together as a team. The St Hilda’s team together with the Christ Church Grammar School team even won the Cultural Award for their entertaining performance given at the award ceremony.

Haircuts for a cause Still sporting their new ‘dos’, the girls who participated in the World’s Greatest Shave should be incredibly proud of their efforts.

St Hilda’s came fifth in WA for money raised by an education institution for the Leukaemia Foundation at a whopping $13,000.

Our students were presented with a well-earned trophy as a thank you for their hard work fundraising and courage for getting their locks chopped.

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Queen Bee of neuroscience

Diabetes WA representatives Deanne Dymock and Nicola Clerk with hardworking and encouraging community service members Caitlyn Watkins, Alia Corcoran and Vivienne Hammat.

Full circle for fundraising Normally running around in circles will get you nowhere, but this wasn’t the case for our Junior School who raised more than $20,000 from their Lapathon for DiabetesWA. The grand total of $21,047 was gifted to the DiabetesWA Foundation and will go towards a number of projects, including sponsoring children for cooking courses with Jamie’s Ministry of Food and camps in remote communities.

UWA Senior Research Fellow for Experimental and Regenerative Neurosciences Dr Jennifer Rodger with top performers Emily Tang (Perth Modern School), Eva Cocks (Santa Maria College) and winner Tatiana Kurniawan.

Year 10 student Tatiana Kurniawan has proven herself to be the brainiest of the bunch at the WA finals of the Australian Brain Bee challenge, set to represent WA at the national championship in Hobart this December.

Throughout the year DiabetesWA has held talks with the Junior School students about the importance of a healthy diet and lifestyle as well as Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.

Despite the wet weather on the day, parents and students alike braved the chilly winds and constant sprinkling rain to run laps on the oval. “Our Year 6 community service girls did such a great job of getting everyone motivated,” Year 4 teacher and Lapathon organiser Sharne Clayton said.

Tatiana outsmarted 82 Year 10 students in the state final at UWA with a series of team challenges and a neuroscience quiz.

The Brain Bee Challenge is a neuroscience competition for high school students and was designed to test knowledge about a range of topics including intelligence, memory, emotions, sleep, Alzheimer’s disease and stroke.

“I am incredibly proud of Tatiana and the amount of study outside school hours she has put into preparing for the challenge,” St Hilda’s Head of Science Cecilia Kinsella said.

“We had four students reach the WA finals, which is a credit to them all.

“The neuroscience knowledge required to compete at a national level in this competition is really at first-year university level and there are many hours of study ahead for Tatiana.”

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St Hilda’s Ammonite

Sophie Lumby, Maya Barnett and Lauryn Hope-Blyth (back) with Junior School captains Zali Dale and Alia Corcoran (front) after the talk.

Living with diabetes

Year 10 students Lauryn Hope-Blythe, Maya Barnett and Sophie Lumby gave our Junior School students a first hand account about what it’s like to live with Type 1 Diabetes. The girls explained to the students how they stay healthy, how they test themselves for sugar levels and how they feel when they are low or high. The girls found the topic fascinating and asked lots of questions about their diets and how they cope with activities.

For the first time in our history, St Hilda’s has won the Junior Independent Girls’ Schools’ Sports Association (JIGSSA) cross country competition.

St Hilda’s won the fierce competition against seven other schools including Methodist Ladies College and Santa Maria College, with Year 3 students to Year 6 students running between 1km and 2.5km.

“It was really exciting – we feel that everyone did the best that they could,” Junior School Sport Captain Damilola Oyewopo said. “It was nerve-wracking [waiting for the results] but we are very proud of everyone.”

Netballers score first grand final win

Junior School Sports Captains Damilola Oyewopo and Tilly Wittenoom hold JIGSSA cross country winner banners.

From around the School

Junior runners stay the course

Of the 120 runners overall, 15 girls from St Hilda’s made the top 20 within their age group, and Year 4 Eshaly Pal and Year 5 Busola Oyewopo took home medals for third place within their age group.

“We are reaping the rewards now of the fitness program that we implemented three years ago,” Junior School physical education teacher Wendy Rickarby said. “We’re starting to see results that culminate in the girls becoming stronger across the board.”

The St Hilda’s team was backed by Junior School teaching staff and coaches from the Senior School.

Back-to-back wins and undefeated teams were the winning touches to an unforgettable season of netball for St Hilda’s players.

Highlighting a stand-out season for the girls, the St Hilda’s 1 netball team took out the Grand Final against Perth College for the Perth Netball Association’s Junior Year 7/8 Division 6 merely a week after premiership wins from the undefeated St Hilda’s 7 (Year 5) in Division 5 and back-to-back wins from St Hilda’s 4 (Year 6) in Division 1.

“It was mindblowing and I felt so happy, because it was really intense during the whole game,” Year 7 student Ava Renouf said. “Netball is one of my biggest passions and I just want to play it forever.”

St Hilda’s Netball Club Coordinator Sidonie Cox described the game as “phenomenal” given the Club is only in its second year of operation and this was the first year Senior School students formed teams. “The girls worked incredibly hard and have been very dedicated and committed to improving their skills and fitness,” she said.

Alyssa Warren (Year 5), Ava Renouf (Year 7), Charlotte Cox (Year 7) and Rebecca Andrawes (Year 6) after their respective team wins.

“I’m so proud of the effort that they put in and the support that they gave to one another.”

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Our new STEAM Ambassadors STEAM Ambassadors Shivanah Shetty, Lucy Martin, Phoebe Henning, Anne Leven-Marcon, Sarah Low, Ruby Wiese, Novita Carolina, Sofia Bekir Fuente.

Congratulations to our new Science Technology Engineering Arts Maths (STEAM) Ambassadors. Selected from Year 10 and 11, these girls are the first to take on the exciting role. Their responsibilities include co-ordinating and promoting STEAM events, representing the views of the student body, celebrating successes and raising awareness of the importance of STEAM-related skills.

One of their first tasks in August was to welcome students from across Perth to an informative presentation by renowned Associate Professor Allison Imrie, Senior Research Fellow at the Marshall Centre for Infectious Diseases, The University of Western Australia. Her thought-provoking discussion about the Zika virus, its origins and the future of research into this infectious virus captivated the audience.

Leaving young students on a high note

Our STEAM Ambassadors Phoebe Henning (Year 10) and Sarah Low (Year 10) also went to the Women in Mining WA (WIMWA) Summit, as guests of Old Scholar Sabina Shugg (’84).

STEAM blends the application of science, technologies, engineering, arts and mathematics skills, drawing connections between students’ learning and the realworld. STEAM projects and events aim to equip students with critical thinking, communication, and problem solving skills necessary for future success in a wide range of employment sectors.

This is particularly important as around 75% of the fastest growing occupations now require STEAM skills and knowledge.

Opera isn’t just soaring voices for the older generation, as proven by WA Opera and its fun incursion at the Junior School.

There were lots of giggles and enthralled eyes as opera singers Richard Symons and Emma Pettemerides, who also teaches voice at St Hilda’s, flounced their way up and down the makeshift stage to the piano music of renowned Perth musician Jangoo Chapkhana.

Premiering at St Hilda’s, the Opera in Education incursion allowed the students to get a behind-the-scenes look of what it’s like to be an opera singer including their day-to-day activities and personal journeys.

“The students don’t have preconceptions about what opera is, so they don’t come in judging. They come in with an open mind,” Ms Pettemerides said.

St Hilda’s voice teacher and WA Opera singer Emma Pettemerides entertained St Hilda’s Junior School students with an interactive singing activity.

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St Hilda’s Ammonite

“You have to work really hard to connect and it can’t just be about the voice – it has to be connecting with people.

They respond really well to it, and they love it!”

Zoe Thompson (’15) has been selected for the Australian Sailing Youth Team for girls single-handed (Laser Radial) and will represent the country at the 2016 Youth Sailing World Championship in Auckland. Zoe has just competed in Ireland where she won the Laser Radial Youth World Championship. Awesome effort Zoe!

Kate Woolhouse (‘15) was awarded the 2016 Volunteer of the Year from the Town of Mosman Park. Kate joined the Mosman Park Youth Advisory Council when she was in Year 10. Over the past four years, Kate has volunteered at many Mosman Park community events and has been a passionate advocate for young people in Mosman Park.

Dr Felicity Flack (’86) has just returned from a residency at the Brocher Foundation in Geneva Switzerland. The Brocher Foundation hosts scientists and experts in the ethical, legal and social implications of the development of medical research and biotechnologies. During her stay at the Foundation, Felicity worked on her book which is about ethics, law and policy implications of data linkage.

Jessica Marais (‘02) won the Silver Logie this year for Best Actress. She won for her role in the TV series Love Child.

Joan Pope (Gray, ’52) was awarded the National AUSDANCE Services to Dance Education trophy. Joan was recognised for her work as a teacher, Dalcroze Eurhythmics educator and researcher and for her 50 years of commitment to education through dance and music.

She has had a lasting impact on generations of young artists and communities.

Our Olympians

From around the School

Old Scholars in the news

Nel Minchin (’01) has received praise for writing, producing and co-directing her documentary film Matilda & Me which delves into the story of how her cheeky older brother Tim wound up on Broadway and London’s West End

Congratulations to Gemma Beadsworth (’04) and Davinia Lefroy (‘98) who represented Australia in Rio. Gemma was a member of the Women’s Water Polo Team at the Olympics and Davinia was selected, along with her crew, to represent Australia in the Legs, Trunk and Arms Mixed Coxed Four for rowing at the Paralympic Games.

OSA Scholarships Our Old Scholars Association Committee is proud of the long established tradition of extending special educational opportunities to daughters or granddaughters of Financial Life Members.

Congratulations to our 2017 winners: Zoe Colvin is the OSA Entrance Scholarship recipient.

Zoe is the daughter of Julie Colvin (Stephen, ‘89) and currently attends Cottesloe Primary School. She will join St Hilda’s in Year 7 next year.

The Ammonite Scholarship is awarded for Year 11 and Year 12 to an exceptional all rounder. Lucy Meecham (Year 10) was the successful applicant this year. Her grandmother is Gillian Meecham (Clarkson ’59).

Kate Owenell (Newbold, ‘98) and Lucy Meecham.

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Steering girls through transformation

Butterfly Foundation Education Services Coordinator Amberley Laverick with Noelli Bariacto, Rhea Pereira, Ariella Steinberg and Emma Steinepreis.

Teenage years can be a tough time for body image issues, which is why we invited the Butterfly Foundation to talk about body esteem and how students can support one another during these formative years.

Butterfly Foundation Education Services Coordinator Amberley Laverick spoke to students in Years 5, 6, 7, 8, 11 and 12 about the different things that can impact body esteem, such as their peers, beauty ideals in the media, health messages and language.

Miss Laverick said she hoped the girls understood the reality of body esteem.

“We all have the opportunity to be a positive body esteem role model for ourselves and others,” she said.

“Some days we will feel good about our bodies and others not so much: that is okay, everyone has those off days.

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St Hilda’s Ammonite

“Hopefully by talking about these things it allows the girls to feel that their experiences are shared by many people and it is okay to be open about how you are feeling.”

Based in Victoria, the Butterfly Foundation takes presentations and workshops across the country. The Foundation represents people affected by eating disorders and negative body image.

Miss Laverick said it was important for those spending time with young people to be aware of their own relationship with their body and be conscious of the messages they send.

“Negative talk about bodies, eating and exercise has become normalised in our society which tends to have a focus on appearance, when ultimately what we value in one another is who they are and not what they look like.”

Our thanks to the St Hilda’s Parents’ and Friends’ Association who funded the visit.

Summer of

science Year 10 Boarder Brohdi Woods.

Instead of a summer vacation over the January holidays, Onslow-based Year 10 boarder Brohdi Woods will be studying hard at the Aboriginal Summer School for Excellence in Technology and Science (ASSETS) in Adelaide.

ASSETS is a program, run by the CSIRO, for Year 10 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students who are interested in pursuing further study and careers in science, technology, engineering or mathematics.

“Being selected to attend the Aboriginal Summer School for Excellence in Technology and Science program in Adelaide during the January holidays is a huge achievement for me as this was an Australian wide program and students apply from all states, and to be one of a hundred students is amazing,” Brohdi said.

During the school, scientists will share their research and explore study and career options with the students while Indigenous mentors strengthen their cultural connections.

“During the program I will be participating in a variety of sessions focusing on the interface between traditional and Western science knowledge,” she said.

“I hope to gain a lot of knowledge by learning about particular things associated with food nutrition and the environment.”

We are incredibly proud of Brohdi and look forward to hearing all about her adventures when she returns.

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New chaplain makes history at St Hilda’s One of the things that new St Hilda’s Chaplain Amma Lisa Spargo noticed was the difference in noise compared to her previous workplace at Guildford Grammar School.

“It’s totally different to a boys’ school,” she said.

“It’s not as loud!”

Amma Lisa is the first permanent female chaplain in St Hilda’s history, replacing Father Toby Sherring who was chaplain for 10 years.

The term “amma” was meticulously chosen by Lisa herself to reflect the impact of women in the clergy. While some female priests prefer the term Reverend or Mother, Amma Lisa found the title a better fit.

The Aramaic word means mother and was used by the Desert Mothers, a group of early Christian mystics from the fourth and fifth centuries.

Amma Lisa said her role at St Hilda’s, and within the clergy, was to support the girls and shape them to become amazing women in the future.

“I want to encourage the students to be accepting and tolerant of the beliefs that people hold in the community.”

Amma Lisa is teaching Years 7, 8, 10 and 11 in the Senior School and supports the Junior School Religious and Philosophical Studies program. She said she loved the curiosity of the young students as she is constantly learning new things about the world and herself.

“Often it’s the younger kids that ask the harder questions,” she said.

Her appointment and role as a practising female priest was a sign of the times and proof that the clergy was writing a new history.

“It just shows that years ago there weren’t women clergy, it’s a really recent change,” she said.

“It’s only in the last 20 years that we’ve had women priests, let alone in any of these sorts of roles. It is changing and in some ways it’s still unusual for a lot of communities, but it’s gradually changing.”

“I see my role as someone that can support people in times of need to encourage people to consider the questions of spirituality, whatever that means to them,” she said.

Sacristans Eliza Smith, Kirsten Lampacher, Isobel Smith and Sophia Kennedy-Perkins with new Chaplain Amma Lisa Spargo.

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St Hilda’s Ammonite

OLIVIA TAN

ISOBEL SMITH

MADU VENKATESAN

GRACE SHAO

MAI HOANG

MAGGIE WANG

CLAIRE 16 ROGERS

ISABELLE HONEY

STELLA KELLY

Violin

Cello

St Hilda’s Ammonite

Harp

Voice

Piano

Drum Kit

Voice

Flute

Voice

Striking the right chord Music for young people is more important than ever when you consider the results of recent neuroscientific research using fMRI and PET scanners. Testing showed that learning and playing music is the only activity to engage every area of the brain at once, stimulating the visual, auditory and motor cortices. Many other activities stimulate one or two of these areas, but not all three.

If music is learnt early in life, the effect on mental processing is huge, flowing into every other learning area as the child develops.

JULIA YANG Piano

It is now 10 years since our Junior School Strings program began under the wonderful direction of Mr Adrian Wayte.

The current Year 12 cohort was the first Year 2 group to learn a stringed instrument and besides now having a very strong culture of string players in the school, as attested to by the recent Concerto Concert, the effect on every area of the school in this regard is incalculable.

From an early age, all students take classroom music for at least 90 minutes per week. In the Early Learning Centre all students have three lessons of music involving experiential singing, percussion playing, and moving and listening to all styles of music, then through our Kodaly-based program students attain musical literacy from Pre Primary through to Year 4. In Years 5 and 6 this is extended further and all students from Years 3 to 6 participate in their Year level choir, learning formal choral skills.

VIRGINIA LO Flute

Musical education remains an important part of life at the Senior School. As soon as students are in Year 7 they have two periods of music each week, one a choir session and the other in the Music Lab focusing on projects using software programs.

From Year 8, the girls have two periods each week comprising aural, composing, literature and performance skills. Advanced musicians can choose to take ATAR music in Years 11 and 12, while many girls choose to continue on a tertiary level.

Throughout the year, parents and friends would have caught a glimpse of one of our many co-curricular groups performing at assemblies, chapel and cathedral services, festivals, the annual Music Tour, functions, concerts and community performances.

ISOBEL YATES Oboe

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High notes this year CLAUDINE MAH

Music is alive and well at St Hilda’s with our extensive co-curricular program demonstrated at the Junior and Senior campuses through a large number of concerts and appearances.

Violin

Strings Concert in the School Chapel June Mr Adrian Wayte directed several highly talented groups of students who specialise in violin, viola, cello, double bass, guitar and harp. The Junior and Senior String Orchestras presented music by Schubert and the audience was treated to fine solos by Katie Low, Miranda Dyskin, Lara Hadi, Emma Hadi, Alice Dring, Nikita Zhuang, Sarah Low, Nancy Shen, Claudine Mah and Olivia Tan.

High School Musical July

LUCY GOODRICK Voice

Head of Music Mr Tim Chapman is especially proud of the 21 girls in Years 8-12 who accompanied the cast by playing the musical score for this year’s School production. The students mastered 50 songs: they sounded like the real deal and only two professionals played with them. Nobody could see them and many thought it was the CD! Next time you are at a performance, pop your head over the black curtain rail to have a look in the orchestra pit and say hello.

Year 6 Production August The Year 6 students cleverly balanced their academic learning, roles as school leaders and the production The Sleuth Biz. All 72 students performed brilliantly and truly showcased their music, dance and drama skills in roles which highlighted their personalities and talents.

Jazz Night August

HAZEL 18 DUTTON

St Hilda’s Ammonite

Trumpet

Well done to our “Jazzers” who presented nearly three hours of Jumping Jazz.

The Wright Bennett Cortile was splendidly decorated, thanks to Toni Boyd and the MASH mums, and the packed and exuberant audience made the atmosphere the perfect setting for our Senior School Jazz Musicians. Jazz Combo, Soul Band and Saintly Jazz all performed popular standards with superb aplomb, as well as numbers from our Student Dixieland Jazz Band.

Junior School Music Concert September The recent Junior School Music Concert was held in the Cortile, with the Junior School Concert Band, Junior Guitar Ensemble, Junior School String Orchestra, Chaminade Flute Choir, Junior School Rock Band and the Year 2 String Orchestra as well as a number of duets and solos by girls in Years 4 to 6.

Grandparents’ Day Concert September The Junior School Choirs presented a delightful program for Grandparents’ Day. The co-curricular Coro Angelico began, singing Irving Berlin’s Blue Skies, followed by In Terra Pax and lastly the upbeat partner songs by Beyonce, Halo and Walking on Sunshine. The Year 3 Choir and Year 5 Choir performed jazz, Disney, and Swahili classics before Year 6 completed the choral concert with a stirring rendition of the School Song by Sarah Wells. Judging by the applause, our Grandparents loved the singing. Big congratulations to our wonderful Choral Director, Mrs Andrea Black.

SASCHA TURICH Voice

Concerto Concert September This is always a very special evening for everyone involved in the music program, but especially so for our Year 12 soloists showcasing their amazing talents. To perform something of this calibre doesn’t just happen by chance - it takes years of dedication and practice! The Symphony Orchestra, String Orchestra, Concert Band, saintly Jazz and Barbershop accompanied the 16 soloists: Julia Yang, Isobel Yates, Claire Rogers, Virginia Lo, Stella Kelly, Alisa Dowson, Sascha Turich, Lucy Goodrick, Isobel Smith, Grace Shao, Isabelle Honey, Madu Venkatesan, Maggie Wang and Hazel Dutton. Our two outstanding leaders Claudine Mah and Olivia Tan thrilled the PAC with their amazing performances of The Butterfly Lovers and Wieniawski Violin Concertos.

ALISA DOWSON Voice

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! d u MGlorious ! d u m

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St Hilda’s Ammonite

No one loves mud pies more than our Junior Kindy, Kindy and Pre Primary students who recently enjoyed a fun incursion in Mud Pie Grove – specially created for them in the playground

by Educated by Nature.

It was a wonderful morning of exploring their senses and connecting with nature through a range of fun outdoor activities.

The children were given the opportunity to play an instrument while facilitators Daniel and Trudi played the ukulele and sang. Children naturally tune in to singing and it started and ended the morning’s activities on a high note.

A cubby and reading tepee was set up with books and fabric draped in the climbing tree, encouraging children to build a cubby where they could play together to foster team work and problem solving. It was exciting to see how some extra materials and nature stations could open up new possibilities in the School’s Eucalyptus Forest.

Parents encouraged their children to take sensory risks while squelching in the clay and making sculptures with their hands and feet. The children loved learning the new skill of working with a whittling tool and sandpaper to transform a stick from rough to super smooth.

There was lots of creative play as the group engaged in making potions, building cubbies, constructing miniature worlds and creating nature crowns.

Mud Pie Grove would not be complete without an opportunity to play with mud and clay! A large lump of sticky, soft and hard clay allowed children to indulge their senses and get messy. The students were encouraged to squelch it, poke it and stand in it.

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Gallery High School Musical 22

After 250 auditions at the end of 2015, 106 cast, 30 musicians and 12 crew members gave the performance of their musical careers in the St Hilda’s production of High School Musical with three sold out performances. The cast thoroughly entertained the 2700 people who attended the three performances.

The fun, colourful and vibrant performance was a major highlight of the School Year and a testament to the hard work involved.

Gallery High School Musical

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Gallery Sleuth Biz 24

In the middle of August the Year 6 students presented The Sleuth Biz, a retro Fairy Tale extravaganza of singing, dancing and acting with every student having a speaking part.

Their confident acting, magnificent singing, gorgeous costumes and beautiful dancing were amazingly highlighted with live band accompaniment and the professional environment of the Joy Shepherd Performing Arts Centre.

Gallery Sleuth Biz

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Gallery IGSSA Athletics 26

At the end of Term 3, 120 St Hilda’s students arrived at the Athletics Stadium for the 54th Annual IGSSA Athletics Carnival. The girls’ performance was exceptional, resulting in third place only 10.5 points behind second. Penrhos took out the title with Santa Maria in second place. It was a very close competition between St Hilda’s, Santa Maria, St Mary’s and Penrhos all the way. Girls endured wet early morning training sessions, attended athletics meets and lunchtime training sessions to further develop their technique and compete for a spot on the 2016 team.

Gallery IGSSA Athletics

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Gallery Junior School Cross Country 28

The girls were lucky to have a perfect day for the annual Junior School Cross Country, where students from Pre Primary to Year 6 show their running prowess in and around the Chidley Campus. There were fabulous results and smiles all round, with house colours displayed proudly. De Grey took out first place, followed

by Fitzroy, Gascoyne and Blackwood.

Gallery Junior School Cross Country

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Gallery Grandparents’ Day 30

St Hilda’s celebrated the relationships between grandparents and their grandchildren, as girls at both campuses invited their grandparents along to show them the School. The average age of St Hilda’s students at the Senior School rose tenfold as nearly 100 grandparents flocked to the School to be with their granddaughters, who showed them around the campus after morning tea. At the Junior School, grandparents had a delightful morning as they were treated to a live concert, in-class activities and morning tea.

Gallery Grandparents’ Day

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Gallery Fathers’ Day 32

Fathers of our Junior School students popped in for breakfast in a bun and a classroom visit last term to celebrate Father’s Day with their children. It was a great atmosphere and we hope our St Hilda’s Fathers had a wonderful time.

Gallery Fathers’ Day

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Gallery Junior School Athletics 34

Over the course of a week we witnessed great strength, skill and ability in our Junior School Athletics Carnival. Our students ran, jumped, threw and laughed their way through the week’s athletic events.

Well done to all houses for their amazing efforts.

Blackwood finished on top, followed by Fitzroy, Gascoyne and De Grey.

Gallery Junior School Athletics

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Gallery Year 12 Curtin PUPS 36

Our Year 12 students received the tiniest, cutest surprise after puppies were brought to the School to de-stress and relax the girls after their mid-year exams.

The School teamed up with Curtin University’s Curtin PUPS (People Under Pressure at School) program to bring in puppies from not-for-profit organisation SAFE (Saving Animals from Euthanasia) for the girls to play with during their normal Year time.

Gallery Year 12 Curtin PUPS

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St Hilda’s Ammonite

Dressed to the Nines Students worked tirelessly to bring their individual and unique designs to life for our 2016 Materials Design and Technology Fashion Parade, spending countless hours perfecting their garments.

Our Year 10 students (with four classes per week) were tasked to design and produce a simple white shift dress for a young woman to wear to her hen’s party. They were told the party theme was ‘something floral’ and the bride-to-be had requested the dress be embellished with handmade flowers to create a stunning focal point on the dress and set her apart from the other guests. The results were a credit to all our budding designers.

Our Year 10 students (with two classes per week) were asked to design and produce a dress or skirt and matching top. The garments were made out of their own chosen woven material and created using original or adapted patterns. They sewed the clothes using their own chosen hemlines, necklines, backlines, sleeves and shaping techniques.

Our Year 11s presented their ‘little black dresses’ – a must in every wardrobe. The girls were required to design and produce an LBD that is timeless and classic, suitable to be dressed up or down and worn to a variety of events.

They then presented their highly creative and innovative Miss Australia national costumes. Every year Australia is represented at the Miss Universe beauty pageant, with one of the categories at the pageant the national costume where the representing girls must wear a bold and glamorous design that reflects their country. Students worked in small groups to design and construct an outfit to be worn at the pageant. The groups drew inspiration from beaches, the outback and native flora and fauna.

Fittingly for their final year, our Year 12s were able to write their own design brief according to a personally chosen client’s individual needs in a creative and innovative fashion.

Congratulations to all the girls on their exquisite designs!

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Leila Kounis, modelled by Kristy Leila’s client is a 22 year old female music student who is attending the Met Gala Ball. The outfit is a matching skirt and top with hand dyed ombre fabric and meticulous beading to enhance the design.

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Grace Shao

Emma Brades

Grace’s client is a 23-yearold female who wanted a bold, eye-catching and unique outfit for her Alice in Wonderland Garden Tea Party. Grace drew inspiration from the Jabberwocky and The Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland as well as Angelina Jolie and designer Alexander Wang.

The use of the black leather was inspired by the Jabberwocky’s leather skin and the gold and red is inspired from the Queen of Hearts from her royalty and red hearts.

The garment includes chains, painting, roses and contrast stitching.

Emma’s client requested a ball gown to wear to a friend’s Masqueradethemed birthday party.

She drew inspiration from masks from the Venice parade, and from two designers, one of which is Sherri Hill. She put a modern spin on a typical ball gown as her client wanted to feel comfortable but also express herself through her clothing.

St Hilda’s Ammonite

Cassie Coubrough

Arabella Sanderson

Cassie’s design is a knee length dress made for the Crown Oaks Day Races held in Melbourne. The day has a nominated flower which is the pink rose, so she drew inspiration from designers Paolo Sebastian, natural pink roses and various milliners. The garment is complemented with a floral headpiece.

Arabella’s client is a young female in her 20s who requested an outfit to attend a formal party.

She wanted the dress to be floor length to suit the formal theme. She incorporated detailed beading as a focal point on the garment as well as scattered handmade flowers made from matching silk.

Montana Lane

Niobe Fitzgerald

Montana’s client is Lindsey Ellignson, a well-known model who required a gown to wear to the annual UNISEF charity ball. The theme of the ball was Winter Wonderland, so she looked for inspiration from natural elements such as water, icicles and snow which she represented through tiny handmade flowers individually sewn onto the bodice, complemented with diamantes.

Niobe’s client is a young female with an individual taste who required a garment to wear to a 1969 Woodstock themed festival. She made a matching top and highwaisted pant out of lightweight blue denim which features geometric embroidery and fringing on the back yoke. She drew inspiration from social and cultural backgrounds in relation to the early 1970s.

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2016 Student Art Exhibition Awards Congratulations to the students selected for art awards this year: a lot of work, heart and soul went into their pieces.

2016 Johneen Beilby Art Encouragement Award, Year 5 Art

2016 Art Encouragement Award, Year 11 Design Claire Long

Tess Hay, Alice Wylie, Audrey Clynk

2016 Art Encouragement Award, Year 12 Design 2016 Art Encouragement Award, Year 9 Art

Cara Kennedy

Ramona Zare, Nina Maclean

Artemisia Award 2016 (Year 12) 2016 Art Encouragement Award, Year 9 Photography

Jasmine Wu

Lily Hart, Coline Lu, Kailey Coppen

Year 12 Student Art Acquisition Prize 2016 Eleanor Shenton

2016 Art Encouragement Award Year 10 Art Xanthe Arundell, Sophia Kennedy- Perkins

2016 Art Encouragement Award, Year 10 Photography Caitlin Wilson

2016 Art Encouragement Award, Year 11 Visual Arts Lauren Parker

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St Hilda’s Ammonite

Year 12 Perspectives Nominees Eleanor Shenton, “George” Emily Price, “Gus” Jasmine Wu, “Conquer – Coexist” Meg Allen, “Beyond the Binary” Millie Gillespie, “Complex Simplicity”

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Young ICT Explorers have bright ideas

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St Hilda’s Ammonite

This year our Junior School has been STEAMing ahead with Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Maths to engage our students more meaningfully and to keep them engaged in digital technologies as they transition from Junior to Senior School.

Our Year 6 students have been taking part in a variety of challenges. One such challenge involved the Arduino electronic prototyping platform introduced by Year 6 teacher Mrs Karen Donnelly and STEAM coordinator Mrs Robin McKean who developed a partnership with the CSIRO’s Scientists and Mathematicians in Schools program, enabling the girls to work first-hand with a volunteer scientist. Sheree Pudney, a computer scientist and Year 7 parent, became our valued and much respected guide for the journey as Young ICT Explorers.

Students were tasked with creating a technologyrelated project of their choice, using their knowledge of information and communication technology and submitting their prototype for judging in the prestigious Young ICT Explorers Competition. Mrs Pudney worked with the girls in STEAM sessions for one day each week making sure their coding questions were answered and all problems were worked through before their final presentations were submitted.

Since our last Ammonite, four teams were chosen to present their clever inventions to a panel of academia,

industry partners and ICT professionals at the finals of the WA Young ICT Explorers Competition at Edith Cowan University.

On the first Saturday of September, the creators of the D.A.F.T, a moving shelf for disabled people; the Automatic Cat Toy, a cat toy to entertain pets while their owners are at work; the Boom Barrier, a traffic light system with boom barriers to reduce accidents on the road; and the Walker, a walking cane with sensor for visually impaired people, showed off their creations to the experts.

Each project was assessed according to their creativity, uniqueness, quality, level of difficulty and project documentation.

“The imagination, persistence and enthusiasm shown by the girls has been amazing,” Mrs Pudney said.

Thank you to Sheree Pudney and Junior School parents Keith Godfrey and Anthony Radici for helping the teams with their projects throughout the year.

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Guilia Naccarato, Annabelle Barrie and Cait Watkins.

Elana Godfrey and Carys Kinnell.

Booming as young inventors Breanna Morris, Zali Dale and Arya Moodley.

After months of work, refining and planning, Boom Barrier creators Carys Kinnell and Elana Godfrey won the Year 5/6 category of the WA Young ICT Explorers Competition.

On each traffic light there is a boom barrier that is slowly lowered on an amber light, ensuring that when the light is red no cars can pass. Once the light turns green, the barrier lifts to allow cars to pass through.

“We were so proud of all the girls, and their displays and pitches on Saturday were spectacular!” Mrs Pudney said.

“The whole experience has been a fantastic team effort with lots of people involved. The girls have seen how people with different skills can all come together to achieve wonderful results.”

Lara Hadi, Chloe Morgan and Letisha Xu.

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St Hilda’s Ammonite

Congratulations to the Boom Barrier team and all the girls on their efforts!

Keana Hall, Ella Caldwell, Kevyn O’Connell, Stella Kelly, Arabella Sanderson and Ahley Yee.

Wide Angle Early September saw St Hilda’s present our second annual Wide Angle Media Festival. The event gives our media students across Years 8 to 12 an avenue to have their work premiered on the ‘big screen’ in the Joy Shepherd Performing Arts Centre to an enthusiastic and receptive audience who is then encouraged to vote for their favourite production across all categories covering film and photography.

The event was hosted by Blake Williams from radio station Mix94.5 with this year’s special guest Michael McCall from Notre Dame University. Both were stunned by the quality of the productions they viewed. Mr McCall said that the future of filmmaking is in good hands, if this year’s examples were anything to go by. He hoped some students chose Notre Dame to continue their filmmaking as he was very enthusiastic to work with them.

Usually, school events of this style grow exponentially in their competitive edge and focus on what is sometimes an intangible and anxious ‘judging’ element. At St Hilda’s, the inaugural student-run Media Committee in 2015 designed the event to predominantly be a celebration

of as many pieces of work as possible so that our media students have the wonderful opportunity of seeing their films screened in a cinema context and their photographs professionally printed and displayed, exhibition-style.

In further collaboration with the Media Committee, the decision was also made to organise a People’s Choice vote for each category on the night. This allows the opportunity to highlight one student’s production across each category as a crowd favourite, rather than one that was considered the ‘best of the best’ which can sometimes have a more negative impact, particularly for any students who do not receive any official acknowledgement.

Finally, the production which received the most amount of people’s votes would be acknowledged as the overall People’s Choice recipient and the students involved in that production will be commemorated on the event shield, proudly displayed in the Media Room to inspire future school media producers.

St Hilda’s is very proud of this student designed and driven celebration of Media Arts and we look forward to more amazing student productions in 2017.

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Sporting Excellence On Thursday 13 October, we celebrated the 2016 sporting achievements of our Senior School students at our annual Sports Assembly.

Our sporting program provides all girls the opportunity to participate in a variety of sporting activities including Independent Girls’ Schools Sporting Association (IGSSA) sporting competitions and fitness activities. The annual Sports Assembly acknowledges the contributions and achievements of sporting students at St Hilda’s and within the community. Congratulations to those students who have become members of the 24s or 30s Club where students who participate in 24 or more IGSSA sports during their time at St Hilda’s are recognised for their contribution to sport. Congratulations to all girls who have been selected to represent either Western Australia or Australia in their chosen sport. We also recognised the contribution of our Overall Captains and Vice Captains as well as acknowledged those who won pennants.

24s Club Annabelle Atkins Shania Cameron Isabella De Marte Isabella De Nardi

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St Hilda’s Ammonite

Isabelle Higgins Sarah Knox Alex McLaren Natasha Mehl

Victoria Parker Jane Storm Amy Vanderhor Abbey Woodhams

30s Club Alice Nixon

National Representatives Angela Chilwell Australia in Hockey

Jessica Eidne Australia in Synchronized Swimming

Rhiannon Panting Australia in Lacrosse

Isabella Suleski Australia in Hockey

State and National Representatives 2016 Year 7

Jessica Eidne

Elise Michael

Mia Lovelady

Represented Western Australia in Synchronised Swimming

Represented Western Australia in Athletics

Represented Western Australia in Sailing

Kate Taylor Represented Western Australia in BMX

Year 8

Jolie Sertorio Represented Western Australia in Hockey

Alicia Xu

Year 11 Olivia Caldow Represented Western Australia in Athletics

Represented Western Australia in Badminton

Angela Chilwell

Represented Western Australia in Hockey

Year 10

Sophie Fenna

Sienna Eddy

Keela Barnes

Represented Western Australia in Swimming

Represented Western Australia in Volleyball

Ella Fitzpatrick

Lily Ball

Represented Western Australia in Dance

Sophie Lim Represented Western Australia in Swimming

Samantha Taylor Represented Western Australia in Artistic Gymnastics

Year 9 Christine Aitken Represented Western Australia in Hockey

Paris Chisholm Represented Western Australia in Hockey

Alyssa George

Represented Western Australia in Hockey

Represented Western Australia in Athletics

Represented Western Australia in Swimming

Rhiannon Panting

Alexandra Ho

Isabella Suleski

Represented Western Australia in Swimming

Sarah Knox Represented Western Australia in Athletics

Alex McLaren Represented Western Australia in Athletics

Siena McQuillan

Represented Western Australia in Lacrosse Represented Western Australia in Hockey

Year 12 Georgia Boxley Represented Western Australia in Athletics

Sara Foster Represented Western Australia in Hockey

Represented Western Australia in Cross Country

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2016 Pennant Winning Teams (Terms 1 – 3) IGSSA Swimming

IGSSA Rowing

This year we secured our 5th consecutive championship win!

Overall Captain Kate Swallow Vice-Captain Madeleine Sandl IGSSA pennants were won by the following teams: Overall Pennant Year 8 Year 10 Year 11

Captain of Boats Madison Scott Vice-Captain of Boats Victoria Parker IGSSA pennants were won by the following crews: Senior Scull A Year 9 Quad C Freshman Quad C

IGSSA Tennis St Hilda’s finished 2nd overall.

Overall Captain Annabelle Atkins Vice-Captain Madison Taylor IGSSA pennants were won by the following teams: Senior B Junior C Junior D Year 7/8D

IGSSA Volleyball St Hilda’s finished 6th overall in the competition.

Overall Captain Shania Cameron Vice-Captains Alice Nixon and Julia Yang An IGSSA pennant was won by the following team: Junior E

IGSSA Cross Country St Hilda’s finished 3rd overall in the competition.

Overall Captain Abbey Jones Vice-Captain Erin Flaherty An IGSSA pennant was won by the following team: Year 10

IGSSA Hockey St Hilda’s finished 2nd overall.

Overall Captain Lucy Irvine Vice-Captains Sara Foster and Annabelle Atkins An IGSSA pennant was won by the following team: Senior A

IGSSA Netball St Hilda’s finished 6th overall.

Overall Captain Rachel Bright Vice-Captain Olivia Lodge and Ella Berson An IGSSA pennant was won by the following team: Yr 7/8F equal 1st

IGSSA Basketball St Hilda’s finished 5th overall.

Overall Co-Captains Emma Steinepreis and Molly Stafford IGSSA pennants were won by the following teams: Year 7/8 C Year 7/8 F

IGSSA Athletics St Hilda’s finished 3rd overall.

Overall Captain Georgia Boxley Vice-Captain Montana Lane Field Captain Lucy Irvine Track Captain Natasha Mehl

IGSSA Soccer St Hilda’s finished 3rd overall.

Overall Captain Gabrielle Le Miere Vice-Captain Noelli Bariacto IGSSA pennants go to the following winning team: Year 7/8 A At the time of going to print, the 2016 Softball and Water Polo competitions are well underway but the season has yet to conclude.

Softball Overall Co-Captains Emily Graham and Amy Vanderhor

Water Polo Overall Co-Captains Violet Simcock and Oliva McFarland

Our results from the 2015 season were: IGSSA Softball St Hilda’s finished 4th overall.

Overall Captain Lucy Irvine Vice-Captain Annabelle Atkins IGSSA pennants were awarded to the following winning team: Junior C Junior D

IGSSA Water Polo St Hilda’s finished 3rd overall.

Overall Captain Rachel Bright Vice-Captain Lauren Young

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St Hilda’s Ammonite

Joyce Ashwin, Khiaecia Laidlaw, Tenielle Morrison, Brohdi Woods, Shania Cameron, Nakeisha Mununggurr and Ammbigai Muir.

Indigenous discovery This year saw the launch of the ‘Indigenous Discovery Workshops’ which were created to enable the boarding community to develop a wider understanding of Indigenous culture and women’s roles within it.

The Kamillario, Nyoongar, Warnindilyakwa, Wongi, Yamatji, and Yolngu tribes are represented in boarding by Ammbigai, Brohdi, Havanna, Joyce, Khiaecia, Nakeisha, Shania and Tenielle. Collectively the girls named themselves the ‘Moorditj Mimis’, meaning strong sisters.

During the workshops each Moorditj Mimi took on the responsibility of teaching the participants about a different aspect of their culture. Topics included the history of their tribes; traditional roles for women; dreaming and totems; the impact of racism; language and dance; and the significance of country. Symbolising reconciliation, participants created friendship bracelets in Indigenous colours to wear to future sessions as a sign of their commitment to learning.

In addition to the workshops, the Moorditj Mimis have undertaken a series of events aimed at celebrating Indigenous culture, embracing diversity and imparting knowledge. Highlights include a Sorry Day presentation at Assembly; flying the Indigenous flag during NAIDOC Week; Nakeisha’s performance of the North Wind Dance at the NAIDOC Week dinner; promoting culture through dot painting at the Christ Church Grammar School Fete; and Harmony Day. The Moorditj Mimis’ leadership skills have given us a glimpse into a future where these young women will be role models, educators and leaders in their own communities. We are immensely proud of their efforts to date and look forward to learning more about Indigenous life in 2017.

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Science Week To celebrate all things Science Week, we looked back at some of our inspiring Old Scholars and discovered that they are doing some amazing things in the field.

St Hilda’s definitely strengthened my love for science. My favourite subjects were Chemistry and Physics - I always found these classes very interesting and the teachers inspiring and helpful.

Alarna Boothroyd (’07)

Alarna absolutely cannot imagine herself doing anything other than medicine, but it wasn’t always an easy path. Starting out with a Law Degree, Alarna took a year off after finishing School to practice for the UMAT medical school entrance exam. After six years of study and two years working as a doctor, she loves meeting new patients, working with her team and the practical nature of medicine. Alarna always found science fascinating and during her time at St Hilda’s her love for science was strengthened through our educational yet fun science program. At the moment she’s working in Obstetrics and is enjoying looking after pregnant women and cuddling babies.

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St Hilda’s Ammonite

GHS and St Hilda’s Old Scholars Association

Jane Adcroft (’02)

It’s not all lab coats and statistics, unless you want it to be… In our dynamic, complex world, I can’t think of a better or more important discipline and industry to have been a part of.

Jane’s love of science has taken her to many interesting places during the meandering journey of her career. Across a decade she has tried on many hats, including a zoologist/environmental consultant birdwatching and snake-trapping in the Pilbara, a commercial TV researcher, a producer and creator of an Attenborough-narrated wildlife documentary and a freelance children’s TV producer and science communicator. When she was little, Jane told anyone who’d listen that she wanted to be a naturist (only realising later she meant naturalist – a large difference!). Her time at St Hilda’s allowed her love of science to flourish, falling in love with the beautiful natural world, and the more she learned the more frustrated she became at the destruction of our wilderness. Jane hopes to make a difference through her scientific storytelling.

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Katharine Adcroft (’00)

Apart from being very interested in art, music, chasing Scotch boys and working out how to get away with having pierced ears at St Hilda’s, Katharine was always passionate about science. While at school she learned a range of practical skills and foundation knowledge, including “the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell” which is useful in her job. Katharine studied genetics and biochemistry at UWA before working on research projects at the Telethon Kids Institute, Fiona Wood Foundation, UWA, the University of Melbourne and Monash University. Now a Biomedical Engineering Technician at Swinburne University, she manages a series of laboratories where she helps engineers, chemists, physicists and designers to use biology to broaden their research outcomes and make their projects more applicable to real life. Over her career she has grown human cells for medical testing and molecular biology and has worked on interesting projects on the sidelines of science, including working with biological artists, running an event called “Science in the Cinema”, science-themed artwork, a zoo tour guide and designing a future hospital room.

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St Hilda’s Ammonite

Many young women are still discouraged from pursuing further studies and careers in science, engineering and maths (STEM subjects) as they are wrongfully told, sometimes in very subtle ways, that they will not be as good as men in these areas.

Thankfully, at St Hilda’s I never encountered this attitude and always felt that science would be a valid profession for me.

(’91)

While at St Hilda’s, Susmita entered one of Scitech’s robotics competitions. Her chemistry teacher encouraged her to apply to attend an engineering summer camp at UWA, which was the first time she realised engineering would be an interesting and fulfilling path. It wasn’t until during her studies at university, majoring in mechanical engineering and human physiology, that Susmita became increasingly interested in auditory physiology. She discovered that disruptions to the inner ear can result in a number of different pathologies or disease states, and by learning about how the system works there are ways to improve lives by slowing the development of diseases. Towards the end of her studies she decided to combine her research into auditory physiology with her engineering degree, which opened the door to the oil and gas industry. Susmita was always interested in systems and the way that they respond in different conditions.

GHS and St Hilda’s Old Scholars Association

Susmita Thomson

Looking back on my career path, I could not possibly have imagined then how I would get to where I am now… There are so many different opportunities that are accessible to people who choose a science-related career – it’s a bit like ‘choosing your own adventure’ for life.

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Carefree summer air that tossed my hair about speeding along on three wheels no longer carried a calamity of woks horns, laughter, chaos.

Tainted, poisoned an earth-shattering rumbling then white noise.

Paradise Lost Creative Writing Isi Higgins, Year 12

The sturdy deck chairs where we toasted neon cups, giggling beneath palms that swayed to your favourite playlist snapped, lost beneath a jumbled pile of lives.

Centuries destroyed in seconds.

Tropical warmth that gloriously hugged my body by the pool cast harsh rays, baking the archaeology of mess, drying tears of grieving mothers.

Cooking up a putrid smell.

Our home a ghostly shell, torn open like a Christmas box.

Antique furniture strewn like shrapnel, gashing wrapping paper walls.

The slight breeze whistling like a kettle through silent streets.

My azure paradise churning violently, toxic with a city smothered in one surging retch.

Greedy liquid arms douse every centimetre, Lush, fertile land submerged, a floating graveyard.

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St Hilda’s Ammonite

Student spotlight

Rainstorm of the th 10 Storey A creative response to the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire of 1911.

Creative Writing Maduvanthi Venkatesan, Year 12 The first takes you by surprise on the nose and fingertips, a playful wetness then they all come rushing in a downpour.

A torrent, faster than the tears of mourners, louder than the toll, the precipitous demise of each little drop with a gentle thwack like a body on stone, dampening the sidewalk like a burgundy bloodstain, gentle like the trickle from a broken skull.

The rain falls on Washington Place.

The gale wails like the doomed voices of the tenth storey.

Each gust a pant from the escape attempt, a coughing fit.

A gasp for air, one last breath before the crushing darkness descends.

The flapping of shirtwaists in the wind, fluttering, beating.

The people upstairs, coddled with rich blankets and firm walls, blissfully deaf for they have closed the doors to silence the squall, to silence the screams.

A deafening clap of thunder like a human stampede, a flurry of replaceable feet upon hard, grey, concrete dungeon floors.

The distant rumble carries the roar of metal monsters that once tore at flesh and fabric, intertwined with tarantella passages and European accents.

Thunder, like the sound of calloused hands clenched, pounding, pleading with greedy walls and doors that were boarded shut for fear of petty theft.

A blaze, a fiery flash.

The New York skyline is illuminated into a vague outline Blinding, consuming, it cracks the smoked sky like the crackle of leaping flames.

White hot, yellow rage, echoes of flickering gas lamps and smouldering cigars.

The instant inferno paralyses, escape from this hell is forbidden for the Devils have abandoned their throne.

Lightning strikes the hard ground like a flaming projectile, or body.

Do rainstorms not last for longer than one hundred and forty-six drops?

Or were those merely people?

Why does it not cleanse the street of its filth, or wash away the smell of smoke that lingers on the sidewalk for years?

Why do worms, unperturbed by the wetness, remain feasting on a new banquet under the soil? Why are streets drenched not with water, but with ash, blood and tears?

Why did the rain fall from the 10th storey?

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St Hilda’s Ammonite

Strawberry Jam Photos Year 12 Food class

Ingredients 1 kg strawberries 600g sugar One lemon, organic or unsprayed

Method - Makes approximately one litre of jam 1. Wash and hull the strawberries and cut them into halves. If some are larger or smaller make sure the pieces are all about the same size.

2. Place them in a large non-reactive pot with the sugar.

Cut the lemon in half, squeeze the juice into the pot, and add the lemon halves to the berries. Stir well, cover, and let sit for up to 8 hours at room temperature, stirring one or two times while they macerate.

3. To sterilise the jars, preheat oven to 100°C. Place clean, empty glass jars and metal lids into the hot oven for at least ten minutes before jarring. Jars can be left in the hot oven until you are ready to jar the jam.

4. Put a small plate in the freezer. Turn the heat on under the strawberries to medium-high and cook the strawberries, stirring occasionally, as they reduce and the juices thicken. If a lot of foam rises to the surface, skim it away. When the syrup is the consistency of warm honey – it will take about 15 to 20 minutes or so, depending on the pot and berries – turn off the heat and put a spoonful of the jam on the frozen plate and return the plate to the freezer. Check it in a few minutes; if it wrinkles when you nudge it, it’s done. If not, return the plate to the freezer and cook the jam a little more, testing it again. It may take a few times before you get it to the right consistency.

5. When the strawberry jam is done, remove the lemon, then carefully ladle the jam into the prepared jars.

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