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Society and Environment
Academic
In this most productive and successful year in Society & Environment, a particular focus has been on developing literacy skills. In a world where it is so convenient to communicate informally via email or mobile phone text, and more than ever before employers are
Mr Chris Allanson Head of Society & placing emphasis on written Environment communication skills, we must ensure that we facilitate opportunities for our boys to improve their written language. Across all Year levels, with a refocus on basic spelling, grammar and punctuation, we have been modelling effective note taking, paragraph structure and essay writing, and all students in Years 8 to 10 have been assessed against ‘Investigation, Communication and Participation’ (ICP); the Society & Environment literacy Outcome that, rather than just assessing content, facilitates feedback to students on how well they are communicating their ideas. Our academic program has included numerous guest speakers, field trips, camps and other special events, demonstrating that not all learning takes place in the classroom, especially in the areas of Political & Legal Studies, Geography, History, Accounting and Economics. Guest speakers have included Indigenous youth advocate and 2007 Young Australian of the Year Tania Major, talkback radio host Howard Sattler and Trinity Old Boys: the Federal Member for Stirling, The Hon Michael Keenan (1989); and State Prosecutor, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions for Western Australia, Mr Seamus Rafferty (1991).
Other activities included the Year 9 students attending a drama production on the horrors of war, with particular reference to the Vietnam War, and the Year 12 Geography students attending an intense Geography Camp to New Norcia and Northam, where numerous assessment requirements were addressed. One of the highlights of the camp was the visit to Catholic Agricultural College Bindoon, where the boys got a good taste of life on the farm.
In Perth, our students also visited Parliament House, the Supreme Court, District Court, Magistrates Court of WA, the Francis Burt Law Education Centre and Museum, the Hills Discovery Centre, Point Perron, the Holocaust Institute of WA and Fremantle Prison. Students attended conferences at the The Constitutional Centre of Western Australia, the Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Western Australia and the United Nations Youth Association (UNYA) State Conference.
Our students also competed in the UNYA Hammarskjöld Trophy Competition, the
Geographical Association of Western Australia John Forrest Award competition and the Australian Geography Competition; special mention must be made of Calum Braham (Year 8.1) who was placed fifth nationally in the Junior Section of the Australian Geography Competition.
I would like to thank all of the Society & Environment staff for an outstanding year’s work. Having a staff of hardworking, committed professionals gives the students of Trinity College an education that not only meets their current requirements, such as preparing for university, but also, and more importantly, it gives them the skills and motivation to be lifelong learners. The students can recognise that each of you teach with a passion for your subject and this in turn inspires them to be their best.
At the beginning of the year, Anthony Lunt took up the role of Middle School Coordinator and I congratulate him on a fine year’s work in administering all aspects of the programs for Years 8 and 9. To Mr Andrew Osnain, Ms Vicki Jones, Ms Kristen Campisi, Ms Corrinna Eagling, Mr Lal Bisnath, Mr John Montagu, Mr Phil Jurjevich, Mr Barry Mckenna and Mr Doug Simpson; thank you for your efforts in 2007. I wish Kristen every success as she leaves us to pursue other interests. I look forward to building on the success of this year in 2008.
Mr Chris Allanson
Head of Society & Environment
From Friday 23 to Sunday 25 February, Vincent Jusko (Year 11.6) and Gerard Rosario (Year 11.3) participated in the United Nations Youth Association (UNYA) State Conference at Serpentine Camping Centre. The theme of the conference was ‘Peacekeeping: Ineffective, Inadequate, Indispensable’.
Throughout the camp we had the opportunity to listen to a variety of speakers covering issues relating to peacekeeping and youth empowerment, including: the then Minister for Youth, The Hon Lilliana Ravlich; David Mickler from the United Nations Association of Australia (WA Division), who spoke about the concept of the ‘responsibility to protect’ and the difficulties in getting a UN peacekeeping force into Darfur; Colonel Phillip Skelton AM RL who gave a broad overview of peacekeeping, its relationship to peacemaking and nation building, and Australia’s involvement in peacekeeping; and Grace Roberto who talked about her personal experiences in Sudan and fleeing to make her way to a new life in Australia. We also had the opportunity to participate in small group workshops covering resolution writing, the UN Charter, and the rules of procedure of the UN General Assembly. We participated in drafting Youth Motions, which are being published and circulated throughout the WA parliamentary and NGO community. In addition, each representing a member state of the UN, conference delegates participated in UN committee debates and a General Assembly debate, which consisted of over 130 delegates.
There were opportunities to meet new people, through the annual delegate-facilitator soccer game, the Friday night games and the Saturday night disco.
The UNYA Conference was a worthwhile experience, allowing us to immerse ourselves in the culture and practices of the moral conscience of the world.
Academic
