Society and Environment

Academic

The Society and Environment Department has had an extremely busy and productive 2008. As well as achieving outstanding results in the Senior School, staff have been busy laying the foundations for success in the humanities area with the teaching of engaging Mr Christopher Allanson Head of Society & Environment units of study in Years 8-10. The Society and Environment learning area, which includes the subject disciplines of Economics, History, Geography, Accounting and Political and Legal Studies, are areas where students can not only score highly in their TEE but also be provided with a broad well rounded education. The TEE results from 2007 were quite spectacular in this learning area. Both Political and Legal Studies and Economics had Trinity College placed in the Top 10 schools in the State for those subjects. A special mention must be made of the Economics class where 39 of the 57 students achieved in the top 20% in the State. The class average was 14% above the State average in this subject.

The commencement of the 2008 academic year saw Miss Maree Harden join the team to teach Accounting and Society and Environment. It also saw a new era for Middle School students who now had the benefit of fully refitted and air conditioned classrooms. This certainly has made a difference to productivity levels on those really hot days. Students have also benefited from having access to AV projectors in the B-Block rooms. This instructional tool allows for so many learning techniques to be used in the classroom. For example, viewing Internet pages as a class, watching a DVD on a large screen with stereo sound, using interactive CD-ROMs and using various websites such as You Tube to reinforce learning.

During the year Ms Vicki Jones was presented with a wonderful career opportunity and as a result we sadly said farewell to her. I would like to thank Vicki for her efforts in providing a wonderful Geography curriculum to boys in Years 8 - 12 since 2006. I would also like to thank Miss Kristen Campisi who has been on leave this year and has decided that she will not be returning to the College. Ms Maree Harden will also be leaving the department having accepted a position at Hale School. I would like to thank both Maree and Kristen for their efforts and wish them both well for the future. The Department welcomed Mr Tim Shanassy who has joined us from the United Kingdom where he was Head of Geography at Cleeve School in Cheltenham.

So what have been the highlights of 2008? Students have had numerous excursions, guest speakers, competitions, National and State standard testing and a geography camp. In Political and Legal Studies students were visited by the Hon Stephen Smith (MHR for Perth) and current Foreign Minister, Mr Ben Wyatt (MLA for Ben Wyatt MLA talks to Victoria Park), Seamus Rafferty Year 9 students about the from the Director of Public Election process Prosecutions Office and Howard Sattler from radio station 6PR. Students have been on excursions to Parliament House, the Supreme Court and District Courts of WA. Four students represented the College in the United Nations Youth Association Hammarskjold Competition with Adrian Maydwell and Michael Ferrinda (Year 10) placing third in the final. This is a spectacular effort given that they were competing in the final mostly against Year 12 students. Two Year 11 students also represented the College at a function hosted by the United States ConsulGeneral, Dr Kenneth Chern, watching a live feed of results of Left - Bodie D’Orazio Right - Adam Clarke the historic Presidential election.

Mr Seamus Rafferty and Mr Christopher Allanson with Political and Legal studies students

Geography students attended excursions to Point Perron, the Forest Hills Discovery Centre in Mundaring, entered field sketches of the local area in the Sir John Forrest Geography Competition and studied the changing morphology of the City of Perth. Year 12 students also attended an overnight camp at New Norcia during which they toured Sandalford Winery, the farms at Catholic Agricultural College Bindoon and met with a town planner at the Northam Shire Office.

Students also visited Fremantle Gaol in the study of colonial history of Western Australia. They also had the opportunity to attend seminars at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry as well as particular career events organised by the Institute of Chartered Accountants.

On reflection 2008 has been a very busy and highly rewarding year for the department. I would like to personally thank the staff for their efforts in delivering a quality curriculum to the students, especially Mr Anthony Lunt who has coordinated the Years 8 and 9 teaching programs. We now look forward to a successful 2009.