English

It is with a sense of achievement that I outline the many incursions, excursions and competitions we have offered in our English courses this year. With the introduction of our new ATAR English, Literature and general units, came the opportunity to start from scratch with our Year 11 programs, to make them even more educationally rich, rewarding and aligned to the national curriculum. For example, our Year 11s in Term 1 were thrilled to, not only study the text Jasper Jones, but to speak up close and personally with its author, Craig Silvey. It was an invaluable experience as students were able to ask him many questions relating to his text’s powerful themes and his life as an internationally famous author. The lads queued into lunchtime and eagerly awaited a chance to have their books signed and to get a selfie opportunity.

Furthermore, the College was abuzz with the arrival of nationally famous rapper Marksman Lloyd in Term 1. Our Year 12 1CD students studied his latest CD Rewrite the Ending and hung out with this inspirational role model. By lunchtime the library was filled with students who had been part of his seminars throughout the day. As he performed, many boys danced, clapped and excitedly shouted out the words to his songs. Most students from Years 7–11 were encouraged by his promotion of the arts. In particular, Marksman taught the boys how to rap, express their feelings in writing and to be a man with integrity.

Moreover, our Year 11 Literature students enjoyed the performance of Christopher Marlowe’s Dr Faustus at the University of WA and in Term 2 our entire Year 12 cohort spent an immersion day at Curtin University with many other local schools attending. We were proud of our College’s presence on the day, as our lads took the full day seriously; they attended all the lectures with maturity and a willingness to prepare for their end of year exams.

Middle School English has also offered the boys many creative and dynamic opportunities this year. Boys in several English classes were fortunate enough to experience the first day of The Giants surreal journey through the city. A brisk walk to Langley Park commenced our observation of the Little Girl Giant being dressed in a yellow raincoat by the talented and skilled Lilliputians, where she then began her search for the Diver Giant. With water spraying from her boat, the boys were able to see the commencement of her travels along the edges of Langley Park. For some, it was anti-climactic, but for many the experience was breathtaking, and so the boys were eager to revisit The Giants over the weekend. The boys certainly enjoyed their rediscovery of puppetry on a grand scale.

Miss Lisa Mack Head of English

Author Craig Silvey explains the motivation behind the plot of Jasper Jones to students

Students with Craig Silvey

Once again, our budding young authors were funded by the English Department to attend a four-day writing workshop held at the Fremantle Literature Centre. Our numbers have significantly increased and in 2015 19 boys attended this extremely popular program where they were given opportunities to work collaboratively with published authors James Roy, Sally Murphy, Scott Gardner, Cath Crowley, Isobelle Carmody, AJ Betts and JC Burke. We look forward to another exciting collaboration with the centre in 2016.

As part of the Year 7 module The Art of Storytelling, author Mark Greenwood helped stimulate the boys to recount a story in a captivating and interesting manner. Mark Greenwood’s message was clear – “show rather than tell’. He was able to motivate the boys to think about their writing experiences and to have the courage to write with authenticity, creativity and flair. Greenwood retold many mini-stories to help captivate his audience, and to also educate the boys on how to engage their readers and maintain their interest.

Our Year 8 English students were busily putting pen to paper in Term 3, experimenting with creative writing. The boys tuned into their five senses, dabbled with figurative language devices and attempted to create some powerful and poignant poetry. To add to their creativity and poetry-writing skills, the students were fortunate to attend three workshops presented by the Said Poetry Society, led by former Trinity student, Matthew Norman (‘11). The workshops explored the Poetry Slam form, teaching the boys the power of poetry and the impact that effective writing can have on an audience. Over three consecutive weeks the boys explored the art of telling ‘your story about your world’. This was a fantastic medium for the boys to experiment with language and be given an opportunity to express their ideas about the world in which they live. A selection of volunteers performed their poems to their peers. The poems were outstanding and all students should be very proud of their heart-felt efforts.

Our Year 8 Course 3 English class was once again fortunate to have Donella Brown run a workshop on the importance of identity, place, family and culture. In turn, the boys prepared for their study of Mark Greenwood and Terry Denton’s picture book, Jandamarra. The students were able to gain some insight into our Australian history of Indigenous hero, Jandamarra, of the Bunuba people. As you can see, our year has been very full and exciting.

I wanted to take this opportunity at the end of my report to thank those staff who supported my long service leave in Term 2. In particular, our acting HOLA, Mr Adam Kealley, seamlessly and tirelessly managed the English, LOTE and Drama departments. Furthermore, Mrs Rosa West has been an invaluable support to me throughout the year. I thank her for enthusiasm as this year she was instrumental in coordinating our many activities and responsibilities.

Lastly, I would like to inform you of my resignation as Head of the English Department. Next year, I am taking a career break to reprioritise my commitment to my family and personal goals. I have been told a long service leave can often provoke an existential watershed moment of this ilk. I very much look forward to returning as a Senior English teacher in 2017. However, before I depart from this role I assure you of the high calibre of teachers in this department. In my years

Students show their dance talents

Students with Marksman Lloyd

A brisk walk to Langley Park commenced our observation of the Little Girl Giant being dressed in her raincoat.

of teaching, I have never worked with a more dedicated, transparent and compassion group of educators who spend many of their free hours in moderation and preparation. Their goal has always been to ensure our students find the demands of this learning area accessible, gratifying and life-affirming. What a joy to work with such a wonderful group and family, if you will! I have greatly enjoyed my time as HOLA these past five years and I leave my position confident that my replacement will maintain the dynamics of our amazing department. I will not be too far away next year and will look to support the department off campus wherever I can, until I return.

Miss Lisa Mack Head of English