English

DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY

Design & Technology has had an extremely successful year with growth in all areas. This was highlighted with a departmental exhibition at the end of the year, showing a vast array of projects and folio submissions that impressed all that were fortunate enough to attend the viewing.

Mr Paul Van Vliet

Materials projects produced in the Year 12 General Wood class were a show stopper, with some hardwood hall tables being produced to an extremely high standard. Mr Glenn Christiansen worked closely with the students and was rewarded with some beautiful results. Year 11 students also achieved at a high standard and all pieces on display generated great interest.

All areas were represented well and this year the Design & Technology team aimed to keep abreast of students’ needs with new ideas and changes in projects and content. Design continued to be strong and folio submissions were of excellent standard, with creativity at a high and conceptual development and understanding of structural requirements reaching new heights. Ideas presented showcased an amazing array of design principles and understanding of client needs. Mr Rohan Van Dongen once again showed great enthusiasm and interest in helping students reach their true potential.

Engineering, which focuses on the mechatronics aspect of the course, was under new guidance this year, with Mr Joel Shinkfield taking the reins of this developing subject. Engineering is an area of great interest with students often choosing to study at a tertiary level once graduating from the College. Solid performances were achieved, and students were positive after completing the recent ATAR exams. Project work focused on a programmable mood lights which was designed and fabricated with complex circuitry. Student interest and creativity allowed for great differentiation in final product development.

I would like to thank the Design and Technology staff for their dedication and commitment throughout the year. We welcomed a new member into our Department for 2018, Mr Chris Brennan, who proved to be a great asset and his enthusiasm and hard work was much appreciated.

I also thank the students for their contribution throughout the year. They have achieved great success in all areas and should be recognised for their efforts. We look forward to 2019 and hope to continue to offer growth in all aspects of life and prepare the boys for the many opportunities that lie ahead.

Table: Michael Soares Poera Night lights: Ethan Holmsen (left) and Oliver Pabbruwe (right) Table: Tiernan Brahim

Mr Paul Van Vliet

Head of Learning Area – Design & Technology

ENGLISH

“Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit.” – E E Cummings

This year, the Trinity College English Department has continued in its mission to encourage our boys to develop a lifelong love for the English language and reading for pleasure. Our students have spent the year immersed in the world of stories, both real and fictional, exploring the wonders and appreciating the joy of the human spirit and various human experiences.

Senior School teachers have continued to distil the key concepts contained in the English ATAR syllabus to their students and our Year 11s and Year 12s have risen to the occasion in meeting the demands of the courses. Not only have they had to widen their understanding and use of key concepts like voice, genre, perspectives and context; honing their skills to easily navigate the demands of a three-hour English exam has also been a key focus.

The Year 12s have studied a range of dystopian texts, narratives, documentary, expository texts and film this year and this has widened their exposure to different text types and their construction. They also had their first taste of university life as they attended the Curtin English and Literature Conference in Term 2; going to a variety of different lectures offered by experts on various aspects of ATAR English.

With a main focus on Australian themes, issues, values and attitudes; Year 11 students explored the development and representation of the Australian experience through short stories, advertising, novel and drama study. They were also exposed to the study of Australian TV drama and engaged in creative writing activities. In addition to this, our Years 11 and 12 General students were involved in learning activities where they could improve their functional literacy and still take part in the joys of studying and deconstructing texts.

Ms Su-Fen Chung

In preparation for their future studies in Years 11 and 12, Year 10 students were exposed to a range of texts encompassing short stories, film, documentary, feature articles and still images. They also studied Sonya Hartnett’s heart-warming novel, The Midnight Zoo and discovered the joys of magic realism.

One of the highlights of the year has been the English Department’s involvement with Book Week. In conjunction with the library, we ran activities that both challenged the boys and their appreciation and understanding of books, authors and the joys of creative writing. Students were challenged to guess what their teachers’ favourite books were and were treated to the sight of the English teachers dressed up as their favourite book character. It was a very successful week and we look forward to bigger and better in 2019!

In the Middle School, English students have explored their world through a variety of texts across various modes and mediums. From watching various documentaries on world issues, to studying the development of the horror genre, to exploring the nuances of both Aboriginal culture and language, to discovering the issues surrounding sustainability and the environmental impact of humankind, our Middle School students have been exposed to a breadth of texts that can widen their experience and enjoyment of the English language in all its forms and develop their appreciation of the craft of writing. In doing so, in Middle School English, the boys have produced essays, both in-class and take-home, created multimodal presentations, performed in plays, engaged in some riveting debates and written feature articles.

In addition to this, a select group of students from Years 7–10 were privileged to be part of Talented Young Writers’ Program offered by The Literature Centre in Fremantle. Held four times in the year, our boys met,