Showcasing Scholarship

Some of the most remarkable examples of student creativity and insight arise from the HSC major works process. These impressive projects are designed to reflect not only a Year 12 student’s mastery of a subject but their capacity to analyse, think originally, and maintain a consistent output. Here, we outline some of their inventive ideas and fascinating research.

Are sports drinks worth it? Zoe Robertson compared the effect of sports drinks and water on electrolyte balance after vigorous exercise. She hypothesised that due to the lack of evidence provided by sports drink manufacturers, it is likely their products fail to replenish lost electrolytes better than plain water. She recruited 10 participants to complete six workouts each, three during which they consumed water and three during which they consumed sports drinks. During their workouts they wore a sponge apparatus to absorb sweat, which Zoe then analysed to test for sodium and potassium levels. Though Zoe’s findings are not scientifically valid due to the ethical constraints on her process, the sponges worn during the sports drink exercise sessions contained significantly higher levels of sodium and potassium than the sponges worn during the water exercise sessions.

Visual Arts: Seven Visual Arts students were nominated for inclusion in the HSC Showcase ARTEXPRESS including Holly Houssarini and Olivia Kennard. Holly was the recipient of the Wenona Creative Arts Scholarship and a finalist in the 2021 Head on Photo competition. Her HSC Body of Work Domestic Landscapes is a continuation of the imagery she created for that competition – studies of her family life capturing the layers of meaning “built on decades of Lebanese culture, folklore, and virtue. They are where memories sleep and where memories are born”.

Olivia’s collection Heart Aches in Absentia investigated the universal human experience of missing someone, “whether through distance, loss, heartbreak or change”. She movingly depicted her grandmother, father and sister using dramatic chiaroscuro lighting.

Aliya Ryan used patterned light screens and other unexpected elements for her Body of Work and has received early acceptance to the Whitehouse Institute of Design, where the famed Australian creative Akira Isagowa is a Mentor.

English: In her short-fiction piece, The Merry-Go-Round, Frances Davis, inquired into both the national mythology born from Australia’s colonial past - “the poverty-stricken, soot-covered chimney boy to stripe-clad convict braving rough seas on little more than crumbs,” and the glorification of Australia’s participation in World War One, particularly at Gallipoli. She says her work “speaks into the literary echo chamber that perpetuates a national identity founded on bloodshed, prided on the erasure of an enemy, the celebration of a male voice, the redaction of the feminine, the different, cyclically.”

Imogen Wells (2021) was recognised in October this year, for her English Extension 2 Major Work In a Split Second, which was selected for inclusion in the prestigious WordXpress Young Writer’s Showcase publication. As the daughter of an army officer and the granddaughter of a Vietnam war veteran, Imogen says the creative nonfiction piece aims to spark new reflections and lines of enquiry around war literature’s relationship with morality. “Every challenge has helped me grow. The journey ignited great enthusiasm for where reading and writing might take me in the future … and left me with more questions than answers.”

Textiles and Design: For her Major Project, Jemima Andreas created a delicate pink-hued dress called Anastasia. It drew inspiration from the Japanese kimono, cherry blossoms, the Moschino 2018 Spring/Summer collection, and the Regency era which featured a bust and waist-emphasising feminine aesthetic. The skirt was made up of hand-dyed and hand-cut ‘petals’ covered with tiny glass beads.

Design and Technology: A portable storage and sleeping solution for homeless people was the concept created by Lucy Robertson for her Major Design Project. It was constructed with plywood and bamboo veneer which she moulded into a curve with a vacuum former.

“My aim was to create a functional and practical design that could assist with alleviating some of the issues associated with homelessness,” Lucy says.

Drama: Emily Hamilton was nominated for the Showcase OnStage for her performance of a monologue from The

Remains of Maisie Duggan. It was a darkly themed dystopian piece that offered plentiful opportunities to demonstrate Emily’s acting range. “It really appealed to me because though her experiences were very far from my own, she was a rich, three-dimensional character who had endured so much,” Emily says. The Wenona Group Performance Ditch the Witch was also nominated for OnStage inclusion.

History: Constance Panos evaluated “national historical consciousness and the use of memory, nostalgia, and trauma in progressing socio-political agendas” in her Major Work The Golden Days. “I examined how nations can distort historical ‘truths’ to amplify a positive image whilst instilling a sentiment of patriotism and belonging amongst disillusioned populations, specifically in eras of global upheaval,” she says.