Humanities

Holocaust Museum Visit

As part of the Year 10 History course at De La Salle, students visit the Holocaust museum in Elsternwick. It is a unique opportunity for students to visit the museum and see first hand what life was like for Jewish people living under the Nazi regime. After viewing the exhibits boys got to hear first hand from one of the survivors. George was a young boy who survived Auschwitz concentration camp, to be found hiding in the snow by the US forces. He spoke to boys about how lucky he feels to now live in Australia. It is a great opportunity for students to engage first hand in this period in history and they all leave touched by the experience. Mr Andrew Wozencroft History

Australian History Competition

A number of our Year 9 students have extended their study of the Great War through their participation in this essay competition. An indication of the quality of their critical thinking skills responding to the topic: To What Extent did Australians Enlist in 1914 to defend the ‘Mother Country?’

“The escalating events that triggered what was to become known as “The Great War” (World War I 1914–1918) seem almost trivial in retrospect when we consider the tragic losses of life suffered over four years. Small quarrels between countries, and imperialistic and nationalistic views spread across the globe. Who could have imagined that the murder of the Austrian Archduke by a Serbian Nationalist could have set off such a devastating chain of events?”

Declan Martin “Each year Australia recognises this special event in our history by celebrating ANZAC Day, and the growing numbers of people attending the Dawn Services throughout Australia each year, emphasises how important it is to Australians. Defending the ‘mother country’ was not necessarily the primary reason for men to enlist in World War I. Though defending the mother country would have been an obvious reason for enlisting, other major factors included peer pressure, social pressures and the idea of adventure.”

Harry Gustin

As part of their studies of Ancient History Year 7 boys research, design and construct models reflecting an aspect of Roman society. From a gladiator’s helmet to the Colosseum in which he fought, to aqueducts and weapons, the boys create a diverse range of artefacts. “The Great War, ‘the war to end all wars’; was an inevitable spiral into desolation for each of the parties involved. Ideals of Nationalism, Imperialism and Militarism provoked the downfall of the powers of the world and their men ‘the brightest hope of that generation’. Australia, as a young nation needed to assert itself and prove its worth to Britain, the ‘mother country’. However, to defend Great Britain was not the primary reason for Australians to enlist. Australian culture, financial instability, and proving manliness are all pivotal reasons why young men signed up, all of which were more important to the soldiers than defending a country they had not even stepped foot in.”

Cameron Monaco

Ray Weston from the Vietnam Veterans Education Team shares his experiences and knowledge with Year 11 History students. Ray brings in a range of artefacts from his own tour of duty including his original backpack and invites students to reflect on the day to day logistics of being ‘in country’ and the psychological impact that many veterans and their families have had to live with.

Humanities

The “Mock” Election Mark 2

In August, the Year 12 Politics class conducted another mock election after last year’s attempt to preview the Federal Election. There were seven candidates: Ed Cheesman – returning for the Palmer United Party to defend the title he still held from last year, David Kelly of the Australian Labor Party, Luke Torrisi advocating for the Greens, John Buchanan for the Chinese Communist Party representing the Year 12 History class, Peter Pepes as the National Party representative, Ben Stafford as the spruiker of all things Shooters and Fishers party and finally myself as the Liberal candidate. The election was conducted in good spirits with fantastic support from students and staff; it also presented as a great opportunity to provide an insight for future prospective Politics students. All seven candidates presented illuminating speeches as to why they should be elected, using the knowledge gained from the areas studied across the year. Students could vote as many times as they liked (highly corrupt!!) increasing their chances to win prizes. Anthony De Luca took home the major prize of two finals tickets of his choice. After some intense preferential vote tallying, the winner was John Buchanan of the Chinese Communist Party with Luke Torrisi for the Greens in a close second place. A total of $280 was raised for the Coolies project at the end of 2014. A fantastic experience. Get on board next year! Karl Bianco Year 12 Politics

De La Geography ‘out in the field’

This year our geographers have embraced fieldwork on a scale that has not been experienced in previous years. All students were given the opportunity to experience in the real world, what they had been learning in the classroom. The issues have been wide and varied. Year 7 students have investigated waterways at Gardiner’s Creek; Year 8s the coast as a natural environment, with fieldwork to some of our beaches; the Year 9 geographers assessed the management of traffic flow in the Malvern area; Year 10 students evaluated a range of strategies used at Brighton Beach to combat beach erosion; Year 11 VCE students spent a day at the Docklands, investigating the urban renewal of this environment; and our Year 12 student studied Chapel Street as a resource. The boys have learned many new skills. They have photographed, sketched, surveyed, collected fieldwork information and generally attempted to understand the world in which they live. Back in the classroom, they have completed follow-up tasks that have enabled them to describe, graph, explain, assess, analyse, evaluate and communicate their findings from their fieldwork. We live in a wonderful world and one that is constantly changing due to the influences of nature and of humans. As geographers, it is hoped that from these fieldwork experiences our students will have a greater understanding of the world that we live in and the role that they play in looking after our home.

Mrs Georgina Dwyer Geography