Humanities ___________________________________Page

Humanities in 2015 has offered some challenging and exciting opportunities for students to explore History, Geography and Civics and Commerce subjects. St Joseph’s Westcourt Campus held its second ANZAC Commemoration Day on Wednesday 22 April 2015. This provided students with an excellent opportunity to understand the importance of Commemoration of World War and conflict. The day was highly successful and culminated in being the Victorian winners of the ANZAC School’s Award Competition. There are photos and comments for you to enjoy below. Students at other year levels have been involved in camps, excursions and a range of exciting activities. There is a commentary below from a Year 8 student and also some information on our success at the Year 10

Geography Competition.

I hope you enjoy this snapshot of Humanities in 2015!

Michelle Bishop - Humanities Domain Leader

ANZAC COMMEMORATION DAY – WESTCOURT CAMPUS

Student Leaders were responsible for planning and delivering our ceremony. Students, staff, parents, war veterans and other community guests attended our ceremony. Displays in corridors of the school had a different war approach. 19 workshops were offered to the students. Each workshop had a specific learning goal. Staff and special guests were responsible for the delivery of the workshops.

All students witnessed the performance of a play in the afternoon. 5 students from both schools met numerous times before the day to identify with their character and rehearse. Premiers Spirit of Anzac Prize winner. Isaac Travers Hucker prepared a reflection and PowerPoint for the rest of the student body about his experience. He was the winner of the 2014 prize.

YEAR 8 HUMANITIES

In Term 3 this year, my Year 8 Humanities class (taught by Mrs Stewart) looked at Geelong and ways that we could improve the community; through sustainability and initiative. I really enjoyed this unit as it was a way to learn a lot more about my home town and what the future might look like.

While I was in France last year,

I was lucky enough to travel on one of their electromagnetic ‘bullet trains.’ These trains cruise at a speed of 350km/h, 3 times the speed of the Geelong to Melbourne train! But that’s not all. On the three hour journey I took, the expected time of arrival was 11:53. And sure enough, at exactly 11:53, our train pulled into the station. My suggestion for Geelong is to replace our slow system with an incredible electro-magnetic ‘bullet train.’ Not only are these trains unbelievably fast and reliable. They also produce very little pollution, are extremely quiet, cost very little to maintain and are very durable. Although these trains cost a lot compared to normal trains, the low maintenance cost means that eventually the money would be earned back, as we’d be keeping these trains for a long time.

Charlie Roache - Year 8 Humanities

YEAR 10 GEOGRAPHY COMPETITION

Geography students from Year 10 tested their geographical skills and knowledge against students from all around Australia in the 2015 Australian Geography Competition. We had a number of students who performed to a very high level in the Competition this year with Joshua Czerkiewicz and Connor Morrison both gaining high distinctions, Callum Schenk a distinction and Peter Watkins and William Rowe credits.

“Over 76,000 students from 770 schools across Australia entered the Australian Geography Competition so the results give us an external benchmark as to how our students are going in certain aspects of geography.” Bernard Fitzpatrick, a geographer and the competition’s national coordinator, said “The competition played a role in promoting geography to students and the wider school community.” “Geography is an important subject which develops a student’s understanding of the spatial and temporal relationships of people and place. It helps students appreciate the complex nature of local, regional and global social, economic, and environmental interactions,” said Mr Fitzpatrick. The Competition is a joint initiative of the Australian Geography Teachers’ Association and the Royal Geographical Society of Queensland.

Peter O’Connor

ANZAC Displays at Westcourt ANZAC Displays at Westcourt

Year 10 Geography Competition Year 10 Geography Competition ANZAC Service at Westcourt ANZAC Service at Westcourt