2001 School Magazine

health & PE : ^ 7

Education for life Brisbane Girls Grammar School has had a long and unique history in lifesaving in Queensland. 1912 was the first year of the school's association with The Royal Lifesaving Society with the first lifesaving certificates awarded. Since that time, lifesaving has been one of the most significant units taught in swimming classes from year eight to year twelve Girls Grammar is the only school in Queensland to offer the Royal Lifesaving Society's Bronze Cross award within the school physical education program and, in 2001, it was the only school to extend their students into the outdoor environment when assessing this certificate. This assessment procedure was undertaken by the Year 12 students of Board Course Physical Education and was made possible not only by the innovative teaching and assessment strategies instigated by the staff of the faculty, but also by the three years of lifesaving units integrated into the core program Year 8 complete the Senior Swim and Survive, Year 10 Bronze Star, Year 11 Resuscitation and Bronze Medal lion, and Year 12 Board Course Bronze Cross. integral to this program are the initiative tests that nurture and develop the problem solving skills of the students. Students are asked to assess and react to real-life situations that are designed to test the ability to think, assess and act safely and purposefulIy The lifesaving program at Girls Grammar has been recognised outside the school. in 1967 BGGS won the Soden Shield for the first time. This award is presented to the Secondary Girls School whose students have been awarded the most lifesaving certificates in a year in 1967,675 girls were awarded a lifesaving certificate within a school population of 773. The students of the school have continued to win the Soden Shield for the last 15 years

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analysis of aquatic skills and a visit to a community facility - the Southbank Parklands beach This component of the new Board course program proved to be highly successful and the staff were all impressed with the manner in which the students approached the three days Student feedback while mentioning the clear challenges encountered, was extremely positive. highlighting the individual knowledge. enhanced skills and increased personal satisfaction and confidence gained from the whole experience

Despite the challenges of the environment and the demands of the task. the students endeavored to complete both their Board course assessment and the highly regarded Bronze Cross Certificate Their successes attested to the thorough preparation that had begun In Year I I classes with pool-based skills. The progression from simple to complex environments included the prerequisite of a pass in both the Bronze Medallion and Resuscitation Certificates, completed by allYear I I students in the Core Physical Education program. Students also underwent avideo. assisted ora

In a first for Queensland, a Lifesaving Camp for the students of the new Senior Board Course in Physical Education took place over three gruelling days in March. Imbil provided students with new and complex rescue environments for both skill and initiative sessions At the Memorial Outdoor Education Centre, the number of Imbil staff and the accompanying HPE & Sport Faculty members allowed for smaller, intense group work with highly Individual ized sessions and testing at various venues over the three days Students encountered rain. wind. water currentsand-a-rise in water bed of approximately half a metre The girls were challenged by casualties with spinal and other injuries and found themselves in rescues that had limited to no rescue aids. Whilst all of this occurred, they faced the video and digital cameras that captured analysis material to preview and enhance subsequent performances One student attested to the challenge as "personally confronting" and "the closest I have come to a real life and death situation': Another commented that it was"so realistic when I was searching for the little boy"- a manikin placed on the bottom of the rain-swollen, muddy creek - "when the visibility was zero. I had to feel around for the victim in the dark "