2006 School Magazine

Brain Games Girls can’t play chess? Well, there goes that theory! Every Wednesday and Thursday lunch time, Brisbane Girls Grammar School students have the opportunity to practise their chess skills, learn new tactics and strategies from their coach or match wits in a compelling game. After hearing the sad news at the beginning of the year that our former coach, Mr D Lavercomb, died tragically in an accident over the holidays, Girls Grammar chess players have beenmore determined than ever to show what they can do and to improve their skills. This year the Chess Club has continued togrowanddevelopwithmanynew members joining. Throughout the year girls have achieved outstanding results in numerous State competitions and have thoroughly enjoyed trying out their new skills on rival schools and parents alike. As part of being in the Chess Club, over the course of the year, girls enjoyed a movie afternoon with pizza and a very special “chess movie”, as well as many after school visits to rival schools’ chess clubs for friendly games along with a slice of cake. Special thanks must go to our coach, Mr J Humphries, for sharing his wealth of chess knowledge, keeping us on track and for making sure we were well prepared for our competitions. Thank you also to Mrs R Rentz and Mr B Steeples for all the time, effort and help that they have given to chess clubbers this year. With their assistance may Grammar girls continue to prove that not only can girls play chess, but that they play it very well indeed.

What’s new at Literature Café? Never Let Me Go – Kazuo Ishiguro – February Tolkein’s Gown – Rick Gekoski – March The Plot Against America – Philip Roth – June Affection – Ian Townsend – Wednesday - July The Planets – Dava Sobel - August The Penelopiad – Margaret Atwood – November This year we have been very fortunate to have two special guests come to speak to the group. In June we invited Jane Humphreys (2001), a member of our recent alumni who currently works with the QueenslandWriters Centre and is completing her Masters in Journalism, to speak to the group about the writing industry. Jane entertained us with the perils and rewards of the writing and publishing experience for potential authors. In July we were enthralled with Ian Townsend as he spoke to us about his research andmotivation for the writing of Affection which was shortlisted for the Commonwealth First Writers Award. This book is a fictional account of the actual event of the outbreak of bubonic plague in Townsville in the early 1900s. Coincidentally, Dava Sobel the author of The Planets as well as the highly acclaimed, Longitude and Gallileo’s Daughter, was in Brisbane to discuss her latest book. Literature Café moved to the Irish Club to hear her speak. Literature Café continues to provide a venue for members of Brisbane Girls Grammar School, Brisbane Grammar School and the wider community tomeet regularly, listen to presentations from guest speakers and participate in informal discussions of a wide variety of fiction and non-fiction texts. Mrs J Colwill Co-ordinator Cafe Society these numbers appear in our daily lives. Students, parents and staff were enthusiastic as the speakers covered areas as diverse as family trees of bees, spirals in pineapples and tiling patterns. Mr R Bowman Co-ordinator

Art Café Support for Art Café has grown over this year with large numbers of students, parents and staff attending a variety of events. The year began with the Director of the Institute of Modern Art, Robert Leonard, speaking about the year’s coming exhibition programme. Students were highly enthused about his talk and their classwork was influenced by the variety of artists presented to them in a PowerPoint presentation. Susan Ostling from the Queensland College of Art presented in March. In May, artist Sebastian di Mauro spoke at length about his practice which offered a contemporaryperspectiveonsculpture.The influenceof his familybackgroundand culture on his work stimulated interesting discussion between Sebastian and the audience. A visit to the QUT Art Museum in August initiated the start of a relationship with the Gallery. Students and parents were able to listen to an artist speak about her work and ask questions in the gallery. The final speaker for the year was Chris Harding, Exhibitions and Public Programs Officer at the Queensland College of Art. Art Café provides an opportunity for students and members of the School community tomeetwithmembers of theBrisbane art community andkeepabreast

of current trends in Visual Art. Mr D Pincott Co-ordinator

Philosophy Café Philosophy Café continues to be supported by a loyal group of staff, students and parents. The first speaker of the year was Dr Mark Colyvan from the University of Queensland Philosophy Department who spoke on the topic of Time Travel. Dr Colyvan has presented at the Café in previous years and always stimulates interesting and lively discussion. In March, the Dean of School, Mr A Dale, spoke to the topic Teaching Religion in a Multicultural Age. Mr Dale’s talk revealed his exceptional level of erudition and his ability to communicate ideas in amanner that all can grasp. Socratic dialogue was the focus of the May and August meetings when Maths Café The Mathematics Faculty held the inaugural Maths Café in Term III. The Cafe provides a unique forum for the discussion of topical mathematical ideas and phenomenon. Centred on guest speakers the forum offers a light- hearted approach aimed at enriching mathematicalexperiencesandproviding the opportunity to explore and engage with mathematical ideas and minds.

Gil Burgh from the Contemporary Studies Department at the University of Queensland and the Principal of the Brisbane School of Philosophy, Rex Howard created in-depth interaction between participants. The final speakers for the year were Mrs J Colwill, Director of the Creative Arts Faculty and Dr Marguerite La Caze from the University of Queensland Philosophy Department. The Philosophy Café is an initiative of the Principal, Ms A Bell, with Brisbane Girls Grammar School being the first secondary school in Australia to institute its own Café. Mr D Pincott Co-ordinator The first session was was well attended by members of the Girls Grammar community. Guest speakers were University of Queensland lecturers, Dr Michael Bulmer – Senior Lecturer, Operations Research and Statistics and Dr Victor Scharaschkin – Lecturer, Mathematics. Dr Bulmer and Dr Scharaschkin gave fascinatingandengagingpresentations on the exciting, contemporary topic of the Fibonacci Numbers and the Golden Ratio and just how widely

Gone Fishin’! GPF Industries is run co-operatively by Brisbane Girls Grammar School and Brisbane Grammar School as a co-curricular activity. It provides students with the opportunity to learn about the operation of a real business while operating within a safe virtual economy. Trading as “Designer Fish Emporium”, GPF Industries is part of a world wide network of Practice Firms organised through the Australian Network of Practice Firms (ANPF). This Network acts as a conduit for virtual businesses in schools and TAFE colleges in Australia and internationally. The concept of a virtual business is difficult for those unfamiliar with the ANPF network. It can be described as simply a business simulation activity which is online. This co-curricular activity gives students the opportunity to meet new people and to experience business routines in a virtual setting. In May 2006 an International Trade Fair for businesses in the ANPF Network was held in Brisbane at the RNA Showgrounds. This event gave students the opportunity to trade in a real situation versus the normal virtual setting. GPF Industries benefited from many sales made to other representatives from other virtual businesses and the GPF “employees” benefited from the experience of having to talk about and sell their products.

Jacinta Livingstone (10R)

Mrs P Greig

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Br isbane Gir ls Grammar School

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