2014 School Magazine

BIGRAMMAR LUCY MOWER (12B)

On a warm summer afternoon in Term I this year, the Girls Grammar touch cohort donned the light/dark blue rugby jerseys of the boys next door and prepared for war. The friendly touch game between the two schools was the start of the three-part series. With their paint, sunglasses and chants prepared, the girls were ready for any challenges the boys had to throw at them. The girls fought hard until the end, but sadly came away with a loss. While the scoreboard reflected defeat, Girls Grammar came away with their dignity and pride, which is more than the boys wearing girls swimmers can say. Although we did not come away from round one successful, we came away with determination and heads held high ready for round two. Shout out to Sadie MacDonald (12M) for scoring a sneaky try in the second half. ■

JUNIOR EXECUTIVE FORCE (JEF) ABIGAIL ASHFORD (9R)

At the beginning of the year, the elected captains from each House group met for the first time as the inaugural members of the Junior Executive Force (JEF). The primary aim of the group was to introduce a leadership programme into the junior section of the School to help create further bonds in the younger grades. Assisted by Mrs Lowry and Mrs Mungomery, the group met once a week and discussed what goals should be set for the future, as opportunities for Year 9 leadership become more prominent with the introduction of Year 7 in 2015.

JEF also considered current initiatives to try and bring together the year level. The first semester presented many challenges in decision making and teamwork, however by overcoming these together there were many achievements. JEF’s own interhouse, Year 9 dodgeball competition was the first of these, organised by the group as a way to bring together the entire year in a friendly competition, and proving itself a great success. I personally see JEF as something that will grow immensely over years to come. The importance of bonding the junior and senior section of the School is something JEF both recognises and strives to achieve and will hopefully continue to do so in a creative and active manner. ■

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY BREAKFAST MADELINE GANDHI (11B) I really enjoyed the International Women’s Day Breakfast and really appreciated the chance to go. The topic I found most interesting was the male champions — powerful male businessmen who, for different reasons, have pledged to protest and advocate for increased female visibility at conferences, going as far as to refuse to speak unless there was sufficient female representation. I found this strategy very innovative and the discussion made me realise that men and women standing side-by-side working for gender equality is the best solution. ■

08 / COMMUNITY