2016 School Magazine

BR I SBANE G I RLS GRAMMAR SCHOOL

SCHOOL MAGAZI NE 2016

B R I S B A N E G I R L S GRAMMAR SCHOOL SCHOOL MAGAZI NE 2016

CONTENTS

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

03

SENIORS

52

FROM THE HEAD GIRLS

04

CREATIONS

64

COMMUNITY

05

CURRICULUM

79

SERVICE

25

CO-CURRICULUM

107

HOUSES

33

SPORT

132

EDITORIAL Whoever you are and wherever you may be, stop what you are doing. Clear your schedule, get comfortable, and sit back and relax as you occupy and immerse yourself in the wonder and life of Brisbane Girls Grammar School in 2016. This year, Grammar girls have been brought together in an unprecedented way. The Head Girls’ motto of ‘Blue unity is opportunity’ — lovingly shortened to #blunity — has allowed all members of the community to spread and support the royal blue. For this year’s Magazine, the Publications Committee have drawn on the power of #blunity to create an experience that was both collegial and individual. The committee envisioned a magazine that included every girl in some way shape or form, but also showed the unbreakable bond of the School. We wanted a magazine that embodied the School for every individual girl, whether you’re in your first or last year at Girls Grammar or somewhere in between. This year’s Magazine is the collection of the thoughts and parts of lives of the 1400 girls who are the School. It is a collage of individuals and a collage of Girls Grammar. It was this visual that inspired this year’s design. We wanted the Magazine to be a scrapbook of 2016 that all Grammar girls can look back on and connect to. Whether it be through reading the articles, reminiscing through the photos on show, or marvelling at the student sketches that adorn the pages of this year’s Magazine. It is these collaborations and personal touches that make this edition of the Magazine truly unique and special. On behalf of the Publications Committee, we hope that you enjoy reading the 2016 Magazine as much as we enjoyed putting it together.

2016 Publications Committee (L-R): Isabella Mathiou (11G), Helena Payne (11H), Ciaran Greig (12B), Emma Kendall (Publications Captain, 12B), Emily Hawkins (11W), Aleesha Ganendran (11W). Absent: Cireen Khan (12W).

EMMA KENDALL (12B) PUBLICATIONS CAPTAIN

FROM THE PRINCIPAL Girls Grammar is a very special school and this Magazine beautifully captures so many of the highlights of 2016. We have achieved exceptional academic results, witnessed the outstanding athleticism of our sporting teams and seen the exuberance and sheer talent displayed by Grammar girls in the arts. It is my hope that every girl can find her place and strive to achieve her very best at Girls Grammar. At the beginning of the year we launched our new Strategic Design which will guide us as we chart the next stage in our history and ensure that the School remains a leader in exceptional scholarship. At the heart of this new Strategic Design 2016- 2019 are our Grammar girls – curious, principled, adventurous, balanced and leaders who continue to inspire others in everything they do. It was certainly with a sense of great excitement and pride that I announced to the School community in July our intention to build a remotely operated robotic telescope and observatory at Marrapatta, our Memorial Outdoor Education Centre. We look forward to the exciting opportunities the observatory will present for girls across the curriculum, from Junior Science and Physics to Mathematics, Information Technology, Visual Art and beyond.

The school motto for 2016, Blue unity is opportunity , encapsulates the extraordinary school spirit of Grammar girls and the desire they have to support each other to succeed, whether it be as a Study Buddy helping a younger girl develop skills in their learning or for each House cheering their teammates as they cross the finish line at the Interhouse Cross Country. Proud of their School, our Student Council took this year’s motto one step further, developing hashtag #blunity. From badges to banners, #blunity has been used throughout the community, demonstrating the strong sense of pride that Grammar girls have in their School. This beautiful Magazine is a showcase of the well-rounded and broad liberal education at Girls Grammar. The enthusiasm and joy on the girls’ faces in the photos reflects their passion for learning and the vibrancy of our School. To our Year 12 girls: as you step out into the wider world, take this Magazine with you and treasure the memories of your days at Brisbane Girls Grammar School. I am confident that you will contribute to your world with wisdom, imagination and integrity and look forward to hearing the stories of your continued success as Grammar Women.

MS JACINDA EULER, PRINCIPAL

HEAD GIRLS REPORT In 2016, our vision was to create unity within the School, a totally achievable aim through increased involvement, support, acknowledgement, spirit, and networking. The five objectives were to create unity between classmates, teammates and fellow musicians, within houses, years and the entire School. This desire for the School community to challenge themselves to achieve total unity led to the Student Council’s highly anticipated and successful motto: Blue unity is opportunity .

The annual BiGrammar series against Brisbane Grammar School continued with Elizabeth Perrin, Student Council member, producing spirit videos to challenge the boys. Our first video for BiGrammar touch set the scene. However, it was the second video for our netball game which sparked a major social media frenzy. Shared over 400 times, the video included messages from celebrities such as Osher from The Bachelor , television host Sonja Kruger, Olympic swimmer Mitch Larkin and Australian actor, Sam Neill. As important as it was for us to make our mark, it was also absolutely imperative to maintain the Girls Grammar spirit that we embraced along our high-school journey. To do this, we strove to preserve many special events unique to our magnificent School. A standout for us was the annual ANZAC and Christmas Creek memorial assembly. This year, we decided to create a wreath made of royal blue ribbons which beautifully commemorated ANZAC Day and the School’s personal tragedy at Christmas Creek. Each girl was asked to snip a small length of her hair ribbon and tie it to the wreath in a striking show of solidarity and respect. The wreath was then placed at the foot of the remembrance stone in the terrace garden where it has remained throughout the year. As the Year 12s experienced their ‘lasts’ at Girls Grammar, last lunchtimes with school friends, last exams, last Blue Day, last trainings, and last rehearsals, some of you are yet to experience your firsts. When the class of 2016, look back on our journey, we will not regret the things we did; rather, it would be the things we did not do. So we encourage you to make the most of every opportunity that comes your way. Finally, to our Year 12 sisters, we cannot thank you enough for entrusting us with the role and privilege of being your Head Girls, for believing in us, backing our decisions with enthusiasm, and celebrating our successes. We are beyond grateful for all the experiences and opportunities you have afforded us to create invaluable memories. We hope the past five years have been the best of your lives (so far) and ones that you will look back on with happiness. We know that every one of you will go on to do astonishing things and contribute to the world with wisdom, imagination, and integrity. And always, Blue Unity is Opportunity . LILI WACKWITZ (12H) AND SARAH MILLER (12E)

A unified House Group provides the opportunity for personal support. A unified house creates a greater chance of success and the opportunity to win an interhouse event. A united Year 12 cohort has the opportunity to excel, lead, and make the most of its final year. By embracing all these opportunities, we believed that every girl would have the opportunity for an enjoyable and successful year. While formulating our motto in January, the dynamic and ever- creative Student Council started playing with words. The result – blunity – was a combination of the words blue and unity, both terms integral to our style of Grammar girl. Blunity is symbolic of everything we stand for and has effectively spread throughout the School. The word is short, sharp, and catchy and, consequently, many war cries and posters were a by-product of this initiative, successfully enhancing our spirit and unity. Throughout the year we also sought to build a social media platform to increase spirit and connectivity throughout the School. We began with a simple hashtag, #blunity, which propagated far more widely than we ever expected. Over the year, #blunity was used on Instagram in excess of 1600 times, prompting many other schools to mimic and create their own (#stunity, #maroonity,). None gathered the same momentum. #blunity badges and laptop stickers became collectors’ items, selling out in eight minutes during lunchtime sales. It was also brilliant to have our unique hashtag on the 2016 seniors’ plaque and Year 12 jerseys. Our five underpinning objectives of involvement, support, acknowledgment, spirit, and networking were another tool that was used to inspire the unity within the School. Each girl was encouraged to become a Girls Grammar ISASN (pronounced assassin – acronym of the five objectives). Their increased involvement in sport, in the classroom, arts, service, and any of the theme days, created an increased level of support for every school member. Support is crucial to achieve unity. With the knowledge that someone ‘has your back’, students were able to take a step out of their comfort zones to try something new. We encouraged each ISASN to acknowledge not only the achievements of a friend, but also, the fact that someone tried something new or ‘had a go’. The combination of involvement, support, and acknowledgement created spirit and the Girls Grammar spirit is an integral part of the School culture. Finally, with increased involvement, acknowledgement, support, and spirit, each ISASN created a network of girls. A strong network = unity! Over the year, the School has taken part in many Student Council initiatives and events. We began the year’s themed days with Valentine’s Day. Every girl was encouraged to add reds and pinks to her uniform and the senior girls were encouraged to decorate their tables with prizes being awarded. The first ever Cupid’s love letter delivery service was introduced, raising over $1400. Our annual Blue Days have been a tremendous success, with the level of spirit from all year groups maintained throughout the year. All proceeds from these days went to supporting our 2016 School Charity, Kids Helpline.

C O M M U N I T Y B R I S B A N E G I R L S G R A M M A R S C H O O L 2 0 1 6

BI-GRAMMAR The ultimate Battle of the Sexes culminated this year in the annual BiGrammar series of 2016. Brother-sister schools and long-time rivals Brisbane Girls Grammar and Brisbane Grammar went head- to-head in two friendly rounds of touch and netball. As tradition would have it, the first round of touch was played on the BGS field with the senior touch girls playing an excellent game against the rugby boys next door. Although we were narrowly defeated, it was an enjoyable day with no spirit lost as the rest of the school cheered from the CLC. Next up was the highly anticipated netball round on home turf, and with a flurry of celebrities supporting us from abroad, we were sure to take down the boys. The Open and Senior A netball teams pulled out all the stops and convincingly defeated the boys 13-9, putting the girls into an equal position to take out the title of the 2016 BiGrammar series.

EMMA KENDALL (12B)

DIVERSITY DAY Diversity Day, held on 26 May, also National Sorry Day, was celebrated with a discussion forum on Indigenous health, education and culture. A panel of six guest speakers was hosted and included an Aboriginal Elder, an Indigenous social worker, a doctor from the Cherish Foundation who has worked in Indigenous communities, an Indigenous mentor from AIME, a BGGS teacher and a student representative. Questions offered by Uralla captain Erica Schmelzer (12E) and fellow student Anna Ruddell prompted a provocative conversation which was enlightening for students of all year levels. Many relevant

issues were discussed such as Indigenous recognition in the constitution, education of Aboriginal students and the opportunities provided to young Indigenous students. Each of the speakers was able to provide a unique insight into their experiences of Indigenous culture, and how this informs their interactions with other areas, particularly medicine and education. There was a lot of student involvement in this event, and it was thoroughly enjoyed by all.

LYDIA GANDHI (12O)

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INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY FUN RUN

On Saturday 6 March, the BGGS Cross Country squad, including teachers and parents, participated by either walking or running as part of the 2016 Mater International Women’s Day Fun Run, in support of women affected by breast cancer. Our goal was to raise around $500, however due to the support we received from our fundraisers, including the sausage sizzle and the interhouse swimming gold rush, we managed to smash this goal, receiving a total of more than $1000. We’d like to thank everyone for their support of this fantastic cause.

ERICA SCHMELZER (12E)

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

Brisbane Girls Grammar School has remained a steadfast pioneer in girls’ education for the past 141 years, so it is no surprise that International Women’s Day is an important day in the School’s calendar. This year, BGGS celebrated International Women’s Day on Friday 13 May. The celebrations coincided with the blunified cross country Blue Day. It seemed fitting to combine the two, as celebrating and recognising the sporting achievements of women is a vital aspect of achieving gender equality. BGGS celebrated with a simple yet powerful gesture; girls were asked to write the name of an inspirational woman upon a balloon. The balloons were all tied to the CLC, where they created a hopeful, inspiring mass of colour. This was a beautiful sight suggesting that, together, Grammar girls really can achieve great things.

PHOEBE GIBSON-DOUGALL (12R)

COMMUNITY / 07

FOUNDATION DAY

One year on from the School’s 140th birthday, that milestone event can still be felt around the School in the form of immense school spirit and pride. This year, Foundation Day was celebrated on Friday 11 March with the traditional morning tea of white and blue cakes, preceded by an assembly. During this assembly we were treated to insightful stories from Grammar girls past and present, along with a musical performance from Symphonic Winds. These vibrant celebrations allowed students and staff alike to reflect on the School’s rich and diverse history and appreciate the world of opportunities presented to us as members of the Girls Grammar community.

EMMA KENDALL (12B)

WHITE BLOUSE DAY On Friday 22 April, BGGS held White Blouse Day to support awareness of women’s gynaecological cancers. Each girl was encouraged to remove her blue tie to emphasise her white shirt as an act of recognition. Working closely with the Cherish Women’s Cancer Foundation, the theme of the day focused on what each girl personally ‘cherishes’ about her health, relationships and life. The traditional ‘white lady’ symbol, synonymous with ovarian cancer, was redesigned to suit the school’s personal theme for the day, and every girl was given the opportunity to pin their white lady, complete with a personal addition of what they ‘cherish’, onto their tie-less blouse. Ultimately, the effect of every girl removing their tie and pinning their personalised white lady to their blouse was overwhelming. Although simple, these combined gestures created a powerful sense of awareness and blue unity, which is at its core, the real goal of service.

PHOEBE GIBSON-DOUGALL (12R)

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OPEN DAY For many, Open Day serves as the highlight of the BGGS school calendar. On Friday 29th July, the school was lit up, showcasing Girls Grammar in all its glory. Many first-time visitors to the school were impressed by the immense energy and enthusiasm that pervaded the campus.

The success of this important event is due to the strong, vibrant and supportive community. Students, staff, parents, and Old Girls came out in full force with stalls, displays, demonstrations, and of course, food! Preparing a full programme of fun and entertainment, they all ensured Open Day perfectly encapsulated everything wonderful the School has to offer. Without the dedication of the entire School community, this celebration would not be possible.

EMMA KENDALL (12B)

COMMUNITY / 09

BLUE DAY - BLUE UNITY PERSONIFIED Our school motto for 2016 is blue unity is opportunity. No other day in the School calendar is such a powerful representation of this as Blue Day. Everyone in the school joins together, decked out in blue to celebrate our QGSSSA sports of the season. This is the magic of sport at Girls Grammar — its power to unite. Just as sport unifies families, communities, states and nations and even the world, sport at the School unifies our Girls Grammar family. It is a common sight on Blue Day to see junior students dancing and singing with senior students as they show their support for our sportswomen. On the dance floor, there is often a moment where we create a circle and one at a time, a student goes into the centre of the circle to bust out her moves and we all cheer her on. In those moments we all feel like one.

EMMA BILLS (12W) AND ERICA SCHMELZER (12E)

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VALENTINE’S DAY 2016 started off with a bang, with Valentine’s Day being the first major charitable and spirited event in the Brisbane Girls Grammar School calendar. Pink, red, and love-heart decorations were scattered all around the School, and students wore their best love-themed outfits. This year’s Valentine’s Day celebration created endless enjoyment and excitement for both students and staff. The dance floor at lunchtime where students danced their hearts out to love hits marked one of the highlights of the day, as well as the charity bake stall that sold anything love-inspired, with all proceeds going to this year’s School charity, Kids Helpline.

KATIE HOEDEMAKERS (12G)

COMMUNITY / 011

YEAR 11 CHARITY SOCIAL Oh what a night. It began in Term II, with several eager girls, and several less eager boys, putting their names forward, in the hopes of being selected, for the Charity Social Committee. After selections were made, twelve Year 11 students across the both schools set out to plan the night of nights. The planning process included: laborious cutting and pasting, rigorous song selection and extensive googling, all in search of the perfect theme. It wasn’t long before it was agreed that, ‘A Night Under the Stars,’ would be the theme for the 2016 Joint Charity Social.

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Among all the excitement, we couldn’t forget about the charity aspect of night. As a cohort, we had to decide on the charity that the funds raised from the night would support. This was determined by an online vote. By a large margin, it was decided that The Desert Flower Foundation would be our charity for this year. The Desert Flower Foundation seeks to raise awareness and ultimately prevent female genital mutilation around the world. In the months leading up to the social: dresses were purchased, spray tans booked and heels broken in. When all of a sudden, the 23rd of July was upon us. The night itself was nothing short of a smashing success, with all students walking out of Victoria Park tired but very happy. Surprisingly, however, four hours of dancing is not the most forgiving on the feet. The Athletics Carnival on the following Monday wasn’t exactly a walk in the park!

ELIZABETH PRINS (11B) AND ALICE DUNN (11E)

COMMUNITY / 013

YEAR 12 FORMAL The name’s Bond… James Bond! The 2016 Brisbane Girls Grammar School Formal was a huge success. Every girl looked stunning bringing style and panache to the night at the Royal International Convention Centre. The theme was James Bond, Monte Carlo which resulted in a clean, sleek and elegant room. The design was a team effort of the Year 12-elected Formal Committee, old girl Tori Cameron (2004), Mrs Harvey-Short and Ms Stark. The committee, chaired effectively by Anna Lambert (12G) and Madeleine Goss (12H), operated in small working parties to make the Year 12s’ theme a reality. Sally Nicklin (12W) kept us on track with lists, Phoebe Roe (12O) watched our pennies, Meghan Lassig (12R) and Olivia Wong (12B) seated us perfectly, and Riley Cooke (12W) and Sally Clark (12G) created our exquisite invitations. All added creative ideas to the mix!

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From the moment you entered the room, you were transported to Monte Carlo with timelapse photography and sixteen-metre images of Monaco. Each table sparkled and shimmered with diamonds, and personalised tuxedo napkins and bowties completing the imagery. This stylish décor was enhanced by the unique table arrangement, where girls and partners were seated on long, banquet tables facilitating conversation and interaction across the evening. A highlight was the well planned and practised flashmob which started the non-stop dancing across the evening and illustrated our blunity. It was truly a ni ght to remember!

ANNA LAMBERT (12G)

COMMUNITY / 015

BOOKS2DEVOUR

‘If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world’ (J.R.R.Tolkien). This quote from The Hobbit , the winning cake’s inspiration, truly encapsulates the Libellum Society’s Books2Devour Competition. This contest between groups from all different year levels seeks to link the School in merry cake-making. From chemistry textbooks to Alice inWonderland favourites, the 2016 competition was the largest yet. With around seventy cakes entered on Monday 29 February, a leap year day, the library was overflowing with tantalising treats and sugary sweets. Congratulations to all prize winners and participants. Furthermore, thanks to Beanland Head of House, Ms Christopherson and the library staff for organising and allowing us to wreak havoc in the library .

ISABELLA MATHIOU ((11G) AND HELENA PAYNE (11H)

DARE-A-TEACHER DAY From the likes of Cleopatra and Medusa to Winston Churchill and a Terracotta warrior, this year’s Dare-A-Teacher Day stood out from the previous years by far. We had eighteen audacious and creative teachers participate from not just History, but all Humanities, Maths, Sciences and English departments. Subsequently, the whole School was very eager for the day to come and when it did there was tears (of joy), there was laughter, and there was certainly pride. And it terms of the Kleio Society’s purpose to encourage students to learn more about history, I’m quite sure that everyone learnt about at least one new historical figure and their significance in mankind’s journey to today.

CIREEN KHAN (12W)

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ARTS FEST The vision for Arts Fest this year was to create a festival-like feel with as much colour and sound as we could manage. As a group, the Arts Crew was really determined to get as many students involved as possible, even those who may not usually be involved in the arts at all. To do this we decided to adopt a focus on involvement by creating a variety of interactive art activities.

Abiding by our arts motto for the year, ‘wear your art on your sleeve’ over the three days a large white heart template was placed in the CLC, open to all girls to decorate. We were overwhelmed by the positive response with swarms of girls painting the heart every day. On the first day, we had the fantastic contemporary ensemble performing, drawing large crowds of girls. Alongside this, we had the service club, Interact, run a bakestall called Eat your Art Out. We also had a visual art competition that ran for two days and were delighted to award first prize to the talented Charli Kahler (10L). Day Two was equally as successful with a drum circle open to all, as well as some talented artists drawing caricatures of

students. We were really happy to see continued involvement and support from all the girls. To finish the festival we saw a beautiful performance from the Girls Grammar Dance ensemble, a Year 11 physical theatre group and a slam poetry showcase. The girls slammed about everything from heartbreak to conspiracy theories and pop culture. Limited edition Arts Fest badges, designed by Rylie Cooke (12W), were sold throughout the week and can still be seen on blazer lapels of many girls in the School. As Arts Captains, we were so pleased with the outcome of the event and hope that this wonderful festival continues in years to come.

ROSIE CAVDARSKI (12W)

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MOTHER DAUGHTER DINNER This year’s Mother Daughter Dinner was a terrific night, held at the Victoria Park Golf Course in June. The entertainment consisted of speeches delivered by mothers who are Old Girls, and their daughters. Both (Erica Schmelzer (12E) a girl from Year 9 and their mothers) delivered engaging speeches, giving present and future BGGS families an inside look into the dynamics of raising a Grammar girl. It was truly a wonderful night for all who attended, giving a chance for future Year 7s to meet some of their cohort, as well as connect to current Grammar girls, and gain an inside look into the School community.

The night also gave mothers and daughters the chance to enjoy each other’s company and celebrate their shared experiences.

EMILY HAWKINS (11W)

PINK STUMPS DAY Pink Stumps Day this year was a huge success for all involved! The celebration took place at our Rangakarra fields, where we were scheduled to face up against Clayfield College. The afternoon began with a beautiful pink afternoon tea, put on by the squad members, and concluded with a friendly game of cricket. Visitors were asked to make a gold coin donation, and the money raised from this event, combined with funds raised from our School stall and donation box totalled over $600. We are proud to say that these funds will go towards supporting the McGrath Foundation in providing breast care nurses to families all over Australia. We would like to thank all those who contributed to the success of the afternoon.

ANNA WHIP (12H)

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TEDX TEDx was a very enriching experience for everyone involved. The girls who were interested in the event reserved a place in one of two sessions that took place during the school day. Upon arrival at the Boys Grammar campus, we were brought into the library with fellow Boys Grammar students and were greeted with bottled water and a notepad each. We listened to six speeches that ranged in topic from the arts and science to politics and philosophy. Three of our own Girls Grammar students were brave enough to take part in the event. Rosie Cavdarski (12W) was very informative and engaging while speaking about the war on drugs in America and Penelope Nash (12R) and Lucinda Jolly (12L) performed a vibrant poem for everyone as an intermission between the speeches. Everyone left the seminar feeling like they had learnt something new. FATHER DAUGHTER DINNER Always a highlight on the social calendar, this year’s Father Daughter Dinner was no exception, bringing together Girls Grammar fathers and daughters for a truly special night of entertainment. Held on Thursday 25 August 2016 at the Victoria Park Golf Complex, this year’s dinner provided an opportunity for current and incoming girls and their fathers to celebrate the special bond between a father and daughter, along with introducing new Girls Grammar fathers to the Fathers Group, which provides assistance to the School – especially at the outdoor education campus, Marrapatta. This year’s entertainment included a stunning performance by the winners of the Gillies Vocal Competition, and a talk by 2012 Head Girl Phoebe Tronc and her father Dr Graham Tronc on the joys and importance of the father-daughter relationship. As always, the night proved to be a huge success, allowing fathers and daughters alike to sit back, relax, and enjoy a night of quality time and bonding. EMMA KENDALL 12B

CIREEN KHAN (12W)

BRISBANE WRITERS FESTIVAL

style poetry and explained her story through an animation on the SBS website. Her speech reminded us that literature is everywhere around us and that the colour of our skin should never separate us from anyone else. We finished our day by taking a look around the State Library and visiting the bookshops where various new and best-selling titles were available. This motivating day encouraged us to follow our dreams and try our best to help construct a better society. The highlight of my day was meeting the authors and listening to their expert advice and various stories. I am sure we all enjoyed the trip and thought it was a brilliant opportunity for us to be inspired by these authors.

The Brisbane Writers Festival is an annual celebration of Australian authors and their impact on our society. It gives young authors a chance to learn from the best through a series of interactive events held in South Brisbane, including author talks and book signings. On Wednesday 7th September, a group of excited Grammar girls accompanied by Ms Littler and Ms Peck, travelled to the State Library of Queensland to experience this amazing opportunity. We started our day by meeting Christopher Currie, a Brisbane- based author, who spoke to us about what it means to be a writer, and his recently published book, Clancy of the Undertow. This fictional young adult novel is about a teenage girl named Clancy who is struggling to work out who she really is. Chris Currie taught us that being a writer takes three things; creativity, patience and empathy. These things are not only important in writing but are also valuable skills that are needed in day-to-day life. Our second session was with Yassmin Abdel-Magied, a Sudanese Muslim who started a charity organisation named Youth without Borders. She told us her inspiring story about growing up in Australia and fighting for what she believed in. Her newly published book, Yassmin’s Story, was available for us to buy and have signed at the Brisbane Writers Festival Bookstore. The Hate Race is a memoir by Maxine Beneba Clarke that is about growing up in Sydney in the 1930s as a child of Afro- Caribbean background. Maxine delighted us with her modern

WIJDAN (WIJI) RAHIM (7G)

GRAMMAR GOES GREEN

Grammar Goes Green provides an opportunity for students to give back to the community and help the environment. Once a term, girls from all year levels meet at the Rangakarra sports campus for a relaxing and productive afternoon planting trees and shrubs. Each working bee has helped replenish and enhance the surroundings of our sporting field immensely, creating a beautiful landscape for the girls to play sports in.

EMMA KENDALL (12B)

OLYMPIC DAY Girls Grammar acknowledged the female athletes in the Australian team at 2016 Rio Olympics with the first BGGS Olympic Day. The whole school dressed up in green and gold forming a united team in support of our female Australian athletes. Significantly, the 2016 team was the first Australian Olympic Team to have more female athletes than male athletes. In fact, former BGGS student and Rio Olympian Fiona Albert (2007) was in the women’s eight rowing team that helped take the number of female athletes above the half way mark. The dance floor gave us a wonderful space to express our excitement and support for our female Olympians. When the iconic Australian song Down Under was played on the dance floor, girls showed their pride in their nation by belting out the lyrics word-for-word.

EMMA BILLS (12W) AND ERICA SCHMELZER (12E)

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YEAR 7 PREFECT This year I was able to be a Year 7 Griffith Prefect along with Carmen Zhu. This role is extremely important in welcoming these younger students into the sisterhood and helping them become true Grammar girls. Together, we visit our students twice a week and do all-inclusive activities to help improve class cohesion and spirit; these include outdoor games and quizzes. The role of being prefect has allowed us to bond with all the girls and form many close friendships. It has been an extremely memorable experience and one I will treasure for many years to come.

RANITA ATCHESON (12R)

YEAR 8 PREFECT Being a prefect this year has been an incredibly rewarding experience. By organising activities such as dodge ball with other houses, fun quizzes and games throughout the year, we have been able to form relationships with each of the girls individually and as a group. Before stepping into the role neither of us expected to form such strong bonds with each of the girls, however visiting them weekly as well as seeing them around school has allowed for this to happen. As we now leave Girls Grammar, at the end of Year 12, both of us feel that the prefect experience has allowed us to grow, and at the same time, we have watched Year 8s grow as Grammar girls.

GEORGIA BARTLETT (12E) AND SOPHIE BURTON (12E)

YEAR 9 PREFECT Being a Year 9 prefect has been one of my favourite highlights this year. My mornings have never failed to be anything but exciting and memorable with a fun, positive and friendly feeling. I cannot express how much of a rewarding experience it was this year to be with an enthusiastic and supportive Year 9 class. The experience has made me become a more positive person and given me lifelong skills that I hope to use post-graduation. I will never forget the experience of connecting and forming friendships with girls from other year levels.

GABRIELLE PICKETT (12R)

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LORD MAYOR’S YOUTH ADVISORY COUNCIL As the 2016 BGGS representative on Brisbane’s Lord Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council, I was given the opportunity to meet with Year 10 students from secondary schools all over Brisbane at City Hall once a term to discuss issues that affect Brisbane’s youth. At the beginning of the year I joined a group of students who were all similarly interested in teen mental health and we were able to start drafting a project. Through working diligently in our meetings and at home we’ve collected a broad range of information on mental health issues that we’ve collated into a detailed report. Through this experience I have gained insight into the work the Brisbane City Council is doing to improve the lives of the youth in Brisbane. I hope to continue to share all the amazing activities and opportunities they are planning with my peers and the rest of the School. Working on this Committee was an extremely enjoyable and enriching experience, where I have been able to further develop my leadership, speaking and social skills.

MIA SUNDIN (10B)

INTERNATIONAL YOUNG LEADERS FORUM

The International Young Leaders Forum (IYLF), held in Singapore earlier this year, was an unforgettable experience and one that has helped us all develop a range of leadership qualities and styles. Not only did this trip give us the chance to connect with others, but it also encouraged us to put forth our ideas in an open, intellectual environment while interacting with other delegates who, too, are passionate about leading and making a difference. To celebrate Singapore’s 50th year of independence, the forum’s overall theme was ‘Metamorphosis of a Nation’ from which we discussed topics of sustainability, social cohesion and urban development of countries. During the construction of presentations, we have consequently developed an appreciation of how cultural differences shape each delegate’s perspective on global issues. This was such a rewarding experience that has definitely equipped us with the necessary foundations to become effective leaders in Year 12 and in our future careers. Many thanks must go to Mrs Mungomery and Ms Euler for accompanying us and making this wonderful opportunity possible.

STARR LEE (11W)

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QUT FUTURE LEADERS Last year I was offered a place in the QUT Future Leaders program. The program is run by the Queensland University of Technology and brings together students from schools across Brisbane. Over the course of Year 11 and 12 there are a variety of events from Trivia Nights to special individual sessions with QUT career counsellors. I have participated in three events so far: the welcome evening, a study skills workshop and the Start QUT Trivia night. The Study Skills event was very helpful as it provided me with many techniques on how to improve my study throughout Years 11 and 12. Additionally, this day included a seminar about memory, which taught us many activities and techniques we can implement to improve our recollection for exams. So far I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience I have been given and I am honoured to be a BGGS representative. I hope to share my experiences with my classmates throughout Year 12.

GRACE MITCHELL (11R)

BGGS AMBASSADORS It has been an honour to give back to my School and share all that is special about Brisbane Girls Grammar School to our many visitors. In the inaugural year of this Service group I have met visiting dignitaries, prospective parents, and welcomed future Grammar girls to our School. BGGS Ambassadors are the face of the School, walking visitors or families to the venue of a function, assisting with registration to events and sharing my experiences at this School and answering any question posed. Over time it has become a great way for people to learn about the School through a firsthand point of view. It has afforded me the opportunity to make lots of new friends, meet amazing people and practice my communication skills with people I have never met before. As a BGGS Ambassador I have been able to meet fascinating people from other schools, states and all around the world. They have shared their experiences and given me an insight into the world that I will be soon walking into.

EMILY ZHANG (10E)

QUEENSLAND YOUTH PARLIAMENT To be perfectly honest, the notion of going away for a week with ninety political enthusiasts, most of whom were wiser, older and more open-minded than me, was terrifying. The idea of speaking in front of these people, where I would voice my personal values and ideas in Queensland Parliament House, only amplified my terror. For this reason, I knew that I had to apply for Queensland Youth Parliament.

However, the indispensable lessons I learned and the skills I cultivated far surpassed any initial trepidation I had. I learnt how to talk to a diverse group of people, from starkly contrasting backgrounds to mine. I learnt about pressing social issues affecting the youth of Australia. Most importantly, however, I learnt how to be courageous – how to think outside the box, put my hand up and speak my opinion. I am particularly passionate about Indigenous affairs, maintaining that education is the most powerful tool we can use to ameliorate xenophobia and socioeconomic inequality. Participating in this programme allowed me to discuss solutions for such issues with prominent Indigenous figureheads while gaining a wide range of perspectives. From here, my ambition to be a human rights lawyer, specifically representing Indigenous communities across the world, was only augmented. For girls wishing to gain a sense of perspective, develop an acute understanding of global affairs, improve their public speaking skills and expand their friendship circle, I highly recommend applying for Queensland Youth Parliament in 2017.

It turns out that my fears were well founded – during the course of six days, I had to foster the courage to openly express my ideologies in front of people, network with youth from all across Queensland, and debate for a bill that I had helped formulate for legislation.

IVY LAWRENCE (12E)

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B R I S B A N E G I R L S G R A M M A R S C H O O L 2 0 1 6

SERVICE CAPTAINS REPORT BGGS values service as a fundamental component of its Co- Curricular program. There is a unique emphasis placed upon our ability to make a significant difference in the lives of others. Each graduating class aims to structure their leadership goals around a specific purpose, yet this can be an especially difficult choice in service, as there are so many deserving and worthwhile causes to support.

As part of the Student Council, we were involved in the motto- creation process, which resulted in, Blue Unity is Opportunity . Hence, the extremely successful #blunity. As Service Captains, it was our goal to incorporate the Head Girl’s themes of unity and sisterhood into BGGS’ Service program. These themes influenced our own service motto, For Better Unity, Support Your Community , and our choice of School Charity, Kids Helpline. These decisions are reflective of our deeper focus in Service this year, the payment of particular attention to both self-care, and compassion for others. Mental health is an area often overlooked, and as an issue very close to home, we felt that Kids Helpline was a very relevant and deserving charity. The messages promoted by Kids Helpline are ones that can be implemented immediately in our School environment. By promoting support and care, we truly believe the BGGS community will become more united. Keeping this in mind, we have encouraged each and every Grammar girl to spare time for both her own mental wellbeing and that of her #blunity sisters. We incorporated this concept of compassion into both the Senior and Junior schools, beginning with an initiative targeted specifically at the Year 12 students. Entitled, ‘Make Yo Day’, this initiative involved the random selection of five Year 12 students every week, who would then receive a small note of encouragement and a baked treat. The motivation behind the idea stemmed from our desire to spread the notion of doing small deeds for others. House Service Leaders also embraced

Make Yo Day concept in sharing this with students in their House. The Junior Executive Force have also supported this theme with #grammartude. We would like to congratulate each Grammar girl who endeavoured to embrace our motto this year, by supporting her community. LYDIA GANDHI (12O) AND PHOEBE GIBSON- DOUGALL (12R) SERVICE CAPTAINS

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GRAMMAR ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION ORGANISATION (GECO)

GECO’s main vision for this year was to raise awareness for environmental issues not just within Girls Grammar but in the wider community. With the assistance and support of Mr Huppert and Mrs Woodford GECO has participated in various activities throughout the year. Grammar Goes Green involved three Saturday afternoons in the year where students would visit our Fig Tree Pocket Sport Campus, Rangakarra Recreational and Environmental Education Centre, in order to plant as many trees as possible. In volunteering for this activity it was evident that there were multiple benefits for the environment, and it was also a great social outing. Our project at Rangakarra gained recognition as a finalist in the 2016 Healthy Waterways Awards. GECO also participated in days like Clean Up Australia Day, where the whole School engaged in a mass clean up one lunch time. Open Day and Assemblies were also used to highlight the importance of recycling to the Girls Grammar community. We believe at GECO that it is a necessity for students to understand the basics of recycling in order to reduce the harmful greenhouse emissions produced when waste is sent to landfill. Overall GECO this year has been an amazing experience, where we successfully emphasised important issues with regards to our environment.

ANNA LAMBERT (12G)

THE ECUMENICAL COFFEE BRIGADE

INTERACT Interact is a service club aiming to have an impact on the surrounding community and support the ones that need it the most. The focus of the club this year was to raise funds and awareness for an international charity. The Interact club members decided to support Interplast, an organisation which provides life-changing plastic and reconstructive medical treatment and training in the Asia-Pacific region. The year kicked off with a very successful bake stall filled with delicious baked goods made by the girls. Being our first service event of the year we were thrilled by the support we received from fellow Grammar girls and we were grateful for being given the opportunity to contribute to the community in such as positive manner. Later in the year at the Interact service stall on Open Day we raised money and awareness through a Polaroid booth. The Polaroid booth was a huge success and attracted the generous donations and support of current The Ecumenical Coffee Brigade (ECB) is a program that was established in 1970 to provide homeless and marginalised people within the Brisbane CBD with food and hot drinks each morning. It is a voluntary organisation which seeks to offer these services with respect and acceptance by treating all with dignity. They continuously look for new ways of ensuring that the needs of the people we serve are respected and responded to whenever possible. Multiple times each term, students from Brisbane Girls Grammar School come together and spend their morning making sandwiches for the homeless. By gathering before school these students help to make a difference in the lives of the homeless in the inner-city area. Each year BGGS also conducts a Donation Drive to collect food donations for ECB. We received tremendous support this year and these donations have been distributed in and around the Spring Hill area. These students are directly making a difference to their local community and are having a great time doing so. Due to the immense interest shown this year some volunteers have had to be put on a waiting list which epitomises the willingness of Girls Grammar students to lend a helping hand. This group helps the students get deeply involved in their local community while having a lot of fun themselves. BREANNAH COCHRANE (12L)

Grammar girls, parents and Grammar- girls-to-be. We were extremely proud of the efforts of our collective team. We are proud of the efforts of the girls who contributed to Interact this year.

SENJUTI MAITRA (12M) & RYLIE COOKE (12W)

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JUMP ROPE FOR HEART

HEALTH PROMOTING SCHOOLS Health Promoting Schools or HPS as we like to refer to it, is a service group directed towards all year levels interested in promoting a healthy lifestyle. Healthy living seems to be something on topic at the moment, as a lot of young women especially, are hooked on the idea of regularly eating well and exercising. Healthy lifestyles are not the only thing we target towards our young girl audience as the proceeds raised from our numerous fundraisers throughout the year, are donated to the Australian Cervical Cancer Foundation (ACCF). What’s great about the ACCF is that it is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to eliminating cervical cancer in not only Australia, but developing countries too. ACCF put in immense amounts of dedication to try and achieve this goal through education in not only Australia but once again, in developing countries as well as providing screening and vaccinations. This year, we shifted our fundraising focus towards promoting healthy living through everyday things we may not think much about at the time, for example, our healthy breakfast and water stall. Everyone knows that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but of course busy mornings at school can sometimes account for an unhealthy breakfast or even worse missing it all together. Our stall was a great success and helped give girls ideas on how to start their mornings both deliciously and nutritiously. Another common mistake girls make is not drinking enough water, especially in the winter months of the year, which is why our water awareness stall with the new and improved ‘Balance Girl’ reminded girls that ‘Panadol’ is not part of our food pyramid. Obviously as girls, this is an organisation very close to our hearts making the fundraising all that bit rewarding. We hope to continue our work with the ACCF to help promote a healthy lifestyle in both Australia and overseas for many more years to come. On Monday the 13 June 2016 in Periods 5 and 6, 245 BGGS Year 7s participated in Jump Rope for Heart. In the lead-up to this fun afternoon we learnt skipping skills in HPE lessons and watched a presentation by the Sherwood Arrows where they inspired us to learn tricky jumps. The afternoon was filled with individual skipping, partner skipping and group skipping in our houses and in a rainbow of house colours. The highlight was when Happy Heart joined us to take a few fun photos! The Heart Foundation is a charity dedicated to fighting the single biggest killer of Australians – heart disease. For over 50 years, the Heart Foundation has led the battle to save lives and improve the heart health of all Australians. The Heart Foundation’s sights are set on a world where people don’t suffer or die prematurely because of heart disease. Overall, we were happy to be a part of this fun afternoon and to raise a record amount of $11742.40 for this great cause. We would also like to thank Ms Rees for coordinating the afternoon. HANNA HUSSAIN (7O) AND JILLIAN CAMPBELL (7O)

TIANA VILLAESCUSA (11H)

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SECOND CHANCE The Second Chance Committee in 2016 has had another successful year with many new faces attending meetings, with each member passionately contributing to raising funds and promoting awareness about women’s homelessness. The Second Chance External Committee is a non-for-profit organisation that aims to support homeless women in the wider community, while also addressing interlinking issues of domestic violence and mental health. This year, the girls contributed to many fundraising efforts which provided support for organisations such as the external Second Chance committee and the Carinity Education Southside. These included multiple bake stalls, a clothing and blanket drive for Mackay Homelessness Expo, a toiletry drive for the Homeless Connect Project and the annual Second Chance Christmas Giving Tree, supporting the Bahloo Youth Shelter and Zig Zag Organisation. we are planning on selling during stand-down Term IV . Overall, this has been a highly successful year, which has seen many individuals contribute whole-heartedly to the fundraising endeavours. Through this great team work and the variety of skill sets we have been able to raise money for those in need. SAVE THE CHILDREN This year the Save the Children Club has been very successful in achieving the goals and the tasks that we set to achieve. It first began with fundraising for those affected by Cyclone Winston in Fiji. We raised a large amount of money and were able to purchase books and stationery for the children affected by this catastrophic event. Through our fortnightly meetings we were also able to plan and raise money for our stall on open night. We decided on setting our stall up with a game of capturing ducks with magnets, and had much success with this as we raised a large amount of money and had many children enjoying the game and receiving prizes at the end. In conjunction with these fundraising activities, we made ‘stand-down survival kits’ which

Having the opportunity to help those in need or those affected by catastrophic and terrible natural disasters such as Cyclone Winston has been highly rewarding and something that we all value very much.

GRACE REINHOLD (12L) AND TULLY BRIGGS (12B)

One project that was particularly significant were efforts to raise awareness during Homelessness Prevention Week within the School community. During this week, members of the committee constructed a newspaper-covered cardboard house signifying the struggles and hardships faced by women experiencing homelessness. This house was then subsequently covered with colourful tiles, each with a personalised messaged for the homeless from each student. This project allowed girls from all grades to learn about this problem affecting young women in the wider community. Additionally, committee members also had the opportunity to listen to International academic and founder of the external committee, Dr Dale Spender and journalist, Kathleen Noonan who is a a dedicated member. Each speaker inspired us to continue contributing, with motivation and perseverance even through adversity. REBECCA EMMETT (12H) AND ELIZABETH CHAI (12E) SECOND CHANCE COMMITTEE

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