2019 School Magazine

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

O n Friday 8 March, Girls Grammar celebrated International Women’s Day 2019 in numerous ways, including the installation of a colourful paper chain, symbolising the day’s theme, ‘More Powerful Together’. Students and staff wrote the names of women who inspired them on paper cut outs. These were then connected as a paper chain and installed along Cherrell Hirst Creative Learning Centre walkway, inviting girls and staff to stop and read the messages and reflect on the names that appeared.

The names included international figures—Michelle Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Ruth Bader Ginsberg—along with leaders from closer to home, such as Julie Bishop and Jacinda Adern. Authors, artists and athletes also featured, with girls celebrating Sally Pearson, Ashleigh Barty, Charlotte Brontë and Frida Kahlo. The most frequent tributes however, were to those women who make an impact on our lives everyday—Principal, Ms Jacinda Euler, teachers, a friend or a beloved female relative. Head of Mackay House, Ms Ruth Jans, worked with the School’s Service Captains and Year 11 students, who attended the 2018Women of the World (WOW) conference, to create and implement the paper chain installation and posters of pioneering women. This year, the School hosted the second International Women’s Day Concert, which premiered three commissioned works by contemporary Australian women composers, performed by the Combined Strings Ensemble, Chorale and Big Band. As well as this, Chair of the Board of Trustees, and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ms Julie McKay, was interviewed about improving gender equality and her own role within this space. Ms Ruth Jans HEAD OF MACKAY HOUSE

STUDENT ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERSHIP NETWORK

T his year we have been the School’s representatives for the Student Environmental Leadership Network (SELN), organised by the Brisbane City Council. The program supports students to improve the sustainability of their schools. For Girls Grammar's project, the focus has been on reducing the School’s contribution to landfill. This was achieved by introducing recycling and ‘Containers for Change’ bins at the Main Campus. The bins were

been filled with our refundable containers and we look forward to sending these to the ‘Containers for Change’ collection point. We are incredibly proud of this achievement and hope the culture of recycling becomes a permanent feature of the Girls Grammar community. Jillian Campbell (10O) and Sophie McLeod (10M)

decorated with informative posters by the Grammar Environmental and Conservation Organisation (GECO). After introducing these bins, we raised awareness to the concept of ‘mindful disposing’ at assemblies. We are pleased to report that since commencing the project, 45 kg of rubbish is recycled a day. In addition, each week the School redirects 1400 kg of tuckshop waste, general cardboard and garden waste away from landfill. Two large storage bins have also

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