Grammar Gazette- Issue 2, 2003

GRAMMAR’S ASPIRING WRITERS Early in August, Senior English students were invited to join the Creative Writers’ Master Classes conducted by the Doris Townsend (Waraker) Memorial Visiting Poet, Ms Bronwyn Lea. The recipient of numerous awards including the 2000 Arts Queensland Poetry Prize and the 2001 Somerset National Poetry Prize, Ms Lea led the girls through many creative activities and stimulating discussions. They enjoyed the uninterrupted luxury of their weekend workshops and the opportunity to savour the beauty of language and experiment with ideas, metre and imaginative word-pictures in their own writing. Shona Gray of 10 O’Connor said of her experience, “I enjoyed myself immensely and cannot wait for the next one!” In the Writers’ Week that followed, Year 9 Students enjoyed their conversations with celebrated author, James Moloney, and an entertaining presentation on the craft of writing mystery and fantasy stories by the Aurealis Award winner, Ms Kim Wilkins. Charged with the task of producing a short story for their assessment for the Term, Year 10s were appreciative of tips from Anthony Eaton, winner of the Western Australian Premier’s Award for Young Adult Fiction in 2000.

foundations in units being studied during the Term. Dr Liz Ferrier delivered lively and valuable insights for the Year 12 students in her informative sessions on advertising and the advertising industry. Dr Frances Bonner presented fascinating lectures on discourses of Australian identity that are operating in contemporary culture, as part of the focus of a Year 11 Unit on Representations of Australian Identity. Students benefited from the level of academic expertise and insights in these presentations.

Visiting academics from the University of Queensland provided Senior students with excellent curriculum enrichment and

Back row: Anna Taylor, Madelin Newman, Ms Bronwyn Lea, Rohani Mitchell Front Row: Zoe Briggs, Susannah Hume, Shona Gray

SISTER SCHOOLS For 25 years the community of Brisbane Girls Grammar School has sought to extend beyond our local environments and into international spheres. To this end a sister school exchange programme has evolved over the years to provide opportunities to welcome students from overseas, and to send our students to our partner schools in Europe and Asia. Seirinken High School in Nagoya, Japan, is our longest link, and each year we accept a student from this school to attend Brisbane Girls Grammar School and integrate into school and family life. Kana Aoki is with us until March 2004, and has proved a charming ambassador for her school and country. During the June-July holidays, some of our students travelled to Japan and Germany, attending school and living with a host family. Rebecca Smith in Year 12 spent almost three weeks at Mie High School, our sister school in Matsusaka, Japan. At the same time, five German students were enjoying their own language and cultural experience in Germany, including an excursion to Berlin. In September, some of our senior students of French will be in our French sister school for two weeks. The German host ‘sisters’ from Essen have since made a visit to Brisbane Girls Grammar School, participating in classes, and living with our families for over three weeks. For all of these students, the experiences gained are rich, socially, linguistically, and culturally. Over the years, many friendships have been made across the world, often enduring beyond their school life. While the programme invites positives and sometimes challenges, it is clear that the experiences add a special awareness and dimension to the lives of all those involved.