Grammar Gazette- Issue 1, 1995

The best of both worlds

Engineering a trip to Sydney Marlna-Po.rtia A.nlhonv Two weeks bff(ire:.the school

was divided into groups of about ten students. according to their en gineering preferences. On Monday at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS). the student s were offered lhe chance to explore two of the following areas of engineer ing : biomedical. civil, electrical, or mechanical. Choosing the fields of bio medical and mechanical, I was able lo test out an ultrasound machine, hold a diamond-coated hip replace ment which, with the rest of its set of twelve, was worth over $0.25 million, test the durability of dif ferent bumper bars, and compress softdrink cans to the height of 5 millimetres. AI the University of Syd ney, the students also had the op tion of aeronautical engineering .

The students could experiment with a model plane and looked for cracks on the wing of a real plane with new technology. During the school, lhe stu dents ·also visited the Coca Cola Factory, the new Aquatic Centre for the 2000 Olympics, the Q.A.N.T.A .S . Jet Base, the Power house Museum, and the convention centre were we listened to God , I mean, Bill Gates- America's rich est man- talk about Microsoft and computing of the future. We also cruised Sydney Harbour and watched fireworks at the Sydney University. The week proved to be one of great excitement for all students attending, and certainly very ben eficial in giving us an insight inlo this most stimulating career.

year began, whilSt all Grammar Girls were preparing for a busy year ahead. four grade twelve stu dents, Alex Khafag i, Emma Markwell, Nerys Olver and Ma rina-Portia Anthony, .were Oying to Sydney for the 1995 B.H.P. Na tional Engin·eering Summer School. As en&ineenng i ~ primarily a male-dominated profession. we were surprised on our arnval at the large number of girls (almost40%) allending the school. · All students boarded at the Women's College of the University of Sydney in individual accriinmo dation. . Most days, the larger grpup

Andrew Clrallen, Caitlin Matthews, Dewi Cooke and Angus Conaghan

AtheneCiub.Thisisaclubforstudents in the senior school , three of whom present a paper at everymeeting. These papers are followed by vigorous dis cussion. Athene. tl}is year, is already off Ia a lively start with topics ranging from affmnativeaction to Chinese boat people. Links between the prefect bod ies of both school s have been encour agedthis year. Two "get-to-know-you" breakfasts have been held, as well as a combined conference on leadership roles . The two schools have also sup ported each other at respective inter school competitions, s uch as the Q.G.S.S.S.A.swimmingandtheG.P.S. rowing. These :md other m1xed activi lies promo(e a wor1hwhile leammg and socia l environment which cannot be accessed within a single-sex. school. Students hear diffaent perspectives and viewpomts. This is in keeping with Girls' Grammar· s philosophy of providing a broad-based, liberal edu cation. the presenters. They were very open. encouraging all students to express their ideas and opinions . The writers were nil confident speakers and their extensiveexperience in liternturemade the.group discussions very interest ing.Their sources of inspiralion were often quite remarkable and their insights into contemporary literature enlightening. . One group was required to write down the first word .that came into their heads and then ·write a story about it; in thirty seconds. This proved to be an extremely interesting exer cise resulting in almost illegible con coctions of words about rampaging lawnmowers and grotesquely de fanned feet Other student s. working ·With themes or single words, spent the two hours wri ting short poems about houses, relauves and war. The progr.un allowed students to examine the wnting of their particular author and lhat of other writers. They were also able to d1scuss 1he future direcuons of literature. and test their own aputude in the skJU of wnting. Many students discovered talents they had never known they possessed and every student left with a height ent'd inten::st in contempor.1ry. AU the mrdent.l hnd nothing by praise tOr tht'exerc.se. ' ' It was hrreat!·• enthused one B.G G.S. -.rudent. "If """" re.!l ly ~ood lo ralk to e>- lttblillhed wlilers; il re<.dly he lped!" ~atdo.nothea.-.

Zewlan Moor Brisbane Girls' Grammar School and Brisbane Grammar School, as sin gle sex; schools. have strong. independ ent enriries. but staff from both schools have realised the importance ofmixing wnh the1r neighbours. Ttits year, some year eleven and twelv~ Extension Education Ac tiVities have been organised in con junCtion'with B.G.S .; however, these have been somewhat limited by the difficulties of integrating the timeta bles of both schools. On some Mon day andThursday afternoons, students from the two schools get together to discuss relevant issues, especially gen der-sensitive ones such as sexual har assment. The aim is ro allow each .s tu dent to gam insight into another po_int of view. These sessions are inf0nna- £ive and enjoyable and many students jump at rhe chance to argue with and "enlighten·· their neighbours . Another important forum for debate between the two schools is the Kale Brown & Bonnie Shaw Nothing retreshes one's interest in Engtish more than the opportunity to explore modem literature with a con temporaryauthor.AcombinedB.G.SJ B.G.G.S. Australian Young Writers' Workshop,heldonlhefowthofMarch, offered such an opportunity. All the presenters were published playwrights, scnptwriters, novelists, short story writers. or poets. The eight writers were tounng nationally for the Australia Council and the workshops were organised by the English facul ties of both schools. The variety of writing genres was extensive, and the contemporory narure of the writing was new to many students. The students gatheredon the Sat urday morning wtth the hopeofglean ing inside infonnation from highly regarded and dynamic writers such as Glyn Parr.x . Lisa Jacobson , .~athony Lawrence,MattRubenstein. Julie Hunt, Robin Davidson, Megan Red[em and Mark Svedsen. The workshops ran. for approxi mately two hours walh a break for morning tea. Each writer spoke about his or her spec rali ty and offered tips abou tone field ofwriti ng. During the two hours :itudents were introduced 10 the many tacets ot wri ting through l ecture~ . Jascussto n , roieplays,games and nctlvities. 1l1e relaxed nature of the work- $ihops was malie eveo more enjoy ahle by the coloudul personalities of

Staffmember, Janelle Early, and her Purple Pursuers

Grammar girls in the fast lane

Australian writers' tour workshops

despite a few mishaps, the unit looks to have been a success. With Brisbane's ever-increasing array of bikeways and the present em- · P,hasis on health, exercise and care for · the environment, this unit · should continue to be popular in the future. Our own history of the School

Emma Markwell Cruising down the Terrace bikeway, the wind blowing through their hair, the Grammar bikers are here to stay. Thirty Repco moun tain bikes have been purchased by the School for exercise, enjoyment and sore leg muscles and lo trans port to Centenary Pool and the Gilchrist Avenue Ovals. AJso purchased were eye catching purple helmets and pan niers to holdwater bottles andsport ing equipment such assoftbaU gloves and hockey sticks. The equipment was supplied by David Minter from Caves Cycles, Coorparoo and Su· per Cycles, Ipswich. The use of the bicycles bas been incorporated into the Year 12 core physical education program in a cycling/climbingelective. One half of the class faces the challenges of the climbing wall in the new sports complex, while the other half enjoys the opportunities presented by a hrand new bike track that passes by tbe School's "back door". In tbe '1'reewheeling" part or this elective, girls are taught the basics of mechanics, safety and cy· cling techniques. The large number of bike tracks in the area means girls can choose destinations like Q .U.T . , 1 he Botanical Gardens. Oxley Wharf and the Toowong bike path. The boarders alsouse the bike.< for weekend activities. T'or !be •tudents w!Jo had nn·r r cydcd before, it was a nt'w and Jnh nu; fi nr r xpr ri Pnce, :\110

\Ve need your help to realise this dream, celebrating 120 years of education for young women.

The working title IS An Jmporta/Jt Experimem: Brisbane Girls' Grammar Scltoo/1875- 1995.

This is a co-operative enterprise with individual authors wnting separate chapters . tracing the unique story of the School from the ' ·'Early Days" rhrough educational conflicts and mnovation to the mformation superhighway.

There is a focus on the arts , sport. and uniforms- from Miss Beanland on ' \:orsets' ' to the introduction of slacks.

The aim is to create a lively. human ponrait of the influential members 1)f the School family and its students.

Informal School photographs, rather than the official "lined-up.. vanet y. are sought. Special effort has been made to use shots from The Couner Mail and personal colleclions that show the human face ol the School. U you can ..:ontnbute phOiogrophs or memorabilia. please contact Pam Barneu at the Schoo\. Sht: is especmllv looking for a program from the: 1935 producllon ot "The Lady With The Lamp". J. turning pomt 1n drama at theSchool. Donatious for this specific project are sought.