Grammar Gazette- Issue 2, 2013

22

VOLUME

BRISBANE GIRLS GRAMMAR SCHOOL / ISSUE 2 / SPRING 2013

IN THIS ISSUE

PAGE 28 / GRAMMAR GOES GREEN by Mrs Judith Tudball, Deputy Principal

PAGE 08 / CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPS by Georgia Murphy

PAGE 06 / BEYOND THE CLASSROOM by Ms Jacinda Euler, Principal

PAGE 12 / EDUCATING GIRLS : An intriguing history

CONTENTS

LETTERS

PAGE 03 / TEACHING TOMORROW’S TEACHERS by Ms Michelle James PAGE 04 / THE OXBRIDGE EXPERIENCE by Ms Julie Hennessey PAGE 06 / BEYOND THE CLASSROOM by Ms Jacinda Euler PAGE 08 / CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPS by Georgia Murphy PAGE 10 / ALLYING FOR CEREBRAL PALSY RESEARCH by Aakanksha Desai and Caitlyn Duke PAGE 11 / ‘MISSA SOLIS’: AN INSPIRATIONAL TRIUMPH by Mr Mark Sullivan PAGE 12 / EDUCATING GIRLS PAGE 15 / GRAMMAR WOMEN by Ms Elizabeth Jameson PAGE 16 / GIVING ACROSS GENERATIONS by Ms Michelle James PAGE 19 / CONNECTED TEACHERS by Mrs Marise McConaghy PAGE 22 / THE CHOSEN by Ms Joanne Martin PAGE 27 / REUNION WEEKEND PAGE 28 / CONNECTING COMMUNITIES — GRAMMAR GOES GREEN by Mrs Judith Tudball

As a parent of a girl starting Year 8 next year, I congratulate the School on a very impressive Open Day. By the end of the evening, we were filled with an overwhelming sense of confidence in our decision to send our daughters to Girls Grammar. From the Chairman of the Board of Trustees and the Principal right through to the girls on the stalls, there was an enthusiasm and warmth that gave us great comfort. MR M AND MRS Y DERRICK, INCOMING YEAR 8 2014 PARENTS Editor’s note: The students’ fundraising efforts on Open Day resulted in more than $21,000 being raised for several charities. Congratulations on your School’s cycling initiative! Whilst out on a recent ride with a friend, I cycled past Girls Grammar and was so impressed to see your girls on bikes, I could not stop myself from shouting out encouragement to them. It is a credit to your School to provide these kinds of opportunities and skills for young women. We are extremely fortunate in Queensland to have such a wonderful climate and with schools like yours equipping young people with cycling skills, the world will surely be a better place. Well done! MS K FORSTER, HAMILTON PINE RIVERS WHEELERS This is our grand-daughter’s first year at Girls Grammar and she played in the Autumn Concert in March. Congratulations to all concerned on staging such a brilliant evening of first class music and to the many great musicians in the various groups. I was a secondary school teacher for forty years and have not heard the equal of those fine young musicians in any other school. MR R AND MRS L HOGAN, YEAR 8 GRANDPARENTS Many thanks for the wonderful evening celebrating our 50 Year Reunion. It was a fantastic night, meeting up with others, reminiscing and seeing the amazing growth of the School facilities and increase in the diverse subjects now being delivered. The two Year 12 students who ushered us around were a delight — extremely helpful, respectful and a credit to the School. MS B EVERSEN, CLASS OF 1963

GRAMMAR GAZETTE VOL 22 ISSUE 2 SPRING 2013 Managing Editor: Mrs Loren Bridge,

Director, Communications & Community Relations Editor: Ms Michelle James, Publications Officer For Grammar Gazette enquiries and comments: T 61 7 3332 1437 E communications@bggs.qld.edu.au To receive an electronic, rather than printed, version of the Grammar Gazette , please email communications@bggs.qld.edu.au

/ 01

Looking forward, looking back

ARTICLE

MS JACINDA EULER, PRINCIPAL

AUTHOR

teaching practice continue to provide the exceptional education for which we are renowned. Since its inception, our community has understood and greatly valued the School’s contribution to the education of girls and young women, preparing them for purposeful lives and to inspire and lead in the world. At this time, we are also exploring, examining and reflecting upon our past with the publication of our first School history. Professor Erica McWilliam, a leading academic and educator, was engaged to undertake this important work. Educating Girls is a rigorous, insightful and beautiful publication that will proudly mark the contribution of a far-reaching succession of determined, inspiring and pioneering educators. While there are always new developments in education and fresh approaches to teaching and learning — as exemplified by the introduction of our Bring Your Own Device policy next year and the design of our Research and Innovative Learning Centre — the broad liberal platform of education upon which Brisbane Girls Grammar School was founded remains at the core of what we value in education for our girls today. We could not achieve all that we do without the strength and spirit of a supportive community of trustees, staff, old girls and parents who give so much to the wider life of our School. It is a community that values intellectual engagement and energy; maintains high expectations; and provides the support and challenge required to shape and nurture the intellect, the confidence and the character of our girls. We have much to honour by looking back and to plan for in looking forward.

THE FUTURE ENTICES US WITH a sense of hope and optimism, and at Brisbane Girls Grammar we have much to look forward to. While the purchase of our sports campus at Fig Tree Pocket was an exciting acquisition, we now turn our attention to developing its potential. The possibilities suggested have been imaginative and exciting: extensive sporting fields and courts; a centre for sporting excellence and leadership for girls; environmental education opportunities; cultural venues and events in the longer term; and even an observatory has been suggested. At our historic Spring Hill campus, work has commenced on the new Research and Innovative Learning Centre that will open in time for the arrival of Year 7 in 2015. This next stage in our School’s history is well underway. While Girls Grammar is an icon of Brisbane’s educational landscape, for generations of girls and their families the heritage building and white picket fence on Gregory Terrace are imbued with particular meaning and resonance. They are not just symbols of exemplary education for girls, but represent a connection to place that is vital to our sense of identity, both personal and communal. Just as Marrapatta at Imbil has long held a special place in the hearts of Grammar girls, in time, Fig Tree Pocket will inevitably become another place to connect with the natural environment, broaden learning, strive in sport and create happy memories through the years. To help us fully realise these possibilities, particularly in this era of funding uncertainty, we have appointed an inaugural Director of Development. Philanthropic principles are intrinsic to the spirit of Brisbane Girls Grammar, as it was founded through direct community participation and contribution in 1875. The generosity of benefactors throughout the School’s history has ensured that our contemporary learning spaces and resources for innovative

SPRING ISSUE / 2013

/ 02

Open Day: Embracing future Grammar girls ELIZABETH REDMOND AND SOPHIE WEIR, HEAD GIRLS AUTHORS ARTICLE

We were fortunate to have the opportunity to speak to two groups of prospective Girls Grammar parents and their daughters. The delight for us came at question time when we were met with many raised hands and eager faces from the young ladies in the audience. While their questions focused more on where they would be sitting at lunch or whether there is a Formal to look forward to, their excitement and anticipation about becoming Grammar girls was undeniable. These girls, already so interested and keen to learn about their future, were a testament to the fact that Girls Grammar will no doubt have a confident and enthusiastic group of future students. It brought back fond memories of our own first encounters with the School, both the nervous anticipation and the excitement at starting a new adventure. In these sessions Ms Jameson, the Chair of the Board of Trustees, reiterated something we’d heard a number of times throughout our years at School: ‘Once a Grammar girl, always a Grammar girl.’ Perhaps now, with the end of our own time here looming, we begin to understand this mantra. With this biggest term of our schooling clouding the view of how close we are to the finish line, we hope that, as a cohort, we remember to cherish each other and make the most of the little time we have left as Girls Grammar students. We believe that, as a Year 12 cohort, we have lived our motto: the exciting challenges of embracing our new Year 8 buddies and leadership; welcoming our principal, Ms Euler; exploring our new Sports Campus at Fig Tree Pocket; and greeting future Grammar girls on Open Day and wrapping them in the rainbow colours of the Houses and those of our special spirit days. Naturally, our entire education at Girls Grammar has been enhanced by the dedication and support of the academic and professional staff, and of our parents. While the girls love to run around and show off our wonderful School on Open Day, we know that, more importantly, the evening is the culmination of everyone’s efforts and we fully appreciate their energy, imagination and commitment. It is comforting to be reminded at times like this that — even though next year and in the years beyond, we may not tie our hair every day with the same blue ribbon — the education, friendships and memories given to us by Girls Grammar will always remain with us.

OPEN DAY EMBODIES THE YEAR 12 motto for 2013: Embrace the new! Link the Blue! The evening sees the campus lit up with fairy lights and lanterns, flooded with staff, girls, and prospective students. Opening our gates to the community means this evening is one of the most exciting events of the School year — the one time of the year when all aspects of Grammar life are truly on show.

Among the stalls selling fairy floss and the Fathers Group sizzling sausages, it was easy to get lost in everything going on at Girls Grammar. Every girl took part, whether it was the talented Senior Drama Company performance in the Gehrmann Theatre, an elegant rhythmic gymnast performing her routine in the Sports Centre, or the many ensembles, concert bands, orchestras or choirs showcasing the hard work of the past term in the Creative Learning Centre. Students from all year levels involved themselves in this evening, painting a portrait of the vibrancy of Grammar life. Simply by walking down Gehrmann Lane or taking a trip around the CLC, you were inundated with various displays of Sport, Drama, e-Sports, Service, Calligraphy Club, the Libellum Society, Chess Club, Anime Club or Debating. On a day-to-day basis, individual students are always so busy experiencing both curriculum and co-curriculum that it is often easy to miss the wider range of truly exciting aspects of Grammar life. The message of Open Day is that — somewhere amongst the myriad of sports, music, drama groups and countless other clubs — there is a place for everyone. Open Day presents an excellent opportunity for young prospective students and families to see this. Girls can sample a taste of what they have to anticipate and the many choices available to them.

GRAMMAR GAZETTE

/ 03

TEACHING TOMORROW’S TEACHERS

ARTICLE

MS MICHELLE JAMES, PUBLICATIONS OFFICER

AUTHOR

A GREAT TEACHER CAN INSPIRE a life-long, and life- wide, passion for a particular subject area — whether it is astronomy, Japanese culture, or literature. When Dr Anita Jetnikoff, Senior Lecturer in English Curriculum Studies at the Queensland University of Technology, needed an exceptional educator to demonstrate best practice in English teaching for students at her university, she chose Brisbane Girls Grammar’s Miss Rachael Christopherson. QUT’s Embracing Curriculum Change project involves filming an expert English teacher in the classroom to create digital resources for university students undertaking their teaching degrees. The lessons are edited into teaching episodes, focusing on the content and pedagogy of the new Australian Curriculum for English, and viewed by these pre-service teachers. Miss Christopherson has been working with QUT since 2006 when she, along with her Year 10 English class, participated in a similar project. The filming of her 2013 Year 9 English class — while they study Oscar Wilde’s classic comedy of manners The Importance of Being Ernest — is a follow-up to the initial project, linking to the introduction of the Australian Curriculum and the emphasis on multimodal texts. Dr Jetnikoff says that the videos are invaluable learning resources for our future teachers. ‘Rachael Christopherson is an inspiring educator. We worked together some years ago and the resulting videos of her excellent teaching have been viewed

positively by hundreds of QUT students. It was time to make some new videos for the new Australian Curriculum and Rachael extended her generosity again, so that a new generation of student teachers can see how a brilliant teacher works in the classroom.’ Demonstrating ‘teaching’ encompasses much more than ensuring students understand the subject matter says Miss Christopherson. ‘It ranges from demonstrating pedagogical practice, to managing students with special learning needs, to encouraging quieter students to interact, and even to showing how to get students to settle when they arrive for class.’ The recipient of the English Teachers Association of Queensland’s Peter Botsman Award for excellence in English education in 2005, Miss Christopherson is an acknowledged expert in her field. Even so, she says that the project has provided her with a wonderful opportunity for reflection. ‘It makes me stand back and look at the way I teach, and think about what I can do to enhance the learning experience for our girls.’ This collaboration with QUT epitomises Girls Grammar’s aspiration ‘to be a leader in exceptional scholarship’. Through observing Miss Christopherson teaching our Year 9 girls, pre-service teachers will be able to apply educational theories in context, contributing to their skill development in the craft of teaching. In this way, Miss Christopherson is inspiring the teachers of tomorrow — as well as her students.

Brisbane Girls Grammar School’s Centre for Professional Practice (CPP) — and its programmes linking pre-service, beginning and experienced teachers in a seamless collaborative learning environment — has placed Girls Grammar at the forefront of providing mentoring and quality professional development since 2005. In partnering with QUT in the Embracing Curriculum Change project, Girls Grammar is able to extend our mentoring expertise beyond the campus, broadening the commitment of our academic staff to encourage and support fledgling teachers to become the very best educators of the next generation that they can be.

SPRING ISSUE / 2013

/ 04

The Oxbridge experience MS JULIE HENNESSEY, HEAD OF HISTORY, AND STUDENTS

ARTICLE

AUTHORS

Ernest Hemingway was right when he said, ‘If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young [wo]man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.’ MACKENZIE GEEVES: CAMBRIDGE One of the many highlights of my time in Cambridge included my (major) Advertising class. We discussed issues related to the morality of advertising, banned advertisements and campaigns, as well as innovation and creativity. Creators, innovators and visionaries shape the advertisements we see each day and help transform the way we live our everyday lives. The most important lesson I learnt from this class, if not the whole experience, was that with the right idea, set of skills and mindset, anything can be achieved — no matter how crazy it might sound. We were told that ‘people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do’. The extent to which my mind has developed creatively is immeasurable. This, together with the lessons learnt and the relationships forged, will remain with me for the rest of my life.

SINCE 2010 SEVENTY-FOUR BRISBANE Girls Grammar students have participated in the Oxbridge Academic Program. First established in 1985, it provides middle- and high-school students from around the world the opportunity to study in Oxford, Cambridge, Paris, New York and Barcelona. Oxbridge is based on the principles of experiential learning, imaginative teaching and cultural enrichment. At Girls Grammar the programme is offered to Year 11 students, who attend the course during the June–July holidays and the early weeks of Term III. Since 2012 academic staff have been given the opportunity to participate in the Oxbridge Teacher Seminars. To date, three staff members —Mr James Seaha, Director of Post Secondary Planning; Dr Natasha Mayne, English teacher; and myself — have revelled in the chance to be part of the world’s greatest classrooms where current scholarship and university resources in a wide variety of fields are on offer. The Oxbridge courses available to Girls Grammar students and teachers are an important aspect of the School’s commitment to exceptional scholarship. CATHERINE CHAN: OXFORD Attending the Oxford Tradition allowed me to cultivate new friendships with students from all over the globe including India, Singapore, Malaysia, Switzerland and America. By living, eating and studying together for one month, we became a tight-knit international family sharing our different cultures and interests. My academic courses were Law and the Economy (major) and Bioethics (minor). The challenging coursework, combined with excellent teachers, gave me new global insights and perspectives into topics ranging from corporate law and the carbon tax to developing biotechnologies. These classes helped me find my passion and possible future career path. I have also become more interested in world news and events; something that I never took much interest in until studying with international students at one of the world’s most prestigious universities. Studying at Oxford is one of the best experiences of my life. SAMANTHA DOBRENOV: PARIS Paris in summer is breathtaking and my experiences here have been life changing. The people I met and the knowledge I gained all contributed to an unforgettable month studying abroad. Every day I discovered something new, which made me fall more in love with the city. Some of my favourite experiences were seeing the La Sylphide ballet at L’Opéra Garnier, walking through the catacombs, attending a service at Sacre Coeur, watching the Bastille Day parade from the Champs- Élysées and the finish of the 100th Tour de France. The highlight was an evening stroll around the candlelit Vaux-le- Vicomte, the palace that was the inspiration for Versailles.

IMAGE Mackenzie Geeves’s Advertising class at Cambridge

EMILY HARDING: NEW YORK Amazing does not begin to describe my experience in New York City this summer. The activities on offer included trips to Wall Street, Brooklyn, the United Nations, Central Park, Broadway musicals and a Mets baseball game. We also visited the university campuses of UPenn, Yale, Columbia, NYU and Princeton. My fondest memories are of my art class, when we explored New York while learning new skills. Small crowds would gather around as we drew, painted and sculpted in Times Square, Grand Central Station and at the Chelsea Highline. We also visited galleries such as the MoMA and the Met. Having classmates from around the world — Iceland, Spain, Mexico, India and Singapore —made these visits more enriching as everyone had different perspectives on what we were viewing. This trip provided a great opportunity to develop my skills, explore a new city and make friends across the globe.

GRAMMAR GAZETTE

/ 05

Katie Ward’s exceptional scholarship ARTICLE

Millie goes to Millfield

ARTICLE

IMAGE Millicent van der Velde and Ms Ruth Jans

IMAGE Dr Sally Stephens and Katie Ward

AFTER A CHALLENGING THREE–STAGE application process and a nerve-wracking two days of interviews, Brisbane Girls Grammar Year 12 student Katie Ward learned she had been selected as one of The Australian National University’s inaugural Tuckwell Scholars. In 2014, she will move to Canberra and commence her degree studying Astronomy and Astrophysics. The highly competitive Tuckwell Scholarships — only twenty-five scholars were chosen from 657 applicants — provide up to $100,000 per student for their undergraduate degree and are funded by Graham and Louise Tuckwell’s donation of $50 million to ANU, the largest-ever single donation from individuals to an Australian university. ‘I am honoured to receive this scholarship because of its emphasis on excellence in all areas and not just academics. As someone doing an esoteric course, the support is particularly significant,’ Katie said. ‘The Tuckwell Scholarship emphasises the importance of contributing to ANU and to the wider community by participation outside the classroom. The generosity of the Tuckwell family is remarkable, and it has given me confidence that what I want to do is valued and important in society.’ The week before the Tuckwell Scholarship interview marathon, Katie undertook work experience at ANU’s Mount Stromlo Observatory. ‘It was a terrific experience and confirmed for me that Astronomy is what I want to study,’ she said. As Katie’s Physics teacher, Director of Science Dr Sally Stephens is delighted for her, and looks forward to Katie’s contribution to the scientific world in the future. ‘Katie is a wonderful example of a curious human being with a yearning desire to understand the world around her. She is an intensely inquisitive and unusually capable young woman. She is a ponderer, yet is still extremely practical when researching the objects of her fascination. Young women such as Katie bring wonderful characteristics and attitudes to the research process — characteristics and attitudes that benefit all society.’ Through her achievements and enthusiasm for scientific endeavours, Katie is an inspiring role model for younger Grammar girls considering science for their studies and for their future careers.

A SCHOLARSHIP TO THE MILLFIELD School in Somerset, England, has Millicent van der Velde (Year 11) anticipating the chance to compete in Europe against some of the best fencers in her age group. Head of Mackay House Ms Ruth Jans was instrumental in Millie receiving the scholarship. ‘The School fully supports Millie in this endeavour. We want all our girls to achieve their full potential, which was why I was happy to provide a recommendation to Millfield outlining her academic, co-curricular and sporting achievements. Although we are sad to see Millie leave Girls Grammar and Mackay House, it’s a wonderful opportunity for her.’ Millie will attend Millfield for two years, completing her A levels and training in their Fencing Academy under the guidance of experienced UK National Coach Professor Sue Benney. Millfield has a distinguished sporting history with many Olympic athletes among its alumni, including fencer Sophie Williams who represented Great Britain the 2012 London Olympics. Millie will board at the school, and she is looking forward to meeting people from different parts of the world and to experiencing life in a different country. ‘The staff and students at Millfield were very friendly and very encouraging when I visited earlier this year. The campus is amazing — it has international standard sports facilities, a concert hall and theatre, and it is in a As with any significant life change, Millie’s feelings of excitement are tinged with a little sorrow. ‘After three and a half years at Girls Grammar, I’ve made some great friends, and I’m sad to leave them. And I’m sure I will miss the Brisbane sunshine. It will be a big change going to England and being so far away from my family, but I am looking forward to this fantastic opportunity.’ beautiful part of England.’

SPRING ISSUE / 2013

/ 06

MS JACINDA EULER, PRINCIPAL

AUTHOR

BEYOND THE CLASSROOM

ARTICLE

participation in the future. ‘Though it draws heavily on the accumulations of culture, education is fundamentally a preparation for the future, not a veneration of the past’ (Claxton, 2007). In building the curriculum for Year 7 in 2015 the focus has been not just on what our girls will learn, but more importantly how they will learn. Knowledge is no longer ‘power’; for, ‘with expertise, analysis and opinion just an instantaneous click away, being a know-all is no longer a viable mission’ (Bright, 2013). Critical reasoning skills, the ability to ask the right questions and collaborative skills to work effectively with others to access information is essential. This ‘creative power’ is crucial to put knowledge to good use (Bright, 2013). From 2015 all Year 7 students will learn Latin because contemporary research strongly links the study of Latin with improved literacy skills, general cognitive development and greater cultural awareness. Our girls will also study two subjects created by Girls Grammar academic staff that develop critical thinking skills and positive self-concepts about themselves as learners: Philosophy of Learning and Dispositions of Scholarship. Philosophy of Learning, taught over the past two years to our Year 8 girls, has been created from research into metacognition and the applications of neuroscience

THE SKILLS REQUIRED FOR a modern world may be different from those of a century ago, however, Brisbane Girls Grammar School has always been characterised by dedication to engaged learning, reflective practices, renewal and innovation in teaching. The introduction of Year 7 in 2015 has presented us with the opportunity to review how we are developing thinkers and learners for a global future. The UK’s Times Educational Supplement surveyed thousands of teachers recently to ask them what education is for . The list (cited in Hannon, 2013) was inspiring: - to promote passion for and engagement in learning - to grow humanity, empathy and collaborative intent - to stimulate curiosity, imagination and a futures orientation - to develop the skills to become confident, independent decision-makers about to shape our future - to build resilience and introduce the joy of falling forward - to induct into different cultures and different worlds. The emphasis is clearly on developing the skills of critical thinking and creativity, fostering empathy and engagement with others and preparing for active

GRAMMAR GAZETTE

/ 07

‘...education is fundamentally a preparation for the future,

not a veneration of the past’

From 2014 the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) initiative will be another catalyst for fundamental and transformational changes in teaching and learning. It will allow Girls Grammar to bridge formal learning in school and informal learning outside of school through ubiquitous access to laptop or tablet devices for all students. Devices will typically be used by students for both educational and personal use, and the students’ affinity with their own personal devices creates a high level of familiarity and a powerful learning tool. Teachers recognise that every device is different and will no longer be able to provide step-by-step instructions for specific applications; instead, they will focus on outcomes and what the student must accomplish using the device. Finally, amidst all of the exciting developments and innovative change, there must still be at the core of our School the space for stillness and reflection. To develop our capacity to consider the bigger questions of life, and to strengthen the relationships that will always form the foundation of our School, requires space — both physical and metaphorical. A Girls Grammar education is preparation for the future, but also celebrates a joyful appreciation of the here and now as we nurture the interests, character and spirit of each girl and consider who we want them to be , not just what we want them to do . The values of a Girls Grammar education remain steadfast, as noted by Professor Erica McWilliam in the School’s new publication Educating Girls . Professor McWilliam reflects on Miss Milisent Wilkinson, Principal of Girls Grammar from 1900–1912 (2013, p. 46): In 1901 Wilkinson, like many of her counterparts since the school’s inception, defended staunchly the relevance of the cultural values of a grammar education for the new century, insisting that it instilled a sense of dignity and calm that she saw as altogether lacking in the culture of the times: ‘This is a hurrying age, too impatient in its expectations of results, intellectual activity and [that] rapidity may increase and flourish at the expense of strength and dignity, and care is needed lest, in the haste to grasp the commercial and the utilitarian, we lose the calm atmosphere which is essential to true character.’ Miss Wilkinson’s words are as relevant today as they were over a century ago.

on how mindset and our beliefs about learning impact on academic success. Creative thinking, for example, requires a preparedness to take risks and even failing. Philosophy of Learning seeks to build such intellectual resilience in our girls and provide them with the tools to understand how they learn, enabling them to become more effective learners. Dispositions of Scholarship is an interdisciplinary subject designed to develop critical thinking and the skills of analysis. It draws on content, concepts and teaching expertise from across all of the academic faculties, which girls will apply to abstract, philosophical and investigative problem-solving tasks. This foundation of skills will support the girls to succeed during their time at school and well beyond. Our new Research and Innovative Learning Centre, to be opened for the start of the 2015 school year, has encouraged us to review our approaches to research, technology and classroom design. We have drawn on the research of leading educators such as Valerie Hannon who, in her presentation to the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership’s (AITSL) Anticipating the Future symposium in Melbourne this year, articulated four important platforms of learning. 1. A significant part of students’ learning will be Project Based Learning . A powerful question that matters inspires research, drafting, redrafting and critique. Public exhibition of the completed work reinforces to students its significance and value. 2. The notion of Extended Learning Relationships reminds us that young people require a matrix of learning relationships, which includes teachers, family, peers and external experts. These learning connections are essential to the development of empathy and the healthy relationships that form the basis of a meaningful life. This is why, for example, this semester we invited parents of Year 11 and Year 12 girls to bring their daughter for parent–teacher interviews to be part of an open discussion about their learning. 3. School as ‘base camp’ recognises that education is not just about what happens in the classroom, and promotes learning relationships with outside institutions and experts. The collaborative Drama project between teachers, students and playwright Lachlan Philpott to produce The Chosen this year is a good example. Girls Grammar is the base from which our girls build their learning story within a structured, planned approach to holistic, life-wide learning and think collectively about their place in the world. 4. School as a Learning Commons requires each member of our School community to have an explicit identity as a learner. Mrs Marise McConaghy’s article in this Gazette highlights what exemplary role models our teachers are in this regard.

REFERENCES Bright, J. (2013, August 3). Now you’re thinking. The Age . Claxton, G. (2007, June). Expanding young people’s capacity to learn. British Journal of Educational Studies , 55 (2), 1–20. Hannon, V. (March, 2013). Learning futures. Retrieved from http://www.aitsl.edu. au/learning-frontiers.html McWilliam, E. (2013). Educating girls . Brisbane: University of Queensland Press.

SPRING ISSUE / 2013

/ 08

CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPS: 20 years of QGSSSA wins

ARTICLE

GEORGIA MURPHY, 2013 CROSS COUNTRY CAPTAIN

AUTHOR

enormous pressure that could have been placed on the cross country team to uphold such an exceptional record. Outside of the immediate cross country community, winning was just expected — demanded almost. In our ranks, as we raced up hill and down dale, through mud and mist, we grew strong in the knowledge that this was a challenge we could face — and it was a challenge we wanted to win! While I have no doubt that the entire School community would have been just as supportive if Girls Grammar had succeeded to gain second place, the relief and joy I felt when we secured our twentieth consecutive QGSSSA crown was overwhelming. I will never forget the ecstatic faces of the entire team — coaches and parents alike — and the palpable excitement in the atmosphere as we celebrated the win with war cries, cheers and many, many photographs! That day, for me, stands out as a clear highlight of Year 12 — and one for my entire high school career. While the win topped off the entire experience, the sense of community and achievement within the team shone brighter than the closely guarded QGSSSA trophy. Cross Country 2013 was an unforgettable, sweaty journey but the QGSSSA Championship made every grassy early morning, hot afternoon meet, exhausted tear, crushing disappointment and painful injury worthwhile. This season was an irreplaceable, magical experience and I hope everyone else had as much fun as I did. And here’s to the next twenty years… and the next… and the next!

IN 1994 MY PARENTS GOT engaged, and in the same year Brisbane Girls Grammar School’s Cross Country team initiated a twenty-year winning streak. They must have known that one day I would be the Captain of the team to win the twentieth consecutive title!! Twenty years is a significant age for anyone, not in the least for a record. Ever since I naïvely strolled into Victoria Park five

years ago for my first training session, cross country has been an integral part of my Girls Grammar experience. Back then, I thought warm-up jogs were a race, forgot my water bottle, asked the coaches countless questions and often got lost! But, despite my numerous irritating habits, the older cross country girls were always welcoming and supportive. Cross country helped me to make lasting friendships in a fun, inclusive environment away from the purely academic social sphere. I soon realised and respected the importance of the legacy of the QGSSSA victories —we were already at 15-in-a-row by 2009. The support from the entire cross country community helped me and every other girl to do our very best for the good of the entire team, as well as for ourselves. I had always been in respectful awe of the cross country captains and marvelled at their apparently calm, organised demeanours. When I was elected to be the 2013 Cross Country Captain for the (insert intake of breath here) possible twentieth QGSSSA win, I was aware of the

GRAMMAR GAZETTE

/ 09

It’s not up for debate: Developing logical reasoning

ARTICLE

MRS ANNE BYRNE, DEBATING CO–ORDINATOR

AUTHOR

and 2012. This year two teams won through to the Grand Finals. The Year 8 girls took out the title with a unanimous decision and the Year 9 girls were narrowly defeated with the only split decision of the evening.

‘WE ONLY FAIL WHEN WE stop trying.’ This was the premise put forward by three Year 10 debaters who had one hour to justify the claim that ‘we have not failed our indigenous people’. They went on to demolish the opposition with a

IMAGE QDU Grand Final winners: Team 8.1 – Isabel Nolan, Abirami Somasundaram, Cara Whiting and Alice Dunn

IMAGE QDU Grand Final runners-up: Team 9.3 – Lucinda Jolly, Caitlin O’Meara, Anna Ruddell, Phoebe Henderson and Nicole Andronis

reasoned attack setting out how Australia is attempting to right the wrongs of the past. That day, we saw the realisation of one of the goals of Girls Grammar debating: that girls have no need to echo the strident aggression of boys to make their voices heard. So who are our girls? To answer this question we have to consider a little data. According to the Australian Institute of Family Studies (2012) around sixty per cent of girls come from one or two children families. Ausport (2013) tells us that less than fifty-five per cent of girls play a team sport, with barely twenty per cent continuing beyond age 15. Meanwhile, over eighty per cent of their male counterparts are pursuing team glory on a weekly basis. Furthermore, over forty per cent of girls attend single-sex secondary schools. Culturally, girls are encouraged to see arguing as a form of emotional communication and bonding. Boys, however, see arguing as an exercise in logical reasoning — a strategic means to an end, with winning as the goal. Tying the facts together, we see a significant population of young women who have very little day-to-day experience of how males compete, negotiate and work. This is an issue because girls emerge into workplaces where power is still disproportionally held by males. Debating at Girls Grammar aims to develop a more flexible and open-minded approach to thinking; to provide opportunities for scaffolded risk-taking; and to offer an insight into how males think, argue and compete. As well, it builds understanding of how teams function and, perhaps most importantly, debating provides each girl with the opportunity to find her own voice. The Queensland Debating Union competition has been running for over forty years and traditionally has been dominated by boys’ schools. But this dominance has been challenged in recent years. Girls Grammar teams have reached the Finals in seven of those years, with wins in 2011

Those intrepid Year 10 debaters who never stop trying won the 2011 QDU State Finals, one member of the team won the 2012 Australian Individual Debating Championships, and in 2013 the team won the QUT Business School Brisbane Girls Competition. In 2009 Girls Grammar established the Brisbane Girls Debating Competition. The competition has proved an overwhelming success, extending into the Senior School with over sixty teams competing annually. And let’s not forget Interhouse debating. Year 8 students across all Houses compete for four weeks in a colourful and energetic competition. In the past five years School debating numbers have doubled to the point that one in nine girls debates. This may be our most exciting achievement of all. Debating also offers older debaters and alumnae leadership and mentoring opportunities. The Senior students run workshops, assist with selection and contribute to the Debating Newsletter. Alumnae return as coaches and workshop contributors and for School Debating functions. They provide exemplary role models and inspiration for the younger students. So, whether it is Blue-spotted Ribbon Day, a comedy debate, or the mental rush at the end of a ‘short prep’ debate, we aim to offer an insight into how the world works — along with a little fun and, ultimately, a pathway for our girls’ voices to be heard loud and clear.

REFERENCES Ausport. (2013). Australian sport, the pathway to success . Retrieved August 16, 2013, from www.ausport.gov.au/_data/assets/pdf_file/001 Australian Institute of Family Studies. (2012). Family facts and figures . Retrieved August 20, 2013, from www.aifs.gov.au/institute/info/charts

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Allying for Cerebral Palsy research AAKANKSHA DESAI AND CAITLYN DUKE, SERVICE CAPTAINS

ARTICLE

AUTHORS

The Student Council has been collecting funds for the charity by hosting several awareness and fundraising events for the School community. These have included Blue Day celebrations before major co-curricular events, selling Valentine’s Day treats, the YOLO debate against Somerville House, BiGrammar Touch and Netball games, and the ‘Steptember’ health and wellness initiative. Additional funds have been received from selling Cerebral Palsy Alliance badges made by students, café charity tins and through a generous donation from the Girls Grammar Interact Club. This important cause has become part of the Brisbane Girls Grammar School Service programme. We hope that the strong bond that has been forged with our sponsored scholar and the Cerebral Palsy Alliance will continue beyond 2013.

BRISBANE GIRLS GRAMMAR SCHOOL SELECTED the Cerebral Palsy Alliance as our charity for 2013. This organisation aims to enhance the lives of people with cerebral palsy and enable their full participation in the community. The Alliance strives to achieve this through the provision of therapy and support services, as well as funding research to answer the many unanswered questions that surround CP. As representatives of an academic institution of ambitious young women, it seemed fitting for the Girls Grammar Student Council to decide to support a female scholar in her endeavour to make a difference through scholarship. Ms Hayley Smithers-Sheedy is a speech therapist, PhD student, and epidemiologist with the Cerebral Palsy Research Foundation. On 20 May this year we welcomed Hayley to Girls Grammar for the Cerebral Palsy Research Foundation Day. She conducted two interactive sessions for students about her career as a research scientist and as a speech pathologist, engaging and inspiring girls in their scholarly aspirations. Hayley’s presentation was based around the relatively deficient knowledge base surrounding the causes of cerebral palsy. Her research involves looking into infections that may be contracted while babies are in utero . Hayley is specifically exploring congenital cytomegalovirus, and distinguishing the link between this virus and children born with cerebral palsy. Hayley expressed her gratitude for the funds we were providing, and explained where each $10-increment raised will be utilised in her research. She gave us a sense of inclusion and personal ownership of the study.

IMAGE Ms Hayley Smithers–Sheedy (centre) with Service Captains Caitlyn Duke and Aakanksha Desai

Pink Day supporting NBCF

RAISING AWARENESS AND FUNDS FOR the National Breast Cancer Foundation was the focus of Pink Day at Girls Grammar on Friday 3 May. Through selling Pink Ribbon merchandise, fairy bread and raffle tickets for a three-tiered cake, more than $1800 was raised to support NBCF research. A strong message about prevention and early detection was conveyed to all students and staff, and everyone recognised the giant pink ribbon formed by students on the pool lawn as an emblem of significance to the many families who have been affected by this disease.

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ARTICLE

‘Missa Solis’: An inspirational triumph

AUTHOR

MR MARK SULLIVAN, DIRECTOR OF INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC

Well known for his film scores including Antarctica and Babe , Westlake had been commissioned to write a secular mass to the sun called the ‘Missa Solis’. Shortly after finishing the first draft in 2008, his life was completely shattered by the tragic death of his son Eli. He found himself grief–stricken, broken, creatively numb and unable to compose. Three years after the tragedy, he began composing again and foremost in his mind was the desire to express his grief at the loss of his son. He began again revisiting his ideas and the powerful and emotional ‘Missa Solis: Requiem for Eli’ emerged. Premiered by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in 2011 and not previously performed by a student orchestra, the festival orchestra and choir were greatly challenged by the difficult pitch, rhythm, meter, harmony and orchestration of the work. By the end of the first rehearsal, conductor Richard Gill knew the names of all eighty-five musicians and consistently asked individuals to contribute their thoughts and ideas. His expectation for excellence was clear and his rehearsal technique strategic — he treated the musicians as professionals. This approach created an environment of confidence and unity and an expectation that, no matter how difficult the challenge, a memorable performance would be achieved. Concentration levels at rehearsals and tutorials were intense, but the genuine trust that was developed between performer and conductor ensured the final performance was a real triumph and a musical milestone for all involved. While I marvelled at the amazing musical achievements of the festival ensembles, the opportunity to observe master musician and brilliant educator Richard Gill in action was inspirational.

THE AUSTRALIAN COMBINED SCHOOLS MUSIC Festival has been a national biennial tradition for the past thirty-four years. It has enjoyed a most productive history, with some of the country’s finest young musicians coming together every two years. Participants are challenged technically and musically with professional level repertoire, directed by some of Australia’s most prominent conductors. The 18th Festival, held in June this year, saw 340 participants from Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra and Brisbane assembled at Brisbane Grammar School to begin a four- day programme of intense rehearsals, tutorials, personal practice and social interaction. This was the culmination of two years of planning and organising to create a festival that would continue the tradition of exceptional performance and the development of lasting social connections with fellow musicians across the country. Many Brisbane families hosted interstate students in their homes, which added an extra dimension to their festival experience. Each of the conductors —Neil Coy – Concert Band, Debra Shearer-Dirie – Choir, and Richard Gill – Symphony Orchestra — had the enormous responsibility of choosing and rehearsing the repertoire that would motivate, engage and inspire each musician to produce a polished final performance from a group of students with significantly diverse experiences. The rehearsal and tutorial schedule was intense, with twenty- one hours of practice completed by each of the ensembles. Mastering new techniques and strategies to improve personal skills resulted in unified ensembles performing with impressive precision and musical expression. The highlight for most, which exemplified the true ideal of the 18th Festival, was the ambitious finale. This featured the symphony orchestra and the 170 voice choir performing the recently composed ‘Missa Solis: Requiem for Eli’, written by Australian composer Nigel Westlake and conducted by Richard Gill.

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Educating Girls : Leading in exceptional scholarship ARTICLE

ON A BRIGHT SPRING DAY IN EARLY SEPTEMBER, BRISBANE GIRLS GRAMMAR SCHOOL WAS HONOURED BY THE PRESENCE OF THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA, HER EXCELLENCY THE HONOURABLE QUENTIN BRYCE ao cvo , TO OFFICIALLY LAUNCH EDUCATING GIRLS .

were denied opportunities in the past. Educating Girls is a celebration of more than a century of reform in women’s education, which has been the greatest achievement of the women’s movement of my generation. It is an elegant persuasive argument, not a logical, dry, linear chronology that these pages hold. The story is a proud, uplifting, enduring narrative of scholarship, care, opportunity and inspiration for young women.’ Educating Girls highlights the passion for scholarship and the desire to produce the very best in every girl that is Brisbane Girls Grammar School’s philosophy.

Commissioned by immediate-past Principal Dr Amanda Bell and written by Australian educationalist Professor Erica McWilliam, Educating Girls is a revealing account of the struggle for educational equality set against the historic backdrop of colonial Queensland’s aspirational society. At the launch, Professor McWilliam expressed her heartfelt thanks to her ‘remarkable mother’, saying that her mother’s ‘lifelong love of the written and spoken word’ began when she was a Girls Grammar student, and that she passed this gift on to Erica. Her Excellency warmly congratulated the School on the book’s publication. ‘ Educating Girls is a major scholarly body of research, eloquently presented, and a significant contribution to our knowledge of Queensland and our social, cultural and political history — those struggles, those disappointments, the lost potential of women who

IMAGE (L—R) Chair of the Board of Trustees Ms Elizabeth Jameson; Dr Amanda Bell; Governor-General, Her Excellency the Honourable Quentin Bryce ao cvo ; Professor Erica McWilliam; and Ms Jacinda Euler at the launch of Educating Girls

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Being Aspirational

ARTICLE

AN EXCERPT FROM EDUCATING GIRLS BY PROFESSOR ERICA McWILLIAM

Travellers can be roughly divided into two types. There are those who set out with their sights firmly fixed on a distant destination. It may be an ancient city concealed in the deserts of time, or a river whose source is unknown, a mountain peak which has retained its snow-bound secret. The journey is a quest, the traveller searchers who cannot rest until they reach their goal. There is a second sort of traveller however – those who weave in and out among the lives of people they encounter on the way, picking up during their odyssey, a stitch here and a pattern there so that they return wearing cloaks embroidered with the rainbow of the world. (1994, p. 211) Interestingly, some Grammar Old Girls seem to combine both dispositions in shaping their destiny. A pupil who left in 1996, Dr Jo Darby, for example, recounts a nomadic existence in which she, as a young adult, has ‘lived in three countries across the globe, in four states and two territories in Australia, and … moved home nineteen times’. Her teachers gave her ‘a passion for Japan’, which made her restless to move there at the first opportunity she had. Her passion for Japan, however, did not keep her from returning home to study for a career in medicine. She later became an Air Force doctor on Ashmore Reef, tending to dozens of Defence Force colleagues who were victims of an explosion there. The message to Grammar girls about to graduate from the School is to focus on the journey, to dawdle long enough to ‘enjoy the journey, enjoy the ride’ and to ‘see where life takes you’ (Darby, 2010, pp. 42–46). It is a sentiment endorsed by the many graduates who have used their Grammar experiences and achievements as a launching pad for ‘spin[ning] off out of the orbit of the mundane’ (Russell, 1994, p. 224).

IT IS TOO EASY TO overstate, or understate, the role of this School, or any school, in relation to exceptional achievements by many of its graduates. On the one hand, it could be argued that Girls Grammar merely added icing to the genetic cake that was already full of potential and promise. On the other hand, it could be argued that the girls were mere putty in the hands of experienced educators who moulded them into world-beating shape. The importance of a combination of both nature and the particular kind of nurture available at Girls Grammar seems undeniable. It is a combination captured in the reflection of Old Girl Mrs Hazel Burnside on the part played in her early life by one of her teachers at Girls Grammar. Travelling on the same tram to School each day with the much-loved Miss Benney, Hazel ‘happened to say that I thought my sisters were cleverer than I’. Miss Benney’s reply, ‘There is nothing wrong with your ability to think!’ gave her renewed confidence in who she was and could become (Burnside, n.d.). The ability to think can be a much underrated asset in a speeded-up world where stimulation and simulation rule, where every mistake seems to be instantly correctible and every decision reversible, where the sales chart is so often the default measure of worth, and where opinion is so often blurted rather than built. Those who claim, like Hazel Burnside, that Grammar ‘taught us a love of the world’ are unlikely to be flippant or to seek quick fixes in relation to their own or their planet’s future. Like women travellers in the past, they are eager to explore the fullness of the world, armed with relentless curiosity and unflagging enthusiasm. In her book, delightfully titled The Blessings of a Good Thick Skirt , author Mary Russell captures the essence of this imperative to discover and engage with unfamiliar people, places and things in women of the past. She writes of two kinds of female travellers – the restless and the dawdler:

REFERENCES Burnside (née Palmer), H. (n.d.). Old Girl recollections, Brisbane Girls Grammar School Archives. Darby, J. (2010). Dr Jo Darby, alumna 1996, valedictory address. In Brisbane Girls Grammar School Annual Review . Brisbane Girls Grammar School. Russell, M. (1994). The blessings of a good thick skirt: Women travellers and their world . London: Harper Collins.

SPRING ISSUE / 2013