Grammar Gazette- Issue 2, 2017

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OUR YEAR ‘OUT OF THE BLUE’

Elizabeth Prins (left) and Lucinda Duke (right) with Principal, Ms Jacinda Euler, on White Blouse Day 2017

AUTHORS Brisbane Girls Grammar School 2017 Head Girls Lucinda Duke (12H) and Elizabeth Prins (12B)

The Student Council wanted to reflect current events to highlight our goals and achieve unity within our diversity. To do this, Diversity Day was adapted to incorporate Pride so we could acknowledge and celebrate the support for the LGBTQIA+ community at Brisbane Girls Grammar School. All students were given the opportunity to apply coloured paint onto a large canvas, resulting in a rainbow of unique handprints. At the following Assembly, Ms Euler removed two strips of tape from the canvas, revealing an equal sign and reinforcing the idea of equality for every individual’s personal identity. The project was a huge success for the Student Council with the canvas being a physical representation of our diversity, as well as providing us with a beautiful piece of art to remember the occasion. In our role as Head Girls, we sought to meet as many girls as possible by visiting all House Groups in the School. This endeavour allowed us to gain an insight into the lives and opinions of the younger girls. We also reinforced the relationships within the Year 12 cohort. In Term III, we celebrated the particularly momentous milestone of ‘50 days to go’. As a Student Council, we wanted to ensure that this day was special for every senior student. To do this, we folded 243 origami white blouses and royal blue ties by hand, which were then stealthily placed on the Year 12 tables. We invited each girl to write a goal or hope for her last days at Girls Grammar on her origami blouse to mark not only her achievements to date but also the opportunities she still has ahead. We were so proud of the thoughtfulness of responses and the subsequent installation of these ‘blouses’ on the noticeboard for the whole school to see, creating a poignant and public reminder of the remaining time the Year 12s had at school. As we approached the end of the school year, we were increasingly aware of how little time we had left as Grammar girls, and the dwindling opportunities we had to make that time count — to appreciate the bonds we made, to remember the experiences we enjoyed and to cement the legacy we hoped to leave behind. We wanted to ensure that not only the Year 12s, but all girls, walked out the gates at the end of this year feeling satisfied with their year but also full of the Girls Grammar spirit.

‘Tradition is always reviving — born again in each new generation, to be lived and applied in a new and particular way.’ Thomas Merton, No Man is an Island (1955) At Brisbane Girls Grammar School, every year produces a fresh cohort of leaders and is shaped by a new motto and a unique set of goals. This way, as a school community, we maintain our traditions while embracing change. This year, we sought to build upon the mainstays of Grammar life, to embrace the yearly events we enjoy so much and to establish our own legacy. We have been consistently motivated and inspired by our three initial goals of: promoting teamwork; embracing gratitude; and celebrating diversity. We placed these values at the forefront of our initiatives and worked to ensure that a positive culture was fostered in our school community as a direct result. The universal adoption and acceptance of our goals was a reflection of how deeply embedded diversity, gratitude, and teamwork are in our school culture. As a Student Council, we continued with beloved favourites such as celebrating Blue Days before major sporting events. Blue Day is a time-honoured tradition at our School, but this year we wanted to create a point of difference. To add a little variation, we incorporated a theme into each; from Under the Sea to Inter-Grammactic and Blue Warriors, each 2017 Blue Day was spirited and much enjoyed. We were humbled by all girls who embraced gratitude while supporting our various service endeavours throughout the year. White Blouse Day was an opportunity for us to take time to appreciate the women in our lives while raising awareness for female gynaecological cancers. Steptember allowed girls to become personally involved in a charitable initiative, raising considerable amounts of money for the Cerebral Palsy Alliance. Similarly, events like the Kirsten Jack Formal Fashion Parade encouraged girls to involve themselves in Service at Girls Grammar and raise money for service groups within our own School.

GRAMMAR GAZETTE