Humanities students have begun 2021 displaying curiosity about the world around us and learning to explain and evaluate how environments, people and places experience change and the lessons we take from that. They are not only building their understanding of the world but also their capacity to excel in Humanities at VCE and beyond.

Hands-on experiences, such as the annual Year 8 Geography fieldwork excursions to examine the coastal landscapes of Port Phillip Bay have taken place in recent weeks. Year 8 classes have been guided by their teachers, Miss Molloy and Ms Neale, in developing the observation and mapping skills. Students then use the data and information gained at the beach to deepen the ability to explain and provide evidence about coastal processes, such as longshore drift and erosion.

Students across all subjects are benefiting from the expert skills and knowledge of the Faculty’s teachers. Humanities students in 2020 achieved outstanding results in every Humanities subject at St Catherine’s. Perfect scores were achieved in Accounting, Business Management and Legal Studies, as well as high scoring, multiple 40+ scores in all of the Humanities subjects, which also included Economics, Global Politics and History: Revolutions. Median scores in all Humanities subjects greatly exceeded the state and other schools. The highest achieving student in Global Politics in 2020, Jennifer Madgwick, returned to the Politics classroom in February to share her insights about how to succeed in VCE and answer student questions. A few days later, Jen headed off to Brisbane to commence her tertiary course, studying Law and Arts (International Relations) at the University of Queensland.

The success of students in 2020, of course, reflected capabilities that students gained in earlier years of study with Humanities teachers across subjects from Years 7-11. This year, students are also fortunate to be in classes taught by Ms Kanako Yokouchi who has returned from leave and is teaching Year 7 Humanities and Miss Sally Wilkinson who has also returned from leave to be teaching alongside Mrs Gina Peele in the Year 9 elective subject, Finance, Business and Entrepreneurship.

In 2021, students have embraced the wide variety of Humanities electives that are offered by the School. Australian and Global Politics, Geography and Philosophy have returned Year 11 to complement the other suite of VCE Humanities subjects which prepare students for VCE Unit 3 and 4. While in Years 9 and 10, students are gaining the opportunity to explore topics and concepts in new and engaging ways in the many electives. The popularity of subjects, including Commerce, Geography, Globalisation, History, Philosophy and Politics reflects the long tradition of interest in Humanities among St Catherine’s students, but also a foundation for their later success in these areas.

An exciting suite of activities is planned across the year to complement the classroom-based learning so that Humanities students obtain as many opportunities to apply what they learn to the real world around them.