Across the 2022 school year so far, our Year 9 students have deepened and extended their knowledge through a spectrum of learning opportunities.  

At the conclusion of Term 2 our Year 9 students completed their final Geography Critical Conversations as part of St Catherine’s new Critical Conversations Program.  

Reflecting on what they had learnt in Critical Conversations during Semester 1, it was not surprising to hear that many of the girls found the research and discussions on improving girls’ global equality highly important. What was equally significant was the students’ recognition that easy solutions to global issues, from fast fashion to food security, are hard to find and many stakeholders have responsibility for bringing about change.  

From Critical Conversations in the classroom our Year 9 students commenced Term 3 with exciting adventures to Far North Queensland, Ningaloo Reef, and Monkey Mia, learning through doing and exploring the vast array of environments Australia has to offer. 

This Term we also congratulated 2021 Alumnae, Miss Emily Ryan (‘21) who was awarded a Premier’s Award for VCE. The Award recognises Emily’s achievement as one of the top four students in the Units 3&4 Subject, Global Politics in 2021. The award primarily reflected Emily’s hard work in Global Politics, but also her outstanding achievement in multiple VCE subjects, including some of the many other Humanities subjects that are on offer here at St Catherine’s. To read more on Emily’s success click here. 

Last week we celebrated Humanities Week with a range of fun activities throughout the Year levels with the theme, ‘keeping human thinking at the forefront of a rapidly changing world.’   

As a concept the theme ties together the diverse suite of subjects that are available to students in Humanities at St Catherine’s. It also captures the understanding that is central to these areas. While the world is complicated, weird, and wonderful, it is up to humans to use our thinking to solve the many problems that we have been responsible for creating.  

Throughout the Week we challenged our students and staff with engaging games and community quizzes on all things Humanities. Our 2022, Student Executive ran a Humanities Assembly which traversed many themes and activities. Students who had participated in this year’s Australian Geography Competition were also presented with their Certificates of Achievement during the Assembly. Congratulations to Diya Asthana, Year 8, who placed in the top 1% of the country in the Competition!  

Anchoring Humanities Week was a Grand Humanities Quiz event at lunchtime. Teams competed to win the crown of ultimate Humanities scholars. The Week also involved fun and games for Year 7 students, organised by Humanities teacher and acting Head of Year 7, Ms Roslyn McCulloch. The Week ended with VCE Legal Studies students taking roles in a mock criminal trial in the Magistrate’s Court, presided over by the very capable Haneen Ashmeel, Year 12 student and Cultural Diversity Captain.