Class 11 History of Electricity Main Lesson

Across the first six weeks of Term Two, both Class 11 groups have embarked on a journey of discovery and exploration, to answer the question: What is Electricity? Their Physics Main Lesson topic of the History of Electricity provides the Class 11 student with the chance to examine the infinitesimal, contrasting the exploration of the infinite of the Projective Geometry Main Lesson. Students must rely on their imagination to build their knowledge of electricity towards that of the current era, marrying their observations with their unfolding understanding of the phenomena.

Students emulated the experiences of the Ancient Greeks: starting from observation and generating their understanding from experience. Each new experience provided more information, inducing questions and preventing them from allowing their ideas on electricity to stay static. The class replicated some of the ground-breaking experiments of William Gilbert, Charles Du Fay, and Alessandro Volta. Like humanity’s path to understanding, some missteps are inevitably taken, showing that even the modern human is not immune to mistakes.

Students completed their experience in this Main Lesson with the task of attempting to go 24 hours using as little electricity as possible. Aiming to be electricity free for a whole day forced them to plan their actions – some were more successful than others. The experience of living a modern life without electricity opened their eyes to how dependent we are on it as a society, despite many of us not truly knowing what electricity really is.

Brett Kranz-Little
Physics Teacher

Class 12 Drama 

After an amazing week of speeches, the Class 12 students have jumped straight into rehearsals for their drama production of Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, Royal Shakespeare Company version, adaptation by Nick Ormerod and Declan Donovan.

Set in 1812, the novel by Charles Dickens tells the tale of an orphan boy, Pip, on his rise to wealth and the unrequited romance that arises between Pip and cold Estella, the adopted daughter of Miss Haversham, a mysterious woman who has worn the same wedding dress since she was abandoned on her wedding day twenty-five years earlier. The plot thickens with the escape of convicts and a mysterious benefactor who helps Pip become a gentleman in his quest for love.

Written in the height of political and social change, Great Expectations goes to the very heart of the human condition as we examine love, betrayal, class, and manipulation. An adaptation by Nick Ormerod and Declan Donnellan, this performance is not one to be missed!

The Class 12 students have received their roles and are working hard to familiarise themselves with their new (and sometimes intriguing) characters. The class has split production roles between them, with students taking a hand in all aspects of the production, from creative input and technical stage lighting to set building and costume. Suspense is already building for this skilful production, and students are excited to be a part of every aspect of creating theatre.

A play as complex as this requires in-depth research into the historical, political, and social spheres of the early 19th Century, and the actors-to-be have been eager to apply their researching skills to the task, using their knowledge to make sure costumes, sets, and accents, are all accurately portrayed.

It's safe to say we all have great expectations for these wonderful students!

Juniper Boultbee
Class 12 Student

Class 12 Drama Production, Great Expectations