Class 9B Drama Main Lesson presents – Harlequinade by Terence Rattigan

Harlequinade is a wonderful play which needs minimal explanation.

I will say this, however. We can look forward to a fabulous production of Romeo and Juliet, featuring wonderful performances by Arthur Gosport and Edna Selby starring in the title roles; Dame Maud Gosport as the Nurse; famous film star, Fred Ingram, as Tybalt; and of course, senior actor, George Chudleigh with his single, unforgettable line. We would like to thank Jack Wakefield for his unflappable and organised stage management, ably assisted by Johnny Ashton-Cowan. This production, of course, would not have been possible without the most calm, most kind, most helpful and most reassuring Mr Wilmot, and we thank his management sincerely for the ability to fix the most complicated of legal issues and make all our problems simply “disappear”. Lastly, we mustn’t forget Miss Fishlock, who, as usual, has had to do most of the donkey-work, and has done it, as always, far better than anyone would ever expect.

PWS staff have worked hard to make this play possible: Justin Crossley, Eva Rinaldi, Gabriela Morales, Ian Lawrence, Shanelle Schramm, Sarah Boyle, Kirby Donnachie and Kate Leeder.

Families are encouraged to attend evening performances together, from all High School and upper Primary year levels (Class 5 and 6). Entry will be by donation.

Please note Harlequinade will not have an interval. Refreshments will be available for purchase from 5.45pm, before the evening performances.

All performances will take place in Williams Hall:

Cast 1 Wednesday 9 April 10.40am
Cast 2 Wednesday 9 April 6.30pm
Cast 2 Thursday 10 April 9.00am
Cast 1 Thursday 10 April 6.30pm

 

Austin Castiglione
High School Drama Teacher

Class 12 Biology Main Lesson - Zoology

This term, the Class 12’s have undertaken a dive into the world of animals and their origins. Through the study of life on Earth, the students appreciate the interconnectedness of animal species with their environment, and the unique characteristics that have allowed these animals to thrive in their ecological niche.

Class 12 have looked at some of the evidence behind the theory of evolution, including fossilised organisms and the geological timescale, observing the changes in life on earth and how such diversity may have come to be. A look at the very non-linear picture of human evolution always brings some good discussion to the class and they also wondered how different human society would be if animals were never domesticated and had instead lived alongside us in their natural environment.

Throughout the Main Lesson, students have participated in practical activities including a fascinating squid dissection, a micro-evolution game in which they were birds trying to feed on different sized beans and they have been treated to a visit from some rescued wildlife.

Suzie Moore
High School Science Teacher

Class 12 Projects

Lara Nandlal

For my Class 12 project, I will be asking:

“How has humanity’s perception of ‘monsters’ changed from ancient times to today?” 

I’ve always been interested in all things fantastical and fictitious. Growing up, I loved reading book series like Wings of Fire and The Narroway Hunt and watching movies like How to Train Your Dragon. Dragons took my interest specifically, and while it could’ve just been that dragons are awesome, I also loved their stories. Way too many stories take the route of dragons being evil, princess kidnapping monsters, and I sympathised with them, because I childishly thought that all evil could be reasoned with. However, in more recent times with more and more different takes on old mythologies, stories with sympathy for the monster have popped up. These types of stories were the ones that grabbed my attention. 

The topic of dragons sat in the back of my head throughout Class 11, then at the end of the year, when we all began watching presentations and thinking of projects of our own, it resurfaced and took on a new form. Instead of just dragons, I thought of focusing on a broader topic: Monsters. Monsters from Ancient Greece to today, all their different forms and functions. This is what led me to my current question.

When researching, I decided the best place to start would be at the beginning, and I don’t mean just ancient times, an odd 2000-3000 years ago. Our earliest monsters were our predators, and among the most terrifying were snakes. They struck fear into all primates – for intelligent creatures, the thought of being bitten or squeezed to death is haunting. A few million years passed and primates gained a special snake detector. Numerous studies have confirmed that humans in particular are able to recognise a snake far quicker than similar looking animals like frogs or caterpillars – even when only a small part of the snake is visible. This built in ‘snake detector’ is present from birth, with infants displaying almost the same recognition ability as adults. However, unlike adults, babies show no fear response – likely because they have yet to learn what a snake is. 

As we built societies and civilisations, we also gave rise to monsters. I thought the next logical step to take in researching would be to look into the mythology of ancient times, specifically in Ancient Greece, because not only is it the most studied mythology, but it had a good link to the snakes: Medusa, the Gorgon. Gorgons started off as a widely grinning face or figure that was painted on all manners of objects. They originally had no connection to snakes, especially not as an extra body part, and they rarely even had snakes in the pictures to begin with. These older versions of Gorgons were more likely the depictions of the Phobos, the god of fear. Eventually, over the years, the Gorgon we know today developed, with locks of serpentine hair.  

Why exactly Medusa is a monster is a likely topic for debate. Whether her snake hair and ability to turn men into stone was a curse or a blessing in disguise, she did present a threat to what society was back then. She was a monster because she stood against their values, of what a woman or someone unsightly should be. Like pretty much all the monsters in Greek Mythology, she was killed and made an example of, to show that resistance to the norm was futile: those who did not fit into that norm were to meet the same fate as her. 

That last paragraph was a little dark, but it holds true. Humanity’s monsters tend to be caricatures of what we fear the most. In ancient times this often meant anything unfamiliar or anything that wasn’t considered beautiful – both of which were unfortunately usually other people. You may be thinking that this contradicts my topic, but simply because one facet of monsters hasn’t changed, it doesn’t mean others have not either. Another perspective on monsters – and the one I’ll most likely be focusing on in both my essay and practical – is their physical form. In the past, monsters were tangible creatures like Medusa, but today, they take the shape of abstract fears, such as climate change and poverty. My project aims to explore that shift and bring it to life visually through my practical piece. 

Liam Wolff-Boenisch

Before reading this article, I encourage YOU, the reader, to ask yourself four fundamental questions: In which- if any- governmental system do you believe in? What does democracy mean to you? Do you believe that you have proper freedom? and Do you take either for granted- and/or are you worried about the future of both? 

Greetings! 

My name is Liam Wolff-Boenisch, and I am a current year 12 student. I have always been interested in the political and historical fields. As of late, the current evolving and tumulus global political state of the world has piqued my interest. So, in accordance, for my year 12 project, I have chosen to apply my focus into this respective field, formulating my question of interest into:

“To what extent do the current global political and societal trends towards strong autocratic governmental leaderships, jeopardise the future of democracy?”

The question itself is very broad and is open to many opinions and discussion; my question, however, follows the infamous quote of Winston Churchill himself that “...democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms...” Implying that through democracy, more peace, freedom, and equality will prevail.

Politics and governing structures are imperfect and always depend on individual beliefs. Democracy and autocracy represent opposing forms of governance. Democracy emphasises collective decision-making, individual rights, and majority rule, with power vested in the population. In contrast, autocracy centralises absolute power in a single leader or ruling group, disregarding the collective will and prioritising the autocrat's interests. 

Now, the problem lies not in the fact that one form of governmental rule is better than the other, but rather in the danger that one is jeopardising the future of the other and the collective will of nation states.

Think of any current global conflict or event that is present in your memory. Now, question why it's a conflict. Is it based off of an opposing political value? Are the states/parties democratic/autocratic? Are the people in agreement with the causes- do they have a choice? 

Conflicts don’t need causes that are right or wrong, they will always be opposing. The fact remains though, that autocracy is having an effect on the future of democracy. As of late, recent societal and political trends have begun to threaten world peace and stability. These such trends vary from: the weaponisation of dis/misinformation through social media, to the abuse of law and assault on freedom and rights, to the cutting of international relations. As we progress into a more-than-ever digitalised era, these trends are still volatile and evolving- but one thing is clear: the future of democracy is at risk, and autocratic governmental systems continue to abuse these trends with a general disregard for the freedom and rights of democratic states and their people.

For my practical component, I plan on conducting out a survey. It will target young adolescents to better gauge their understanding of political events and figures. Based off of my results, I plan on either carrying out a hands-on practical with the high school students to increase their awareness of the importance of politics in our day and age; or, to instead put democracy into action by creating a  representation council for the students to create a more inclusive school environment where their voices are heard and their interests better understood. 

It is a very topical project topic which is constantly being shaped by the current evolving global political developments. I’m excited to see my project and progress grow over the coming weeks as I strive to reach a conclusion to my question. If you are interested in working with my project or myself, please feel free to contact me via class12projects@pws.wa.edu.au.

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About Class 12 projects

Class 12 projects are a key part of our students' final year, helping them explore big questions about themselves and their place in the world. They run alongside coursework and are a culmination of students' Steiner education.