(Bibra Lake Campus)

Diving Deep into Physics: Air, Water, and Submarines

Our recent Physics Main Lesson took students on an exciting journey through the Physics of Air and Water, exploring the properties of these elements and how with understanding we have been able to develop important machines like airplanes and ships. One of the highlights was an escape room adventure set aboard a submarine stranded deep in the ocean after a sudden power outage.

As students worked their way through clues and challenges, they uncovered the incredible role submarines play in marine research—from spotting deep-sea creatures to understanding carbon capture in kelp forests. Along the way, they also experienced firsthand how water pressure increases with depth, bringing our concepts from our experiments into context.

I am proud to say most students made it out in time! Their enthusiasm didn’t stop there—many expressed their understanding through creative submarine-themed projects that beautifully captured both the engineering and wonder of these deep sea exploring machines.

Alex McLeod
HS Maths & Science Teacher

CLASS 12 PROJECTS

Laura Moisa

My name is Laura and for my year 12 Project I have been researching the question:

“What are some ways to support families dealing with a loved one that experiences psychosis?”

My brother has psychosis, and I have watched my family struggle to navigate it. Throughout this process, my parents never really had any support in learning how to cope, and over time, the effects of supporting my brother began to impact their own mental health. As a child, I was also thrown into a dynamic that I had no idea how to manage or even understand. This is what sparked the idea for my Project. Since my parents never had much support, I decided to research it as the focus of my work.

One statistic I found particularly interesting is that approximately 0.75% to 3% of adults are estimated to have experienced a diagnosed disorder involving psychosis at some point in their lives. That means between 150,000 and 600,000 adults in Australia may experience a psychotic disorder in their lifetime. To put this into perspective, that could mean up to 21 students in our school community might be affected. In addition, 16.5% of people will experience symptoms of psychosis in their lifetime. It’s interesting because far more people experience symptoms than are ever formally diagnosed. This shows that psychosis is more common than we might realise—affecting not just individuals, but also their families and friends.

Through journalling, I’ve been able to reflect on everything I’ve discovered in my research and how it connects to my family’s experience, as well as my brother’s. I read an article where a woman explained what it was like to go through a psychotic episode. It helped me see things from my brother’s perspective. Although her experience was different, the way she described it made me stop and think about how my brother must have felt during his.

My research and exploration of this topic has shown me that people with psychosis are often unfairly seen as crazy, violent, or addicted—when in reality, they are fighting battles that many of us can’t fully understand.

For my practical component, I plan to engage with different mental health services, both in person and online. In response to this, I will develop a program or structure related to the broader topic of mental health, which I will then share with students in some way.

I chose to focus on Year 9 and 10 students because they are at an age where mental health challenges often start to become more noticeable—especially with the pressures of starting high school and navigating social changes.

The purpose of the program is to equip them with tools and knowledge early on, so they feel more confident in recognising when they need support, understanding where to go, and most importantly, feeling assured that reaching out is a healthy and worthwhile choice.

If you have any experience related to my Project and feel comfortable sharing—especially when it comes to seeking support—please feel free to email me at: class12projects@pws.wa.edu.au

Thank for reading

CLASS 12 PROJECTS

Linnea Pericles

My name is Linnea Pericles, and I’ve always had a strong interest in human health. Living with type 1 diabetes for the past four years and staying active in my free time, I’ve learned to prioritize my health and well-being. This year, however, I wanted to delve deeper.

Nutrition is the fundamental aspect of health along with exercise. We are what we eat, so to pursue a heathy lifestyle, consuming the right food is very important. But how many of us look at the nutritional information on the packaged food we buy? And more importantly, if we do look, who understands what that all means?

This year, I set out to discover exactly what I’m putting into my body and how it affects my health—and the research blew my mind. Four in five adults consume less than the recommended daily intake of fruits and vegetables, which contributes to a range of adverse health effects, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. With the rise of fast food, Australians now get 42% of their energy intake from ultra-processed foods. Even more concerning is the impact on children and adolescents, who receive 55% of their dietary intake from these highly processed items. This is a frightening statistic when we consider the long-term health consequences of such overconsumption.

All in all, Australians have a terrible relationship with food, we are overfed in macronutrients but undernourished in micronutrients. I have a passion to change those statistic into something more positive. Through intense research, brainstorming with my supervisor and reflective journal entries, we finally established my project topic question;

“How can Australians improve their nutritional intake at an individual level to support better health?”

My report explores nutrient requirements for health and current nutritional challenges in Australia — including the rise of ultra-processed foods, increasing sugar consumption, and declining fruit and vegetable intake and the health issues associated with these trends.

Another key aspect of my research is how do we counter / mitigate the nutrient deficit. My focus has been on fermented foods, microgreens, and a comparison of organic homegrown crops with commercially produced alternatives. This has been one of my favourite parts of the report. I love the potential for positive change, because it gives hope to the declining health of Australians.

It has also given me an opportunity to establish my own microgreen supply. I have started growing trays of microgreens and I love it! I have become a big advocate for them. They are extremely easy to grow, they taste amazing, and of course, they are super healthy.

The statistics I talk about are heavy and distressing, but along with that, there are easy, affordable changes an individual can take. We can make a change, and it only involves a bit of effort to create fresh, nutritious food. To fuel this change, we need to recognise the unhealthy habits we are engaging in, get educated on what we should be eating, and make the change.

This year has been a thoroughly enjoyable (at times stressful) investment in a topic I am extremely passionate about. It has given me insight about who I want to become and what I would like to study at university, but not only that — it has also taught me to think before I eat; it's all about awareness and knowledge, and once you know more, you can slowly start integrating it into your life. The Project has made me more aware of what is happening inside of my body at any moment, and how food can support me in the best way possible. I look forward to sharing this with others to improve community health.