From the Head of High School

Welcome back to Term 3!

Mid-year Conference

This year, all High School staff from PWS and PSC participated in a 3-day Conference in the first week of the July school holidays.

It was a great opportunity for staff from both campuses to connect and dedicate time to some bigger topics. We focussed on three main areas during the conference: Better Conversations with Mike Dyson, Anthroposophical study with Mark Phillips and Faculty meetings.

Better Conversations

Mike Dyson has had a long standing connection to our school, both as a facilitator and a parent. He spent two days working with our staff on facilitating engaging conversations with young people.

He says, "My 'Better Conversations with Young People' program equips teaching teams with simple skills to facilitate powerful, student-centred conversations that explore and transform behaviour. By empowering educators to move beyond information delivery to meaningful conversations with peers, we harness the power of peer accountability to create lasting change in student wellbeing - one conversation at a time."

Anthroposophical study

We started every morning with Anthroposophical study, reviewing our understanding of Human Development, leading to focussing on how thinking is developed throughout Adolescence.

Faculty work

On the Wednesday afternoon, we spent time as a faculty reviewing the Core Principles of Steiner Education, focussing specifically on core principle 7 on Collaborative Leadership. We explored what that term means to us and to what extent we are working in that way within our faculty.

Annabelle Kellenberger
Head of High School

Class 9 Tree Planting

In the final week of Term 2, some of the Class 9's came together with the Class 3's to add some native plants to the school grounds.

We were lucky enough to get donations of native plants from the City of Cockburn and SERCUL. The City of Cockburn donated plants specific to supporting the Carnaby Cockatoo populations with food sources. And SERCUL provided plants to our school as part of the Phosphorus Awareness Project grant it receives from the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA), which aims to educate the community about the environmental impacts of too many nutrients entering our waterways. 

As well, the Class 9's joined the City of Cockburn at the local Emma Treeby Reserve the day after winter fest to assist with planting over 600 tree species to rehabilitate a previously cleared area of land. It goes to show that many hands make light work. 

Class 12 Biochemistry Main Lesson

The Class 12's spent last term looking into the exciting world of biochemistry; the application of chemistry to the study of biological processes at the cellular or molecular level. This study of living matter is applied in scientific and medical discovery and used in many fields including pharmaceuticals, forensics and nutrition.

After recapping their years of chemistry Main Lessons, the class 12 students have taken a deeper look into the formation and use of fossil fuels, human metabolism, the effects of neurotransmitters and some of the ways that the liver detoxifies harmful substances in the body. The students also looked at the development of medicine and the ways in which humans have used mind and body-altering substances over history.

Suzie Moore

High School Biology Teacher

Class 12 Project Practicals

Please register here: beginner-fishing-classes-with-jack-tickets  

This exhibition intends to create a shift in people's perception of graffiti as the works displayed highlight the genuinely artistic and creative aspects that are often overlooked in graffiti. Inscribe does not promote the actions of vandalism, rather it attempts to document and highlight the artistic elements that Perth graffiti has.

Doors open at 5:30 and there will be a short speech at 6 discussing the context behind the exhibition. There will be snacks and drinks to enjoy as well. Please come along if you are curious about Perth graffiti, or if you do not understand it as I hope to change people's outlooks on the abundant art form that populates our city.

Class 12 Projects

Toby Palmer

For my project, I have formed the question:

"Could a high-fat, meat-based diet present a solution to the global health, environmental, and animal welfare crises, and challenge plant-based agendas of mainstream advisory?"

I'm passionate about truth, and I've found myself a topic where I’ve seen it so distorted. This is especially true in the environmental, health, and philosophical world of literature. Going into this project, I had a bias; a bias I’ve owned and have been careful to remain conscious of. I existed with contradictory beliefs before this project, not sure how to fit them together. I was passionate about animal welfare and the environment, but I also knew that humans have been eating meat as a large part of our diets for 2.6 million years, which has been crucial to our existence as an intelligent species. I was always told that a variety of plant foods was vital for my optimal health, and that meat was of lower priority to be consumed in moderation or not at all.

I have angled my research around the crises that humanity experiences, listed in my question, that are directly associated with what we eat and in what proportion. They are so interconnected and, though I tried, inseparable from each other; all required to understand the full picture of this vast topic.  

I quickly came to the realisation that this project will involve a wide scope and thorough depth of research to have a chance of finding some truth in the breadth of misinformed and bias literature at my disposal. My essay's word limit demanded that I narrow my focus, so I chose health to be the subject of my essay and the bulk of my early research. I understand that this isn't the most central argument for a plant-based diet, but it is an area in which my early research revealed a plant-based narrative. 

Nutritional guidelines, and mainstream health-based literature will always spread advice and influence; I'm noticing this weaved throughout the nutritional advice we are given through the food pyramid and other guidelines. What I am noticing are conflicts of interest, ulterior motives, and vested interests which are present in the development and sharing of these misleading consensuses. 

Going forward, I will further explore the nuanced and hypothetical effects of a high-fat, meat-based diet being adopted by the globe. I will be exploring the literature that points to plant nutrition being less harmful for the environment and how this literature has been affected by the plant-based narrative. 

I've had many an existing practical idea, my main problem has been liking each of them a little too much. An interactive table, quiz, and seminar; a song about truth and it's disappearance in modern understanding; a weekly meetup group involving an individually coached carnivore challenge as well as in-depth debate and discussion; these were some of the idea's I’ve had.  

The Idea I have stuck with is a public debate! Myself and our beloved teacher, Sean will each embrace a side of this topic, perhaps each accompanied by someone in support. Though neither of us are fundamentalists to either side, Sean will argue a scientific vegan perspective on climate, animal welfare, and health; while I argue a meat-based perspective. Throughout my journey, I have embraced much counter information and found so many examples of “academic literature” that is completely polar - opposite and contradicting. It's through this, and a great deal of analysis that I have formed a relatively balanced view. The intention of this debate will be to allow others to access a balance of these sides for themselves, through more mature means than YouTube videos, ad campaigns, and propaganda; to find a well-informed stance for themselves. It will be highly structured, and strictly follow Socrates’ balanced and genuine approach to debate that I personally love and try to bring to discussions daily. In my passionate search from truth, a debate against an intellectual representation of veganism will help to challenge and strengthen my understanding. 

I love people disagreeing and challenging the view that I'm growing into so please do not hesitate to send an email or come and chat! Truth will find a way and growth will come, but only if we learn to disagree well and speak in good faith. For anyone with questions or interest on my topic or practical, please email: class12projects@pws.wa.edu.au 

Louisa Stevens

My name is Louisa, and for my Class 12 Project, I looked at the question:

“What are the benefits of nature immersion, and how can we make them last?”

I became interested in this topic as a way of dealing with general stress and the added pressures of graduating and finishing school. I heard of the practice of forest bathing as a remedial therapy that can be done in any natural environment. At the beginning of my research, I found a forest bathing course held in King’s Park every weekend. On the day I attended, it was lightly raining, with very few people around. I was able to fully engage and notice seemingly insignificant details, such as a tiny spider curled up in a leaf or the prints left behind by a lizard in the sand. I could recognise the different scents of eucalyptus and banksia leaves.

Many people recognise that being outside improves a person’s health, but very few realise the full extent of how important being in nature really is. Through my research, I learned that trees such as pine and eucalyptus emit phytoncides—antibacterial, antimicrobial compounds that protect trees from airborne infectious agents. For humans, however, these compounds have a different effect: when inhaled, phytoncides naturally boost the production of natural killer (NK) cells, which help fight diseases like cancer. I never expected to discover such a profound and little-known benefit.

My essay explores humans’ historical connection to Country, as well as the spiritual link many Indigenous cultures have with the natural environment. I learned about biophilic design in modern cityscapes, and the association between high-density populations and increased mental health problems. My essay also touches on different forms of nature therapy, from mud therapy for clearer skin to the observed improvements in Alzheimer’s patients after time spent outdoors. I even looked at the long-term effects of screen time on children and adolescents.

For my practical, I decided to bring forest bathing into a classroom setting, introducing the benefits of nature immersion to a group of students and then asking them to physically engage with the environment. I hope to bring nature immersion into students’ busy schedules in a way that benefits them and helps with the stresses of high school life. Ideally, the class will work towards accepting nature immersion as an effective way of self-therapy.

Above all, I hope people can use my Project to better understand the natural environment and their place within it. I would like to see more people outside, proactively looking after their mental and physical health in a natural setting.

Go out and spend more time in nature.

Tom Greenway

Hi, my name is Thomas Greenway, and for my Year 12 project I have chosen to explore the topic of demersal fish in the West Coast Bioregion.

My question is: “What impacts have the restrictions had on the fish stocks and on the wider community?”

The reason I chose this topic is because, for as long as I can remember, I have always loved fishing. I’ve been fishing since I could walk! My dad got me into it, and from then I’ve loved it ever since. Fishing has played a massive part in my childhood and in shaping what I love to do today. I think it’s something that’s calming and relaxing but also heaps of fun. The feeling you get when you hook a monster fish—there’s not much like it. The adrenaline and excitement are unreal, and I absolutely love it.

To go deeper into the topic, demersal fish are fish that live on the bottom of the sea floor, usually in deeper waters. In the West Coast Bioregion, there are four major demersal species: Pink Snapper, Baldchin Grouper, Dhufish, and Breaksea Cod.

The reason restrictions were put in place is because fisheries officers realised there was too much overfishing of demersal species in the West Coast Bioregion. These restrictions began in 2010 and have changed a few times since then. The newest rules aim to help fish stocks recover and hopefully reach the target of sustainable stock levels by 2030.

One of the biggest challenges I faced was trying to find all the information I needed about the bans—especially the smaller details, like the different rules for each sector and some of the older bans that were put in place. Eventually, I managed to track it all down.

For the practical side of my project, I plan to create a brochure for kids to help explain the rules around the demersal ban. I’ve contacted Recfishwest and will also be emailing local caravan parks to see if they can display the brochure. I’ve also created a Facebook group for people to post pictures of their catches so I can see what they're catching and build more community engagement.

Maya Fulker

If you peeked a glance at the latest 2025 World Happiness Report (WHR), you may have been unsurprised to see Finland ranking number one… for the eighth year in a row. In fact, since the beginning of the WHR in 2012, the top contestants have consistently been the Nordic countries; Norway, Finland, Sweeden, Iceland, and Denmark. Now, not only are these countries the happiest, but they also top charts in democracy, absence of corruption, economic strength and national resilience. You may be thinking what I thought when I learnt this: how can these countries be so perfect?

This curiosity drew on a mission to understand how their policies and structures can create such a “utopia”. However, I realized very quickly that learning about economic and political systems was extremely uninspiring. During this rather directionless time, I remember flipping through the pages of the 2020 WHR and coming across the discussion of a chicken-egg paradox regarding this Nordic exceptionalism. The idea of self-reinforcing feedback loops between the welfare state model, high quality democratic institutions, and trust grabbed my attention. As I got deeper into research and reading, I realised that Nordic Exceptionalism exceeded merely institutional design, leading me to the question:

“What beyond the policies and structure of the Nordic Model make it so successful?”

Trust was the answer. This may sound simple, but trust me, it is not. These exceptionally high levels of social and institutional trust form complex prosperous relationships with the structures and institutions of these countries. Without trust, a negative spiralling effect occurs. Due to the intertwined and complex nature of this concept, the essay component of my practical was quite a challenge, but I got there in the end.

Now, since I cannot fly away to Norway for my practical (as lovely as that would be), I’m choosing to shift my focus onto trust in Australia. How does trust live in our own country? What is needed to increase trust to the exceptional Nordic standard? I’m quite interested to see what answers I can find to these questions and peoples lived experience of trust.

If you are interested in discussions about trust, how it interacts with civic dynamics, social cohesion, institutional quality, or just what you think is needed to create a high trust society, I will be running a workshop on the 24th of August from 10:00-11:30am in Seekers Place. More information will be released soon but if you are interested in being a part of this, feel free to get in touch at class12projects@pws.wa.edu.