High School
Class 10A Play - The Crucible by Arthur Miller
Class 10A students have excitedly started their class play The Crucible by American playwright Arthur Miller, a dramatic and fictionalized interpretation of the 1692 Salem witch trials in Massachusetts where 25 innocent people were accused of witchcraft and died because of literal interpretations of the bible and restrictive laws of the time.
Arthur Miller wrote the play in 1953 and saw a parallel between the hysteria and fears of the Salem Witch trials and the effects of paranoid attitudes towards communist or socialist thinking which was prevalent in 1950’s America. The play has strong, dramatic themes and is suitable for high school age groups and adults only.
Williams Hall
Thursday 28 August 2025
9.00am Cast 1
6.30pm Cast 2
Friday 29 August 2025
10.40am Cast 2
6.30pm Cast 1
Class 12 Cosmology Main Lesson
Across the first three weeks of this term, the Class 12A students have completed their Cosmology Main Lesson. During these three weeks together, we have explored how humanity views the cosmos, and how these views have evolved over time, alongside the emerging human consciousness.
Students engaged in conversations about societies and ideas that helped them explore the evolution of humanity’s perspectives of the cosmos. Focusing on their Creation Stories, connection to spirit and interactions with the environment allowed student to empathise with people with vastly different views to theirs and learn from their ideas. They explored ideas like how the night sky has been used by different cultures, the metaphysical aspects of time and space, and Einstein’s Theory of Special Relativity. Through studying the lens with which people view the cosmos and exploring their sympathies and antipathies, students were able to get a deeper understanding of why they interact with the people and space around them in the way they do.
By looking at the elements that shape the cosmology of a society or culture, students can start to acknowledge what has shaped their view of the Universe, and share this openly with their class. In small groups they engaged in an activity of world-building, where they developed their own small societies, based on the environment around them and interactions with their classmates’ societies. As a result of this three-week study, the class was inspired to ask more questions of themselves, their classmates, and the cosmos, in a way that is authentic to their journey as a Waldorf student.
Class 11/12 Elective Play - The Government Inspector by Nikolai Gogo
A Riotous Farce of Mistaken Identity Comes to the Stage: The Government Inspector
Get ready for an evening of outrageous deception, razor-sharp wit, and unrelenting laughter as Perth Waldorf School 11/12 drama elective presents The Government Inspector, Nikolai Gogol’s timeless satirical comedy.
Set in a small, corrupt Russian town in the 19th century, the play explodes into action when the bumbling mayor and his equally unscrupulous officials receive alarming news: a government inspector is travelling incognito to investigate their misdeeds. Panic ensues. Bribes are quickly organised, cover-ups hastily arranged, and every sycophantic charm is deployed to disguise the truth.
Unfortunately for the townsfolk, they’ve made a catastrophic mistake — the man they’ve mistaken for the inspector is nothing more than a broke, opportunistic civil servant passing through on his way to somewhere else. Realising the power of their misunderstanding, he gleefully accepts their “hospitality” — and their bribes — while plunging the entire town into a whirlwind of ridiculous chaos.
The result is a high-energy romp that skewers human greed, vanity, and hypocrisy, proving that the absurdities of bureaucracy and corruption are as relevant today as they were nearly two centuries ago.
With a cast of colourful characters — from the scheming mayor and his gossip-hungry wife, to the hilariously inept local officials, to the sly “inspector” and his shifty servant — The Government Inspector offers actors and audiences alike a feast of comic invention.
Whether you’re a lover of classic literature, a fan of clever political comedy, or simply in need of an evening filled with non-stop laughter, The Government Inspector promises to be an unforgettable theatrical event.
Performance Dates:
Thursday 14 August 6.30pm
Friday 15 August 11.30am and 6.30pm
Saturday 16 August 6.30pm
Venue: Williams Hall
Tickets: Donation at the door
Join us for a night of mistaken identities, outrageous corruption, and farcical mayhem that will leave you grinning long after the beautiful blue curtain closes.
Our Class 11 and 12 students have worked as a team, to bring The Government Inspector to the stage. They hope to bring a strange yet relatable world of 19th century corrupt officials, human greed and stupidity to hilarious life.
PWS staff have worked hard to make this play possible: Justin Crossley, Eva Rinaldi, Gabriela Morales, Ian Lawrence, Shanelle Schramm, Kirrilli Heath and Guinnevere Bell.
Austin Castiglione
High School Drama Teacher
Class 12 Project Practicals
Our Class 12 students focus has shifted to the Practical aspect of the Project. Drawing from their research, each student is now exploring their topic through real-world experiences — bringing theory to life. This stage of the Project offers meaningful insights and a chance to engage with their topics in a tangible, relevant way. We welcome our community to come along and participate in these events.
Class 12 Projects
Dominic Bies
Ever since I was a young child, I’ve been fascinated by dreams; how they work and what their purpose is. This curiosity has stayed with me, ultimately leading to my original topic question: “Why do we dream?”
It didn’t take long to realise that we still don’t fully understand the reason behind why we dream; we only know the benefits of dreaming and how it occurs. Still, I didn’t want to let go of my passion for learning about dreams, so I shifted my question to:
“What is lucid dreaming and how does it impact our mental health?”
Lucid dreaming has always intrigued me. The idea that someone can fall asleep, have a dream that feels almost identical to reality, and actually control what happens is mind-blowing. I’d often come across videos online of people discussing how they’ve induced lucid dreams or what the experience feels like, but I rarely heard anyone talk about the impact of these dreams on mental health.
When I began researching lucid dreaming, I found a lot of information highlighting its benefits. These included a reduction in nightmares for people with PTSD, increased self-esteem, higher creativity, stress relief, and even potential for treating clinical depression.
However, the deeper I went, the more I discovered that some lucid dreaming induction techniques, especially those that disrupt the sleep wake cycle, can come with harmful side effects. These include increased stress, dissociation, schizotypy, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Lucid dreaming has also been shown to worsen mental health in people with psychosis or schizophrenia.
As I gathered this information for my report, I found myself feeling conflicted. My original plan for the practical component was to trial various lucid dreaming induction techniques over several weeks to determine which was most effective. However, doing so would involve disrupting sleep and potentially experiencing those negative side effects.
Now, my focus has shifted to exploring healthy, natural ways to improve REM sleep and overall sleep quality—to increase the likelihood of lucid dreaming in a safe, controlled way.
If anyone has a smartwatch that tracks all stages of sleep and is interested in participating in this study, please email me with the response: “Yes, I am interested,” and I’ll send you further details about what the study involves. You can email me at: class12projects@pws.wa.edu.au
Bridget Reid
While shopping for Christmas presents for my sister at the beginning of the year, I was scouring bookshops for a Hungarian language-learning book. It was when I found this book that I realised I, too, loved the idea of learning a language. It felt especially meaningful because language is deeply interwoven with my family history.
This curiosity about languages led me to the question:
“Is it still important in today’s world to learn a second language?”
In my report, I explored how learning a second language at three major stages of life—childhood, adulthood, and senior adulthood—can benefit the individual. I then examined the importance of language within cultures and its role in cultural preservation. I also looked into how the globalisation of dominant languages is affecting the survival of languages in smaller cultures. Finally, I identified the three most effective methods for learning a new language, along with detailed descriptions of how each method works.
While researching, I often went back and forth on how scientific I wanted the first section of my report to be. While there was a significant amount of research published on the benefits of learning languages in childhood, there was far less available for adults and seniors.
For my practical component, once I realised how difficult it would be to learn Hungarian to the level I hoped for, I spent a long time debating what I could do instead—something I would enjoy creating and that would still be meaningful and relevant to the research I had done. I eventually decided to write a song, as I have always loved music, singing, and writing poetry. The song will be about my great-grandmother immigrating from Hungary to Australia at the end of World War II, because the area she lived in was being invaded by soldiers. This ultimately led to the Hungarian culture not being passed down to the younger generations of our family, which is something I discuss in Section 2 of my report.
Learning about the different aspects of my project has significantly shaped my understanding of safety and how quickly life can change. It has helped me accept that there are some major things I can’t—and will never be able to—control. But I also realised that I do have control over how I respond to life and what I choose to do with it. This understanding has helped me grow as a person.
Surya Morrow
Hi, my name is Surya, and for my Class 12 Project I have been trying to answer the question:
“What impacts have the digital revolution had on the adolescent brain and behaviours?”
My idea originally came from wanting to explore how being in nature affects adolescent brain development compared to how adolescents live today. However, I then realised I wanted to delve deeper into the broader issue of why adolescent brain development is declining, and I recognised that technology and social media play a significant role in negatively impacting it.
During my research, I came across information that explained things I’ve noticed in myself and my friends, such as reduced attention spans and insomnia caused by blue light exposure and the rapid consumption of content on social media platforms. Although the digital revolution has brought many positives, my research led me to conclude that it has done more harm than good to adolescents’ brain health and development.
For my practical, I have chosen to take a technology break, which means I will be avoiding screens for a month and using the “free” time to build new habits and skills. I’ve started reading again and doing some drawing for entertainment.
As part of this project, I’m also hosting a phone-free zone after school on Thursdays in Weeks 4, 5, and 6. This will be a space where students can come and chat with me and others about excessive phone use and how we might change our habits. To support these conversations, there will also be card games, board games, and an opportunity to complete homework in a phone-free environment. I’ve chosen to run these sessions after school because I’ve noticed that’s often when students are most active on their phones, especially on their way home.
I’ve included the flyer with all the details on where the sessions will be held in this edition. If your child is interested, please feel get in touch at class12projects@pws.wa.edu.au.
Saskia Toki
Hello, my name is Saskia, and over this year for my project, I’ve been looking at the question: “How can we improve our neuroplasticity?”
My idea started with being interested in the way our experiences shape us as people and how our brains can be affected not only “mentally” but in physical ways in response to these experiences and the process of life itself.
My Project Supervisor then introduced me to the concept of neuroplasticity. It can also be broadly known as brain plasticity, and more specifically as synaptic plasticity.
Neuro is the prefix referring to specialised nerve cells, and plasticity refers to the ability that plastic has to be easily shaped and moulded. Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability, through the nerves that make it up, to change, adapt, and reshape its function and physical structure in response to the experiences you go through.
The mental health effects of neuroplasticity include changes in your ability to regulate and balance your emotions, as well as changes in resilience, motivation, and cognitive skills, basically, improvements or changes in all cognitive aspects.
The physical results of neuroplasticity look like stronger functional connections between nerves through triggered repetitive use. It can also involve the production of new nerve cells and changes in nerve structures, making them perform differently.
These physical results can be seen and proven through brain scans. However, the results that are easier for the average person to notice are the mental benefits neuroplastic change brings to oneself.
Over the year, I have looked into activities and tasks we can implement in our everyday lives that promote positive neuroplasticity. For my practical, I’ve put together a weekly schedule personally designed for participants, with three activities or tasks of their choice from a list, as well as a compulsory bedtime, physical activity, and study time included. This was in the hope that, over a 6-week period, I could test whether these activities had an impact on their neuroplasticity—specifically through examining their mental health and wellbeing.
To carry this out, I first recruited participants, then had them complete a mental health survey at the beginning of the 6-week period. They completed the same survey again at the end, and responded to weekly reflective questions throughout.
I intend to compare the initial and final survey results, along with analysing the weekly reflections to identify patterns and shifts in the participants' mental wellbeing over time. I am hoping that this will confirm how small, intentional habits—like consistent sleep, physical movement, and mentally engaging activities—can positively influence how we feel and function. Overall, my Project has helped me understand the power of neuroplasticity and how everyday actions can support mental health and long-term brain development.