HASS
Hitting home the significance of Humanities
Humanities and Social Science students have hit the ground running this term with a number of excursions that have intrigued and inspired them.
Perth Law Courts
Firstly, our Year 11 Politics and Law students made their way to the courts in Week 1. The students have been studying the processes of our adversarial system and were not disappointed in their exposure to the real-life events that take place day-in and day-out in our judiciary.
They sat in the Supreme Court to learn about the different roles of the court and saw how the grand 1902 building is adapting to the 21st century. Students then moved to the Magistrates Court and saw the efficiency with which minor matters are heard. Arrest warrants were issued for no-shows and fairness was dispensed when the Magistrate recognised offences that were based on “need and not greed”. Their eyes were further opened with viewing the video link-up to Hakea Prison which inspired conversations on the effectiveness of imprisonment and lastly, they sat in the District Court to witness a sentencing hearing, where the offenders were warned their lives were at a turning point. Students saw first hand how our judicial officers do not sit in ivory towers, but are faced with some of the worst aspects of our society on a daily basis.
The students shared their insights in the Supreme Court Gardens – how relevant the Politics and Law course is, how personable judges and magistrates are, how we are able to witness the deeply personal matters of fellow citizens and gauge the immense resources put into our justice system.
The Politics and Law students would like to thank Mr Watson from Phys Ed for the use of their bus and to Mr Guthrie for driving us.
Tourism
After a fascinating tour to the Fremantle Prison and Fremantle City Council in Term 2, this term, our Year 11 and 12 Certificate II Tourism Students attended an excursion to the WA Museum Boola Bardip and the Art Gallery of WA. Students gained valuable industry experience, visiting two of Perth’s popular tourist attractions. At the WA Museum, students enjoyed a self-guided tour of the Ancient Egyptian exhibition and proudly viewed previous student artwork of the Pulse Exhibition at the art gallery. These experiences offered students insight into providing information to tourism customers and advising products and services.
The Tourism students would like to thank Mr Watson from Phys Ed for the use of their bus and to Mr Stead for driving us.
History and the Holocaust
On Monday of Week 3, our Year 11 and 12 Modern History students took part in a three hour workshop run by the Holocaust Institute of Western Australia. The students learnt that Jews in Germany lived the typical lives all German citizens enjoyed prior to the Nazis coming into power. There was a big emphasis on the role propaganda played and the process of discrimination, dehumanisation, segregation and then finally the extermination of millions of people.
The students were given an identification card of a person who had lived through the Nazi era and who met their fate in one of the six death camps in Poland. Their empathy was further developed when they joined as ‘families’ and were told they had five minutes to pack one suitcase of belongings and make their way to a ghetto.
We also heard inspiring stories of hope, survival and resistance, and listened to the story of a Holocaust survivor living in Perth
At the end of the workshop, students were asked whether the world had learnt anything. The different arguments made by our students indicated strong engagement with the issues they had been immersed in.
This workshop ensured there is no doubt of the importance of learning history.
