Telephone: 9488 1900 • Fax: 9481 6135 •
info@fitzroyhs.vic.edu.au • Falconer Street NORTH FITZROY 3068
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Telephone: 9488 1900 • Fax: 9481 6135 •
info@fitzroyhs.vic.edu.au • Falconer Street NORTH FITZROY 3068
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Scarlet News 2008Click on the following links to access:
Media Studies - Units 3 & 4An experienceIn the past year Units 3 and 4 of Media Studies have been quite the experience. Our main work objective semester 2 was the completion of our media product and production design plan. Although some students seemed to achieve brilliant work with ease, others found themselves working until the very last minute to get things finished, like me. I had completed the entirety of my project in time for submission without a minute to spare. However, on the day of submission, I woke to find that half of my folio work, which was loose (ie. not stuck into my folio book), had somehow disappeared. My only guess is that I had left it somewhere at school or in the process of transportation from school to home. To top everything off, when trying to export my film to DVD, I realized the audio of my project had been scrambled. Only later did I find that the audio was in fact unchanged, and it was just the program’s difficulty reading my project as it was a considerably large file. With an unfinished folio and seemingly botched up film, I was thankfully given a two-day extension (regarding my unfortunate circumstances) in which I basically re-did nearly a terms amount of work. I was extremely fearful and unconvinced that I would complete my work at all. Two years of effort put into my studies might have been in vain. However, against all odds I did manage to finish and I was happy with the final product. Hopefully I will achieve a mark that reflects my hard work and perseverance. Regardless of my own experience, the vast majority of the class have created media products of considerable quality. From Lachlan H’s Slasher film, ‘Still’ to the mellow tunes of Patrick D’s film clip ‘Towered over me’, the class has produced a range of excellent finished pieces, all of which will be on display at the end of year concert. Now all we have to worry about is the exam….. Julian B. Still from 'Towered over me'
'ilikeyou' photographic project‘ilikeyou’ photographic project was held to reduce the social stigmata of the mentally ill. Harry D. and myself were selected to enter this project and at the end of term three we spent a day meeting various members of this organization who we represented through our photography. An exhibition was held last weekend to select the winner of this competition and I was lucky enough to win the peoples choice awards with the photo below. This experience was really great as not only did I get to extend my photographic skills but I also got the chance to interact with members of my community that are too often ignored or misrepresented.
Sophie F Work experience - Whale watching
In the September holidays I went to Merimbula on the south coast of NSW to do work experience on the boat ‘True Blue’ and to see humpback whales. Humpbacks eat little fish called krill. I saw a big whale and the baby and they were feeding together and they were doing spyhopping and breaching. I saw some dolphins and they went under the boat and they dived in and back and in and back. We saw more dolphins and then 26 of them came swimming towards the boat and they followed us when we went back to the dock and another pod of them came to see us and they went in front of the boat. On the boat I saw a blow from a big whale and it was coming close to the boat. I saw half-grown ones and they were feeding and spouting from their blow holes. And they flapped their fins in the water making a huge splash just like teenagers. I took photos and videos of them and the dolphins too. The whales are on their way to Antarctica for the summer from Queensland. They rest there before going on their long way back. Jesse M, 10B Intriguing Marine Biology excursion - September 2008
We slipped away from the horrors of Monday-itis into our humble mini bus, driven by ex-formula one driver Peter Bennet. We took the holy UNO cards along with us, which we played for hours on end. Once we arrived we kept a firm look-out for Diver Dan’s house as our mums had instructed us to. As we descended onto the rocky cliffs of death which we were to explore, we realised that this would be much more than a regular (no pain or excitement) excursion. Our dear Indiana then proceeded to fall into a slightly gigantic rock pool while admiring the abundance of seaweed that had surrounded her and not looking where she was going (she was wet for the rest of the day). We were amazed at the immense changes in landscape in such a small area. Peter put his life on the line by letting a massive crab pinch him on the hand while we looked on, captivated by the crab, his pain and his bravery. After a few happy snaps, our time at the beach came to a close. We headed for the town with lunch on our minds, followed by the bus ride home. We would like to say thank you to Peter and Mickey for saving us from the horrors of Monday Maths class and teaching us about the marine environment. Becky, Indy and Sophie R.
A selection of written work from Scarlet studentsThe following is a selection of written work from Scarlet students. Each subject has particular demands in terms of the writing required and the excerpts below demonstrate some of the various purposes for which writing is used. Year 10 ScienceThe following is the discussion of and conclusion to an experiment where students determined which of commercial orange juice or freshly squeezed orange juice contains more Vitamin C. Discussion: Joe and I found our experiment fascinating but strenuous. We were able to obtain the amount of iodine drops before darkening the solution, but it took a lot longer than we first anticipated and wished. For our first experiment we started with 50ML of freshly squeezed orange juice and 10 drops of starch. By 80 drops of iodine, and still noticed no sign of any colour change we thought there may be a problem with our quantities. With our final results we realized that our quantities were definitely not thought out well. If we had continued, we would be at a higher iodine drop count than 350. During our experiment we had trouble determining how many drops of starch were required. To start our ‘Commercial orange juice, 10ML, 15 drops’ test we started with 10 drops of starch and added 5 more at 60 drops of iodine. This may have caused a margin of error with the iodine drop count. The amount of starch added creates a large difference in the iodine drop count before colour change. Conclusion: The freshly squeezed orange juice has approximately double the vitamin C that the commercial orange juice contains. Thus, the freshly squeezed orange juice does contain more vitamin C. We believe this is because the commercial orange juice would have been possibly processed, diluted and reconstituted. With this we can determine that either very little or no vitamin C was added to the commercial orange juice. If so it did not show. Freshly squeezed orange juice does not go through any processing, diluting, straining or reconstitution. No nutrients should be lost. If you require more vitamin C in your diet, freshly squeezed orange juice is an optimal and often cheap option. Joe and Alex Year 12 LiteratureFor this task students were required to respond creatively to the writing of D.H. Lawrence and provide a justification for their work. The following is an extract from a short story. The fire crackled in the grate behind her, and the Captain wondered – how easy it would be just to give her a little push! Then he could go with his mother, and would not have to worry about promises broken to him, - the promises of some blonde girl that died in a house fire. – But he could not do that. Even in the flickering firelight, with the relationship in her hands, even with that hidden smile of a wolf, she was too beautiful, too fragile, and he could not end her. How could someone so fragile be hiding the smile of a wolf? – How could they be more powerful than him? So the Captain mused for a time. This girl – no, this cunning woman – had decided to tame him. And here he was, unable to take control of his life as he had envisioned it. There was left for him no middle-road. He must choose one way or the other. – Life in a better place, without the wife who had promised herself to him… or else he could have the wife, but be stuck forever in a country he loathed. But how he now loathed the women in his life. The women he loved! – The mother who ran it, and the fiancé who owned it. The latter of which now sat and watched him, staring off as he was, detached, into the fire. She had taken a seat now and the slightest hint of a smile was on her face. She could see him struggling, like a fish would against the flow of the river. She knew she was being cruel to him here, but he had to come to terms with the fact that she was still her own person, and that control was something to be shared. He had to accept that the river flowed the other way to the one in which he was trying to swim. Her eyes betrayed a touch of pity for him.’ Justification (excerpt): ‘…Thematically, I disagreed with Lawrence, and the running idea throughout this story is that too much power cannot be left long in the hands of one person (or dynasty or company); power should be both shared and disputed. If unquestioned and excessive power is left in the same hands for too long, it leads to the abuse of that power. As such, the female character is pushing for some kind of shared power in the relationship, while the man (as with The Fox/The Captain’s Doll/The Ladybird) wants complete power over both parties. To reflect the idea of shared power, I have written for both the woman (near the start and end) and the man, as though both of the main characters are the protagonists, unlike Lawrence, who seemed to pick only one protagonist, i.e. the dominated (or to-be dominated) female character…’ Peter For this task students were required to respond creatively to the poetry of John Kinsella and provide a justification for their work. MarchCreeping down the main roads, Symbols, the enemy can’t decode, Assembly of malevolent forces, Fight it, moving forever forwards, In this poem I was making a statement about the political nature of Kinsella’s work and my own political beliefs and observations. In the first stanza we can see that I am creating the imagery of people involved in political action, walking through the streets in some form of protest. I also describe the silent impact they have as a possibly cynical view of grassroots political activism. I am using Kinsella here but I am not copying his style in which he seems to be promoting political involvement while I am describing it as a voyeur of sorts. In the third stanza we can see that I am describing a political issue that Kinsella is heavily involved in, globalisation. I have agreed with him that it is a contentious issue and that individual cultural identities have been lost because of it. In the most part I was using this work to expose Kinsella’s political aspect in his work and present my own, in some respects somewhat cynical, view of political action and issues. Kinsella promotes action in his work and I was doing things a bit differently by observing what I saw to be a badly organized political system in which grassroots action rarely achieves its aims. Monty Year 10 InquiryThe below is an excerpt from an information booklet students developed about the current world food crisis. ‘Political upheaval is when the government of a certain country does something that is not necessarily in the best interests of its citizens. An example of a current political upheaval is the situation in Zimbabwe involving the president Robert Mugabe. Mugabe is a dictator who uses his political power for precisely whatever he wants and doesn't bother with the welfare of his people. A tactic that many past dictators have used before is to basically starve their people into submission. This allows them to be more sure of themselves because they know that if the people of their country were to try and revolt and maybe start a revolution they would not be able to because their bodies would just be far too weak. In the end many or most of the reasons behind and connected to political upheavals are involved with the greed of the dictators in the position of power. I believe that there actually is an adequate amount of food resources to support the world's population and the world food shortage all comes down to greed. Everyone seems to be trying to find some kind of solution to the world food shortage like it must be a very complicated and difficult thing to do. I believe, however, that to combat this crisis all everyone needs to do is to stop being so greedy. If that were to happen then all of a sudden there would be a lot more food to go around and everyone could live much more happily than before.’ Sophie and Becky Don’t start me talking - Paul KellyAs part of their context studies in Year 11 English students were asked to read Paul Kelly’s lyrics in light of questions about contested ideas of Australian identity. They then need to create and present responses in a range of imaginative, expository and persuasive formats. These two poems are examples of poetic responses to some of Kelly’s lyrics. She sitsShe sits listening to the open air whistling by her ear The heat of the Alice is as though the sun is stabbing through your skin Yet she sits still She sits listening to the open air whistling by her ear Sheridan B. Watery graveHe took a sip of his ice-cold beer.
This night was a night he wished to forget.
Instead, he hauled the gun off his bed.
The police arrived, but he couldn’t be found. Ashley M. Year 10A English - MausThis term we have studied the landmark graphic novel ‘Maus’ which is a harrowing and deeply affecting account of survival and the Holocaust and one son’s battle to understand his fathers experience of Auschwitz. Below are some edited examples of student’s responses.
In Maus the use of the animal metaphor makes the story accessible to people who both have and haven't experienced the holocaust and find it too overwhelming to think about. By using the cat and mouse images, the horrific things that really happened to humans seem less devastating which makes the story easier to absorb. Most people can relate to the cat and mouse metaphor i.e. killing through instinct for survival. What the metaphor does not account for is the human side. The Nazis were not cats and the agenda of the Third Reich was far more sinister. Hitler killed the Jews not on the basis of a survival instinct, but because he needed a race to blame for the fact that the German economy was not perfect. Ethnic cleansing was performed in a calculated and methodical process, which de-faced the Jews in order to make people perceive them as worthless animals that needed to be exterminated. Zenobia S. The major metaphor of "Maus" represents the Nazis as cats and the Jews as mice. In this instance the author can set up pretty much automatically that the Nazis are hunting the Jews because cats chase and kill mice. It also uses the cruel aspect of the stereotypical cat and their intelligence and coordination. The Jews as mice are seen as small, innocent, weak prey. They run and hide and, because they're mice, this is all mostly in the reader's mind without the need for complex or long-winded exposition. In this way the central conflict in Maus is fairly evident even to someone who has not heard of the holocaust. Joe L. With all of this being said, a person can only choose to have died if the quality of their life after the tragedy is too unbearable to live. In the case of MAUS, the father is cantankerous and irritating, but these are hardly character traits of a person whose life is not worth living. He takes pleasure in his cantankerous nature, he takes pleasure in telling his son his stories, in life he (arguably) still takes pleasure in EVERYTHING, seeing as everything the human being does is in a flight for satisfaction. In this way we are all hedonists. Unless the scale and drama of the tragedy causes a mental illness, a scientifically explained chemical imbalance in the brain, it is most appropriate that one should live their life after tragedy, seeing that life will most likely be satisfactory. Dino V. In conclusion Vladek survived the horrors of World War 2 and the Nazis because he was both lucky and resourceful. However I believe it was due more to Vladeks resourcefulness. This ‘resourcefulness’ affected him for the rest of his life because he couldn’t part with a dollar for anything and could never bring himself to throw out food. This is because during hiding and captivity Vladek had to use everything he could to keep himself and Anja alive. Probably the only time in the book where Vladek shows some love towards Art is when he calls him Richieu just before he dies. It shows that Vladek is always going to be haunted by his past but at heart he is still a normal human being with feelings. Dom P. Year 11 PhilosophyStudents are currently undertaking an extended philosophical investigation of art and aesthetics. The work below is taken from a blog in which the meaning of the concept ‘art’ is discussed. Through this first discussion we sifted through many ideas and definitions of art. The question ‘What is art?” is initially a confronting one. Entering a room in which three objects sat in the middle. Which of these objects falls into the category of art? How do we determine it and how do we begin to explain it? We look at art as a creative outlet that is based on aesthetics. Yet art seems to lack a satisfactory definition. While pondering the idea of art the question arose of what happens when an artist was never intending to create art, but in fact their worked is categorised (by other people) as art? What then? Can the creator of the work decide on whether their work is or isn’t art? These were some of the areas we touched on in our first discussion. Stella I am not quite certain on what exactly art is, but my interpretation of it is something which is created by a person with the intention of either creating beauty or expressing something that comes from them, whether it be an abstract idea, or a feeling, or emotions, or a thought. Art is something that is created with some sort of meaning, and has artistic purpose to the creator or the audience. Art I think is also very much in the eye of the beholder. As in, a person may create something without intending for it to be art, and so it is not art to them, but someone who looks at it and decides it has some sort of artistic meaning, well to them it is art. Whether the object/thing itself is art depends on how you interpret it. Tash I still believe that at the moment, we cannot come up with a universal definition of art, the best we can do is our own personal definition. From what we talked about today I think that one day we might get there, but not yet. I do believe that all art must have some sort of ‘essence’ because otherwise how can we all recognise art when we see it. There must be something all art has in common, if there wasn’t then how could we even have the word ‘art’. There would be no meaning behind the word, and as it is there clearly is a world of meaning behind the word. The only definition I can come up with is basically a circular argument, what came first: actual ‘art’; or the word and therefore the meaning of the word ‘art’. Can we have one without the other??? Eleanor Art is an extremely subjective term. What is art can vary from person to person quite widely. For instance, most music would be considered a form of art. But some music (breakcore, noise) would not be considered artistry by those who didn't know it very well. So art arises as a result of the appreciation of itself as art. Things can be crafted well, but if they are not appreciated in an artistic sense then they are not art. This includes how putting something in a gallery often makes it art - it forces the object to be appreciated in an artistic sense rather than how it would normally be appreciated, so it becomes art. So art is in the eye of the viewer. Josh Senior School News - 10B English In English during Term 3 10B studied the novel ‘Of Mice and Men’ by John Steinbeck. Students then had to undertake a project where they addressed the themes of loneliness and friendship, power, hopes and dreams and mercy and compassion. I was incredibly impressed with the work the students produced. Here follows some examples of their work. · Nguyen’s beautiful poem about hopes and dreams. My hope is my life My hope is my life Nguyen P. · A beautifully evocative piece by Jesse M. dealing with ‘Loneliness’ when his friend, Benjamin, moves to Ballarat. I felt lonely because Benjamin had gone to Ballarat and we only see him on the weekends. I was sad in year 10 and I am 16. I miss Benjamin and I want to see him. When I am still upset because I miss Benjamin so I need to see him on the weekends and see them at Hooping Springs and at Bali. I want to see him again so we go to Ballarat to see him. When we got to his house, Benjamin ran to me and gave me a big hug. I had tears coming out of my eyes and running down my cheeks. Then we went together to make some dinner and we made pizza. Then we sat together and we had our pizza. I have best friends and camping friends, school friends and different friends here. I have got lots of friends and I play with my best friend AJ and my camp friend Emma and my school friend Nancy. Jesse M. · Indy’s thoughts and a poem on hopes and dreams. If I were ever asked to sum up life in three words, I would say that our entire existence is fuelled by our ability to adapt and aspire. We adapt because some form of predator will always find a way to threaten our environment. It has been like this since the dawn of time. Since the very first cell was produced and forced to branch out into and organism. We are designed to adapt. And still today, millions of years later, we continue to evolve to suit unfamiliar surroundings and conditions. But why bother, some might ask, to further ourselves in life if we have no hope of living? Why adapt to new settings if we have no ambition to move on? This is where our ability to aspire fits in. Because we have hopes and dreams, we wake up every day, whether we are conscious of it or not, with an objective. With a goal. With a plan, which enables us to continue living in a healthy state of mind. In the book ‘Of Mice and Men’, by John Steinbeck, this idea of hope is displayed on many occasions. Both Lennie and George, two itinerant stragglers working on a ranch in California, aspire to live on their own dream farm, with soft, furry animals and warm fires. This dream motivates them to earn as much money as they can, so that, eventually, it will become more of a reality. Throughout the story, Lennie and George meet new people and ultimately discover the harsh actuality of the 1930s. In the end, George kills Lennie, but leaves him with his last thoughts of their dream home. Some might say that this would put Lennie’s mind at peace, and that such strong aspirations to live and endure fulfilment are, in the end, what keeps us alive. For the theme project, I wrote a poem that I believe portrays and highlights how important our gifts to aspire and hope are. I hope, I dream I think of new things, For the sparkle in my eyes, The wish of more life, Indiana F. · A whimsical poem about mercy and compassion by Alice and Brooke.
· Clancy’s essay which captures the poignancy of the friendship between Lennie and George in the novel. The theme I chose for this discussion about Robert Steinbeck’s book ‘Of Mice and Men’ is Loneliness/Friendship because it is one of the most important themes in the story. The novel is about two friends (Lennie and George) who travel and work together and have a dream of earning enough money to buy their own house so they don’t have to work for anyone but themselves. These friends share a dream of independence and treat each other with respect like brothers. Even though it can be painful and difficult their loyalty and friendship protects them from loneliness. The friendship that Lennie and George have is always tough because of the mistakes and misunderstandings Lennie has with his disability. George has to take care of Lennie and make sure he doesn’t get into any trouble, especially with the strength Lennie has and the fact that he loves to touch soft things. In the story there is a character called Curley who is the boss’s son. When he sees Lennie he instantly turns on him in a hateful way and picks a fight.
John Steinbeck put this aggressive character into the story to create tension. Lennie and George cannot expect to make friends with Curley and have to watch out for this quarrelsome person who is difficult from the moment they meet. It turns out to be true:
The quote also says a lot about the friendship Lennie and George have and how they deal with everyday life. George always looks after Lennie and makes sure (by telling him over and over again) he mustn’t get into any trouble. At the end Lennie has got himself into so much trouble that Curley and a few other members start chasing Lennie. Lennie had already gone down into the forest (where George told him to go if he got into any trouble) hiding from them. George gets on a horse and finds him before anyone else does. In George’s position he is very concerned about Lennie because they will torture him when they find him. Later on in the story, things get worse. Lennie crushes Curley’s hand in anger and frustration. Lennie also finds himself in trouble when talking to Curley’s wife and he ends up shaking her to death. George realizes that if Curley goes after Lennie and finds him, he will not only shoot him but torture him, so this makes the friendship between George and Lennie very hard. This is an immense crisis. In the end George decides to shoot Lennie from behind, killing him and the dream of sharing a house and farm of their own. In a way, George was protecting Lennie from Curley and jail. Why does George shoot Lennie? Is this a real act of friendship? ‘Of Mice and Men’ is also about loneliness. The friendship of George and Lennie protects them from loneliness. They held on to the dream of living on a farm privately and safely. They dreamed of living their own lives. As long as they were together they weren’t lonely. Even at the time George was about to shoot Lennie, George acted as a friend and reassured Lennie but it still might have been the most lonely time in his life. This decision that George makes would have to be one of the most difficult times throughout his whole life. By ending the life of his only friend, George sacrifices his own freedom. Something else George sacrifices, is his own happiness by deciding to take Lennie’s life. He will feel incredible loneliness as he has lost his only friend. John Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice and Men’ is a story of the life of two friends and their fight for a more normal life and the struggle to open the door to their dream. Clancy F. · Declan’s heart-rending story of loneliness and friendship. July 22nd, 1971 - Vietnam It’s South Vietnam. Many soldiers get off the helicopter. They run over to meet their lieutenant. Eight troops stand in line, all about 20 years old; Lieutenant Bob Steward, 101, Airborne Division takes their names. By the time he reaches the end of the line Lieutenant Steward seems tired from saying the same thing over and over. The last one was Jack Ryan. Private Jack Ryan was from Portland, Oregon, USA. After roll call Jack went where the food was and got a sandwich. Then he went and sat on a rock and put his back pack down. He remembered when he was a kid, how he used to walk to school alone, and not feeling so good about it. He didn’t have many friends during school but he did find other ways to be happy. He then remembered all the other bad things that had happened to him. What next came to his mind was when he was selected to go to war with North Vietnam the year before. Six dates were pulled out from every month on January 1st of every year. When the days were pulled out of May the last one pulled out was May 25th, 1950 - his birthday. As soon as he heard his birthday he got such a big shock and he felt so bad because he strongly felt that he didn’t want to go to war. When he was thinking about that he started feeling bad but he slowly felt better by thinking of the one thing that he always had dreamed of. It was a picture of a tree with an eagle flying above it in the sunlight. It always made him feel better because it was his dream and through school he spent most of his time drawing that picture. He had drawn so many pictures of that one image and he had his favourite one in his backpack so he pulled it out and looked at it. He then put it aside and continued eating. Shortly after a guy who felt a bit lonely as well came and sat next to him. He was black, tall, with short hair “hello” he said “hey” replied Jack. He got a surprise because throughout school most people just left him lonely and didn’t really care for him, “I’m Martin Smith from San Diego, California, USA” he said as he shook Jacks hand “I’m Jack Ryan from Portland, Oregon, “USA” he replied. “Good to meet you Jack” said Martin. “Good to meet you too” he replied “so Jack what got you here?” said Martin as he started a conversation, “My birthday was pulled out of the had January 1st 1970” Jack was starting to feel better because he felt he was getting a friend. He then decided he’d tell Martin about his life. He pulled the picture of the eagle flying above the tree out of his backpack and decided to show it to Martin. “Martin” said Jack “yeah” He slowly handed the picture over to him and Martin seemed interested. “What’s this?” They started becoming best friends and they believed they could fight and win the war. August 3rd, 1971 - Vietnam The soldiers were past the border of North and South Vietnam into North Vietnam in a few days when it was sunny. Jack and Martin had been together for most of the days. Right in front of them about 3 kilometres away a bomb exploded. The soldiers totally didn’t see it and they all started running in the opposite direction. “I totally didn’t see that coming” said Martin loudly They ran as fast as they could and they felt very thirsty. They ran about another 50 metres and they saw a lake so went up and drank from it. They put their bags below a tree whilst going to drink the water. “I’ll go and get the backpacks” Jack ran over to get the bags below the tree and when he grabbed them it was a very big shock. Out of nowhere came another bomb explosion. Jack was hit by it but he wasn’t quite dead but he was in nearly his worst condition. “S**t” said Jack as he was in his worst condition. Jack then took a deep breath and said to Martin “Martin it’s what I call The Eagle Above”. Declan C. · A deceptively simple poem about mercy and compassion by Woody. Clip clop clap went his expensive designer shoes as they strolled across the pavement, Nearby lies a homeless man in the gutter in need of some food or money, Nearby stands a little boy lost in the crowd of people, Nearby wanders a frazzled woman lost and in need of directions, Clip clop...bam! as he trips over a crack in the pavement, Edward B. There is so much more of the students work that I would like to have displayed here. Instead I have displayed it around the school. Take a look!! Chris F.
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Telephone:
9488 1900 • Fax: 9481 6135 • info@fitzroyhs.vic.edu.au •
Falconer Street NORTH FITZROY 3068 |
