Important Dates

Sunday 4 to Monday 5 April
Year 12 PE Camp
West Beach Caravan Park

Tuesday 12 April
SSSA Athletics Championships
SA Athletics Stadium, Mile End

Wednesday 13 April
Junior School Sports Day
8.30am to 1.30pm
Parklands, Robe Terrace.

Thursday 14 April
Easter Service
12.25pm to 1.05pm (1.05pm dismissal)
Gymnasium

Friday 15 April
Good Friday

Important Dates

Sunday 4 to Monday 5 April
Year 12 PE Camp
West Beach Caravan Park

Tuesday 12 April
SSSA Athletics Championships
SA Athletics Stadium, Mile End

Wednesday 13 April
Junior School Sports Day
8.30am to 1.30pm
Parklands, Robe Terrace.

Thursday 14 April
Easter Service
12.25pm to 1.05pm (1.05pm dismissal)
Gymnasium

Friday 15 April
Good Friday

There is no doubt that our community is unique and special, which was highlighted in the range of activities held during the Student Representative Council (SRC) Appreciation Week during Week 8.

Whether it was a day of appreciating friends, teachers or self, this SRC initiative could not have come at a better time. The Student Council wanted to reinforce that while girls can often get caught up in schoolwork, extra-curricular commitments and busy day to day events, it is important to stop and acknowledge those who are important in their life journey.

This week there has also been a focus on sport with the running of the Summer Intercol games against Seymour College. While spectator numbers had to be limited due to COVID restrictions, the Wildy spirit has been on display, with the girls giving their best and spectators supporting them in good voice.

Several senior rowers have also been competing in the Australian Rowing Championships in Nagambie in Victoria this week. Congratulations to Wilderness School Year 12 students Gina Birchall and Zara Hoadley who won Silver in the U19 Women’s Coxless Pair. This is an outstanding achievement for the girls and the first time in many years that students from the School have achieved a result at this level.

Congratulations to Mrs Belinda Arnfield on her appointment as the 10th Principal of Wilderness School. This is a well-deserved honour and we look forward to working closely with Belinda to uphold the School’s mission statement, ‘To enable every girl to be the best she can be throughout her life.’

The past two weeks have been an emotional rollercoaster for the whole Wilderness community. The passing of our Head of Mathematics, Mr Gavin Haydn, was one of shock and disbelief and our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this incredibly difficult time. It is often said that is not until you lose something that you realise how important it is to you. The heartfelt messages written by the girls to Gavin’s family last week demonstrate the impact that he had as an exceptional teacher of Mathematics.

I am eternally grateful to the staff in the Mathematics Department who in their time of grief, have continued to put the girls first. Their willingness to pick up additional classes and to make changes to the classes they teach has allowed all Gavin’s classes to be covered internally with our staff which I believe is so important to ensure that the learning for the girls in his classes is not adversely impacted.

In summary, I think it is appropriate to conclude with a regularly used quote by Gavin with his maths classes as they walked out the door at the end of the lesson.

Have a wonderful day. May it be filled with joy, happiness and lots of Mathematics.

Year 10 Outdoor Education Camp

Please enjoy this reflection written by Tess Lawson.

The Year 10 Outdoor Education Camp allowed us to develop our skills in map reading and navigating, as well as take pride in our achievements as we experienced the outdoors for a week.

Our six-day hike began early on Sunday of Week 6 when we boarded a bus and headed for Newland Head Conservation Park, between Victor Harbor and Cape Jervis.

Students were split into two walking groups, with one starting their journey at Kings Beach, while the other began further up the trail at Parson’s Beach.

We found the first day of walking to be challenging and were unsure how we were going to walk so far, every day for a week! However, we spent the next five days walking through farmland and along beaches in the Deep Creek Conservation Park.

At the end of each day, we were grateful that we had made it closer to our destination, and for the opportunity to sit with our partner and cook dinner on a Trangia. As we had to carry our food for the week in our packs, we had to make sure that our meals were both nutritious and lightweight. Meal by meal, our packs got lighter, and we got closer to our destination.

Year 12 English

Fear is often the thief of creativity, the designer of limits, and the motivator of our passivity in a changing world. At Wilderness, we endeavour to challenge the obstacles that restrict any capacity for empowered voices and boundless curiosity in our English classrooms.

With this in mind, our Year 12 students were asked to produce persuasive speeches for a TED platform on the theme of ‘Limitless’. Our students were encouraged to choose a contemporary issue that holds relevance to their contexts with an important authorial intention: to convince and shape their audience on a topic of interest.

Each speech aligned to our subject mission for adventurous learning with an importance on propelling student voice to the centre of their creativity, and our girls showed their capacity for bold curiosity and fierce thinking.

Please enjoy the following speeches.

Comparison: Its crippling grip on the human condition. - Amolika Bhatia

I urge each one of you, to stop (pause) and ask yourselves whether it is truly worth comparing yourself to the performance put on by your counterparts, whilst unaware of the backstage battles. Whilst cliché, there is truth to the understanding that the only person you can compare yourself to, is you. You are the main character of your performance (pause), and as you step into the spotlight, consider whether you are any closer to achieving your dreams or aspirations than yesterday. No one ever bothered to compare themselves to what the extra was doing, so why should you? How can you compare an opera singer’s booming voice to the jazz pianist whose fingers move like their life depends on it?

I was endeavouring to include an extended metaphor, but I realised, I am a hypocrite.

I am contradicting my own words by comparing things that have common characteristics yet are simply not the same. This is equivalent to the relationship between human beings. Comparison is so unique and we inflict it against our past selves, others and future selves.

Bright Lights, Big Cities: the Elusive Metropolis of false connectedness - Mia Jersmann

Urban isolation is a virtual pandemic. With over half of the global population living in an urban environment1, the rapid growth in the size of cities is creating a transient and mobile population of independent, isolated people[1]. The ability to function independently within cities is seeing a growth in one-person households across developed countries[2], and with new technology, we are able to work and function from inside our homes. With no need for regular or spontaneous contact, why would we add to our busy schedules and seek out interactions with new people?

It's not our independent lifestyles that isolate us. Our physical environment contributes significantly to our interactions and connections with each other. Areas that create physical barriers, such as high walls or apartments complexes, are shown to directly cause feelings of isolation3. Infrastructure in cities was built with a focus on efficiency, cost, and productivity. The lack of consideration for liveability is reflected in the architecture and physical environment of cities, which are structured in a way that isolates different groups of people and creates a sense of disorientation and animosity.

[1] Molzner, 2018. https://www.rootsofloneliness.com/urban-loneliness-isolation[2].
The Centre for Urban Design and Mental Health, 2018. https://www.urbandesignmentalhealth.com/how-the-city-affects-mental-health.html

I’m obsessed and I’m empowered… - Amelia Vlahakis

When you dissect the nature of obsession, it’s simply an idea one is passionate about[i]. If it’s not harming anyone else, and if it provides the individual with incentive to grow as a person, then we should simply let them be. It is our failure to see that fixations have the capacity to be productive that complicates such obsessive pursuits.

Being obsessed with a boy band provides an abundance of opportunities to advance our abilities in any area of interest, whether that’s technologically, socially, creatively, or critically. Bear in mind, these skills are not only impressive, considering majority of us are self-taught, but transferrable to other areas of your life, even future careers[ii]. Obsession is an artform. It holds power for you, the artist, to develop these tools, whether they be creative writing, photo or video editing, or visual analytical skills. The ability to use these tools, which can be compared to an artist’s paintbrushes, must be practiced before the creator attempts the final painting. On these practice canvases you can make mistakes that are essential for personal growth. By employing your position as a fangirl, you hold the opportunity to cultivate your artistic flair and build strong foundational knowledge regarding any area of interest. This may be through writing fanfiction, editing or analysing digital content, or collaborating virtually. Obsession is a productive process. It ignites inspiration. It motivates us to pursue our passions. While society may overlook these ‘little hobbies’ that originate from being a fangirl, they are irrefutably real, transferrable skills. These obsessive pursuits are productive and positive. You should not be ashamed of them.

[i] Maisel, E 2021, The Benefits of Harnessing Obsession, viewed 9 February 2022.
[ii] Judd, S 2017, How The Tech Sector Could Move In One Direction, viewed 9 February 2022.

The poisoned podium: a sinister side of The Olympic Games - Sophia Lockie

When the last athlete leaves the stadium, and the lights and cameras are gone, the host country has thousands more people without a roof over their heads. The defeated athletes who failed to attain gold are battling disappointment and crippling anxiety. The Olympic Games are not a celebration of national achievement but rather a dishonourable delusion to a Greek tradition. It is a competition that exacerbates the very worst of the human condition.

We are living in an age where financial excess takes priority over humanity.

Countries facing socio-economic hardship have accepted the Olympic Games in recent years; a decision that risks the livelihood of their population. Consider the $20 billion dollars spent on the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games[ii]. The city shouldered $13 billion dollars of this debt, an almost un-repayable number[ii]. Driven by a political agenda that disregarded the country’s pressing needs, the prestige of hosting The Olympics resulted in immense debt. Significantly, this same country struggles with accessing healthcare, preventing homelessness, and managing ageing infrastructure and facilities.

The Olympic Games have taken money straight out of the hands of those who need it most.

Mathew D'Aloisio​
Teacher

In this issue