Our School mission, to enable each girl to be the best she can be throughout her life, leads us to consider what it is that our girls may face in both their personal and professional lives once they leave Wilderness. What skills and capabilities will they need most, that we can help them to develop? What industries will be most relevant, that we can prepare them for? What preferred future can we enable them to cultivate?

I recently attended the Adelaide Economic Development Agency (AEDA) Business Summit to hear about topics that will impact on our girls’ futures. Among these topics, the potential merger between the University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia, the growth of the technology sector and the potential for innovation in South Australia.

Also, with an eye on the future of our girls, our expert teachers enable purposeful learning by developing relationships with industry partners, building connections with professional fields.

Some of these relationships are included in our Design, Technology and Engineering subjects, as girls benefit from partnerships with the Australian Submarine Corporation, Saab Australia, Re Engineering Australia and JamFactory. This is boosted by enriching excursions (including Fleet Space Technologies, Australian Space Discovery Centre, Lumination, Lot Fourteen and STEM Fast Track) where girls can learn at the source of exciting companies and innovation districts, and we hope to continue building on these relationships.

The Careers department is proactive in welcoming guest speakers to the School. Through events, workshops and opportunities, students connect with industry leaders—including many old scholars who return to share their wisdom. Further opportunities for students in Years 8 – 12 to connect with industry exist through Rock IT, Try a Trade Program, Astrea and the Australian Defence Force. A future-focused approach allows students to develop career awareness and personal career management skills.

Our Musician and Artist in Residence were both on site last week to share their expertise with students, resulting in exciting creative output.

Musician and composer, Ross Irwin returned to Wilderness School to run workshops with our Music students throughout the week. The annual Jazz at The Gov concert was once again a highlight of the week, and the intimate venue enabled every ensemble performing to shine. In addition to two brilliant sets of his own, Ross also played alongside our students. The chance for our girls to share the stage with a professional musician is invaluable.

As our 2023 Artist in Residence, Leah Grant has been working with many year levels since Term 1. Last week, she ran a range of workshops that capitalised on her skills as a street artist and potter—including botanical drawings, collage and aerosols. Throughout the year, she has also worked alongside our Year 9 students on their REALISE experiences to install a mural at our Crawford campus, a project which will brighten the campus for years to come, and we look forward to sharing their progress.

As I listened to speakers at the AEDA Business Summit discuss the future of South Australia, I was encouraged by the knowledge that our teachers in all faculty areas are forward thinking and outward looking, ensuring that our girls have multiple opportunities for purposeful learning in their lessons, through expert workshops and also through volunteer opportunities.