UPPER SCHOOL
A LONG TRADITION OF TRAVELLING AND EXPLORING
MR TIM RAYNER HEAD OF UPPER SCHOOL
GOING ‘ ON THE ROAD ’ TO BROADEN EDUCATION AND WORLD VIEWS
20 BOYS PARTICIPATED
IN THE ART AND DRAMA
DEPARTMENTS ' NEW YORK TOUR
Alan Bennett ’ s observation that ‘ Life is generally something that happens elsewhere ’ points towards our innate curiosity regarding other cultures , peoples and places . Away from our homes , other worlds can seem more vibrant and interesting than our own . Moving away from our community , for a while at least , not only may lead to appreciating our home more , but also has the benefit of enhancing our experiences and understanding of others .
Scotch has a long tradition of encouraging its students to travel and explore , perhaps best exemplified through the high number of interstate and overseas OSCA branches affiliated to the school . So , despite recent challenges like the cost of transport and accommodation , every year we encourage and facilitate many of our students to go ‘ on the road ’ to broaden their education and world views .
Our ties to Tiwi College in the Northern Territory continue to strengthen and are of mutual benefit to both communities . Early in Term 3 , Ms Emma Gates and colleagues took 22 Year 9 boys to Tiwi College for a week . This pilot program was aimed at strengthening our ties with our NT sister school , together with providing opportunities for learning about Indigenous culture .
Our students were welcomed to Melville Island with a smoking ceremony , and quickly familiarised themselves with the college , its home rooms and surrounding environment . Fishing was an extremely popular pursuit , as was sitting around the fire at night where boys from both cultures could chat and share experiences . Our Indigenous Partnership Program , led by Ms Emma McCowan , also visited Tiwi College at the end of Term 3 as part of their ongoing connections to Tiwi , thus cementing our ties to the islands even further . In April , a squad of Year 11 and 10 boys took part in a football trip to the Northern Territory with
games being played in Darwin against Haileybury and NT Thunder .
At the end of Term 3 , as part of our Year 11 Immersion Program , students travelled to Cairns to work on an environmental program protecting the reef habitat . This involved data collection on coral health , species identification and marine debris removal . A number of students also travelled to the Whitsunday Islands , with one group kayaking and another scuba diving . Closer to home , 20 students spent a week at Ballarat Special School working with students and teachers in the broader community .
Over Easter , our Art and Drama Departments ran a joint trip to New York where 20 students were able to explore the galleries and installations of this creative behemoth , while also sampling productions off and on Broadway . Not to be outdone , in September , over 80 students and staff headed to the USA for a Space Camp affiliated with NASA .
Our school exchange programs offer a longer stay overseas . This year we have sent boys on exchange to schools in Canada ( the Crescent School ), to Scotland ( George Watson ’ s College ) and to England ( Dulwich College ). We also hosted a student from Michaelhouse School , South Africa . Although the visits overseas were for just three weeks on average , our students found the experience to be extremely valuable with the added bonus of newfound friends , who no doubt will stay in touch for many years to come .
Additionally , our thriving language exchange program enables budding linguists to travel to France , Italy , Indonesia and Germany , to immerse themselves in the language and culture of each region . Attending school in another country , and often living with a host family , students are immersed in another culture , returning home with noticeable improvements in their language skills . www . scotch . vic . edu . au Great Scot 29