Staff Insights
By Mrs Louise Wallace-Richards, Acting Deputy Principal, Head of Secondary School
We are mid-way through Week 3 of Term 4, and there have already been so many activities that Secondary School students have been involved in worth celebrating. There are many more to come too with preparations well under way for the Year 12 Graduation, Year 10 Celebration and the 2024 Secondary School Celebration evening events at the end of Term 4.
We began the term with the opening of our Senior drama production’s performance of David Williamson’s Dead White Males. Directed by Mr Jason Golding and assisted by Ms Emily Ridge, the performance conveyed an important message to the audience about thinking for ourselves and not being forced into following one line of interpretation. Every Senior drama production I have seen over the years has been entertaining, but this was particularly so because of how the cast was able to convey Williamson’s humour, as well as the biting satire always present in his work. The students played characters aged well beyond their years convincingly and brought humanity to those characters who on the surface deserved our condemnation. I loved Shakespeare coming on stage every now and then and the final message about how Shakespeare is still relevant. What English teacher wouldn’t!
In Week 1 and Week 3 of this term, we celebrated the appointment of our 2025 College Captains and Vice Captains, Prefects and Activity Captains. We also congratulated our 2024 Year 12 leaders for their outstanding efforts leading the College and in particular, the Secondary School student body, throughout the academic year. In a tradition that has continued at the College for many years, this week Year 12 students will lead part of the Secondary School assembly and convey their parting wisdom to all attendees. This was just one of the planned activities for the class of 2024 to celebrate their 13 years of schooling before Graduation. Other activities have included wearing their high school uniforms and dressing up as teachers at the school. Next week they will be visiting the Junior School to reminisce about their primary years of schooling. Once exams are over, Year 12s will also be farewelled with a final Chapel service as well as a student and staff formed guard of honour.
Year 9 students set off for the Cooleman Plains at the start of Week 2 for an 8-day camp. They arrived at the AIS carpark at 6.30 am, many bleary eyed and excited, others a little anxious about what lay ahead. From all accounts as I write, after meeting them back at the AIS carpark on Monday, the students and staff had a great time. They were all, of course, looking forward to that first shower after 8 days of camping, trekking, cooking and working in their groups out on the Cooleman Plains.
The camp takes a lot of work to organise, and much thanks must go to Mr Dylan Mordike, Director of Student Experiences, and to Mr Jeremy Hawkes, Head of Year 9, who led the camp from its initial organisation to bringing them back safely on Monday afternoon. Thanks also to the teachers who led the groups on the camp, who left their families and responsibilities for more than a week and fully engaged in the camp experience with the Year 9s. Radford staff continue to offer our students experiences that we believe are essential to developing the Learner traits of resilience and self-regulation.
It was a real pleasure to see so many students, parents and staff as well the Chair of our Board, Mrs Vicki Williams, at the Blessing of the Fleet this past weekend, an event that also included honouring Mr Boyd Gibson, currently a teacher of Geography as part of the Studies of Society and Environment, with a boat named in his honour. Mr Gibson has worked at the school for as long as the school has welcomed students – 40 years! He is the first teacher at the school to have a boat named after him, and his quad scull boat will live in the Radford Boat shed in good company with other boats named after past Board members, Board Chairs and other people of note to the history of Radford College.
Year 10 students attended a presentation by Courage to Care this week organised by our History Department. Courage to Care is a non-government organisation that informs and educates Australians about the dangers of prejudice, racism, and discrimination. This incursion was explicitly linked to the Australian curriculum learning outcomes for Year 10 history and sought to deepen students' understanding of the significant events and turning points of the Second World War, including the Holocaust and the origins and significance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. During the presentation the students learned about the language to advocate “upstander” behaviour in the face of discrimination.
Other Week 3 events organised to enrich the learning of our students included the Year 7 English Mystery Tour, incorporating a week of learning for our Year 7s with Canberra writer Jack Heath focusing on improving their narrative writing skills. Year 8 students attended the Faith Around Us excursion led by their RaVE teachers which included visits to several religious institutions in Canberra to build our students' knowledge, understanding and empathy about world religions.
Finally, all preparations have been made to ensure the Secondary School Community Day on 1 November goes smoothly and that all students can enjoy the day, no matter what activities they are involved in. Our Years 7, 11 and 12 students will be at the CISAC pool, working together to have fun and earn spirit points for their House. Years 8, 9 and 10 students will engage in physical activities at school to earn House spirit points as well as pastoral and study skills lessons with their Mentors and study skills teachers, respectively. Thanks for the organising of this day go to Mrs Megan Fritsch, Director of Sport, Mr Alex Timms, Sports Program Coordinator, Miss Hayley Oldfield, Head of Houses, Ms Jenni Bodell, Head of Academic Care, Ms Jessie Thearle, Acting Head of Health and Physical Education, and the Heads of Year. Year 10 will enjoy a swimming activity at Jamberoo Recreation Park during their end of year program and Years 7 to 9 during the interdisciplinary program, also at the end of the academic year.
By Rev. Andy Fleming, Associate Chaplain
While attending a seminar at a coaching conference many years ago, I learnt about the concept of beginning from a position of why as opposed to thinking about what one should do in order to ‘bring’ others along with your vision. Knowing your ‘why’ and purpose has gained some traction since, and is popular with Christian comedian Micheal Jr and Simon Sinek, among others. Their ideas about learning your why speak into the notion that we look for a purpose to drive our lives and even our lifestyle.
There are biblical overtures to this concept of purpose and knowing your why. The disciple Peter understood his why – to walk in his faith of Jesus Christ to share the truth of what he was seeing and hearing from Jesus. We see this in the way he answers Jesus' question, “Who do you say I am?”, in Matthew 16.13-19. Peter gives the only appropriate answer: "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God". Jesus knew Peter had been watching his ministry carefully, listening to the words, and learning of Jesus’ love and grace. During his initial period of discipleship, Peter discovers his purpose. He is going to start the church and continue Jesus’ ministry once Jesus has gone. Jesus favours Peter and addresses him as the ‘man of rock,’ making it clear that the faith expressed by Peter was the rock upon which Jesus would build His Church, the Church of the Living God.
There are many followers of Jesus who discover their why after truly discovering Jesus’ love and grace. The writer of Amazing Grace, which is arguably the most famous hymn of all, was a man called John Newton. I love his story to the point that he has become a hero of the Christian faith for me. He wrote Amazing Grace after praying to God for mercy when the ship he was on ran into a storm and threatened to sink. The ship just happened to be a slave trading vessel, and Newton was involved in the slave trade himself. After his prayer, Newton spent many years confused about his purpose, coming to know that slave trading was inhumane and wrong. After finding the saving grace of Jesus he continued to seek God’s guidance. This led him to discovering his why. He began to authentically walk in the saving grace he found in Jesus and eventually became an Anglican minister. His purpose became fighting for the abolition of the slave trade. After more than two decades of championing this cause, the British Parliament abolished slavery in 1807.
I shared the story of John Newton with Year 12s in Chapel last week. They learnt that not everyone will have an amazing story or have a major impact on the world when their why leads their purpose as John Newton’s did. However, it is possible to make a positive impact in the space in which they live.
It might take years for you to discover your why and make your purpose more meaningful. Your purpose may change over time too. Like John Newton, for many followers of Jesus their faith response to the gift of Jesus’ love and grace ensures that their purpose is more meaningful.
Go in peace,
Rev. Andy
News
By Ms Georgia Reed, Physics teacher
Five Radford College students – Mia Archibald, Tiffany Chue, Shennelle de Silva, Chloe Miller and Hayley Shea – from our Design and Technology and Robotics & Mechatronics courses were invited to Government House last Thursday to participate in the Quad Cyber Challenge. Quad partners – Australia, the United States, Japan and India – host an event each year that focuses on how individuals can exercise good cyber hygiene practices and be more cyber secure.
This year, Quad partners are promoting the opportunities and benefits of careers in cybersecurity and increasing women’s participation in the cyber workforce. With only 17% of the Australian cyber security workforce identifying as female, this year’s Challenge encouraged more inclusivity and diversity and aligned with the objectives of Shield 5 of the 2023–2030 Australian Cyber Security Strategy – to boost our sovereign cyber capability through a diverse and professional cyber workforce.
Upon arrival at Government House, students were treated with an address from the hosts Governor-General of Australia, Her Excellency the Honourable Sam Mostyn, AC, and Lieutenant General Michelle McGuinness, CSC, Australia’s National Cyber Security Coordinator. In their address, Ms Mostyn and LTGEN McGuiness highlighted the importance of continued learning in the National Security space, in which the leaders of today and tomorrow must develop their technical knowledge in order to meet civil needs.
Our students were then given afternoon tea in the sunny courtyard while socialising and discussing Cyber security with other female STEM students from about the ACT, Australian Public Servants from the Department of Home Affairs, Department of Defence and Australian Signals Directorate, representatives from the Japanese, Indian, and United States Embassies, and public engagement officers from a range of STEM and National Security support groups. Our students immediately engaged in this opportunity, taking time to discuss their experiences in STEM education, perspectives on National Security, and identify possible prospects to broaden their understanding of Cybersecurity.
Inside Government House, students were presented a hypothetical Cyber breach scenario – a common practice in our National Security services to better protect, prepare, and respond to potential Cyber threats. Students engaged with Ms Mostyn and LTGEN McGuiness on their perceptions, concerns, and questions to analyse the scenario and present possible solutions. Chloe Miller used the Q&A time to gain the insights of the Governor-General and LTGEN McGuiness on the use of Cyber practices internally in Australia through the Australian Federal Police to combat organised or social crimes such as drugs, trafficking, and grooming. In conclusion, LTGEN McGuiness suggest three ways all citizens can protect their data and identity online:
- Having distinct, complex passwords for all accounts held online.
- Utilising multi-factor authentication whenever possible.
- Ensuring software is updated regularly for patches and security updates.
Before leaving, our students made sure they snapped a picture with the Governor-General before heading back to the College. Mr Alagaysan Chandra-Segaran, STEM and Design and Technology teacher, Ms Georgia Reed, excursion chaperone, and Mr Brett Lamson, Head of Year 12, are proud of our student’s engagement and representation of Radford College at this event. We look forward to further opportunities with the Quad partners and leading STEM industries.
By Catherine Mai, Year 12 Student
During the last week of Term 3 and over the holidays I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Colombia to partake in the 56th Round Square International Conference, with this year’s theme being ‘Blooming from the Past’. I joined students from two other Round Square schools in NSW in Sydney, and we travelled to Colombia together.
Upon arrival, we had a couple days to explore the capital city Bogotá. This included visiting some local markets and the Monserrate Sanctuary, which has an elevation of 3,152m. From here, we were able to see the entire city of Bogotá.
Our delegation then made our way to one of the five host schools for the welcome day, where we were emersed in Colombian culture through various activities. We then met our host families and stayed with them for the night before heading back to another one of the host schools for the opening ceremony. Here we heard from a keynote speaker who highlighted Colombia’s rich history, further drawing on this year’s theme.
After the opening ceremony, the Conference split into two different locations and my group made our way to Villa de Leyva which is where we stayed for the next five days and took part in various activities such as hiking, ziplining, basket weaving, scavenger hunts and pottery classes. During these few days we heard from more keynote speakers and on the final night we had a cultural evening where students from different schools from around the world performed something from their culture.
We returned to Bogotá for the closing ceremony and spent a final night with our host families before boarding a flight to Chile. There we toured Santiago, visiting landmarks such as San Cristóbal Hill and the Chilian Museum of Pre-Columbian Art. Afterwards we explored the coastal town of Valparaíso where we were fortunate enough to undertake a graffiti session and a cooking class before heading back to Santiago from where we flew home to Australia.
During this trip I was able to experience the rich culture of Colombia and Chile, learn about the diverse ecosystems, history and culture, and meet lifelong friends from all around the world.
This Round Square’s Conference film shows highlights from the event.
The 2025 Round Square International Conference – September 2025
Next year’s international Conference will be held in Dubai and will see three Round Square schools share the hosting duties. The theme is ‘Beyond the Dunes’ and students will have the opportunity to engage in a range of exciting activities, have meaningful discussions about issues impacting the world and establish lifelong connections. Radford plans on sending a delegation to this event. Further details will be available shortly. In the meantime, the hosting schools have created this trailer to share their hopes and dreams for the event.
