The Year in Science
Reflecting back on the year that was, it has been a year of constant change for the Merici Science Department. The year began with Mrs. Ravi Dhillon, a long-term and much-loved member of the College leaving to pursue a teaching career at Narrabundah College. This left a huge hole but we were very fortunate to have Ms. Kylie Gilbert, Ms. Chammy De Silva, Dr. Tom White and Mr. Louis Joseph join the Science team in the first semester and Mr. Kurt Sweeney in the second. A big thank you to these staff as they enabled myself and Mrs. Carolyn Stanhope to enjoy some well-earned Long Service Leave during the year. A huge thank you also to Ms. Erin Barry who was the Acting Science Coordinator in my absence. We are also very sad to say goodbye to Dr. Kathryn White whose contribution to the Merici Science Department and the College, as a whole, has been immense. We wish Kathryn all the very best as she leaves us to champion Science in another of Canberra’s educational institutions.
Lab technicians are the epitome of quiet achievers and ours at Merici College are no different. They work tirelessly behind the scenes to help keep the department running and as teachers we really can’t function without them. In August we farewelled Mr. Jack Elliott-Dunn who left to join the TGA and welcomed Mr. Dylan Craven. Dylan really did have a baptism of fire, as Mrs. Cathryn Lambert broke her arm badly not long after Dylan joined us, leaving him in charge of both prep rooms but he took it all in his stride.
As a department we are a competitive lot. We broached every competition this year with the same enthusiasm that we do our teaching and quite enjoy dressing up. We were determined to continue our success in the Book Week Dressup Competition from the previous year. Luckily for us the theme of ‘reading is magic’ was perfect and enabled us to all dress up as characters from the Magic School Bus series, complete with Ms. Frizzle (aka Kath Morris), Ms. Vicki Goss in an inflatable dinosaur suit and a wooden painted image of the school bus (a big shout goes out to the Science staff of St. Clare’s College who actually painted the bus and loaned it out to us). We are also suckers for chocolate, with the prize for winning quickly consumed!
The annual Merici College Trivia Night was also fair game, although strongly contested between the leadership team, House Coordinators and parents and friends, the Science team was ultimately named the winners of the evening.
Staff-wise, it has also been a year of celebration with Ms. Jodie Muldoon and Ms. Sonia Johnston both getting married during the year and Ms. Jess Lacey getting engaged. Congratulations to Jodie, Sonia, Jess and their respective partners and wishing you all a life filled with love and laughter.
The teaching and learning of science continues, with the constant rotation of Chemistry, Physics, Biology and Earth/Space Science for Years 7 to 10. The number of our students studying a senior science this year was very good and I was very pleased to have a larger sized Earth and Environmental Science class than I had had in previous years. Psychology, Biology, Human Biology and Chemistry remain as popular as ever, but it would be great if more students were to enjoy ‘the real science’ of Physics, to quote Ms. Goss.
Teaching and learning occurred at a fast pace with lessons in Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Earth/Space Science happening on a daily basis. There were excursions to the Deep Space Communication Complex at Tidbinbilla, Geoscience Australia, Questacon, a STEM Expo, the Lyneham Wetlands, the AIS and an Escape Room for the Psychology students. Students were also given the opportunity to enter competitions such as the Junior and Senior Science Olympiads, Big Science Competition, Chemistry Quiz and the RACI Titration Stakes.
The Junior Science Olympiad is a great program, that was offered to all students at Merici from Year 7 and 10, that offers a challenge to students who enjoy their science classes. From sitting the exam in June, I was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to attending the Spring School in October, which has been an incredible way of learning more about Science than is covered in the regular curriculum. Overall, it is an amazing experience, and I was so grateful to have gotten the opportunities I did out of it. I would encourage anyone with an interest in Science to sit them: they can open up a lot of doors you didn’t expect! Leah Shoebridge, Year 10
The STEM Expo provided the chance to learn more about different areas of Stem, and how Stem can lead to many careers, including agriculture, marine biology, medicine, and statistics. Larger presentations by each of the different career options allowed us to understand what the jobs require and provided resources for further research into different the careers. Overall, the expo was an interesting and valuable experience, giving us a deeper insight into STEM careers and a greater idea of what we might like to pursue ourselves. Savannah Speirs, Year 9
On 9 May, we were given the opportunity to partake in the Chemistry Titration Competition at ANU run by the Royal Australian Chemistry Institute (RACI). We competed against other College students in Canberra and fortunately came 9th out of 40, and as a much smaller school, this was a big achievement. When we were there, the three of us were each given different samples to titrate, and it was our accuracy in these that allowed us to achieve what we did. We are so grateful for this opportunity, we had so much fun!! Gabrielle Shoebridge, Lakshita Sundar, and Louise Jordan, Year 12
The escape room for psychology was so fun! It helped us to cement our learning on our unit of cognition and problem solving! Jaidah Thomas, Year 11
After winning the Nuclear Powered Propulsion Challenge, my team and I were lucky enough to visit HMAS Stirling Perth during the summer holidays, where we explored the Barracks, a frigate and one of their Collins Class submarines. The first thing you notice in a submarine is how confined it is. We were constantly reminded to ‘Mind your head’ and ‘Don’t step on that inconspicuous cable’ or ‘Watch that nob; it gets me every time’. They stored their crocs in straps along the low ceiling, their qualified submariners in triple bunks and their trainees under the missiles. Each level was constructed with the barest of scaffolding, leaving gaps that allowed us to see several layers down into the hull. They explained to us their redundancy system – their backups for the backups backup – which is just what you need under pressure. Everything was tied down for those 45 degree ascents and lights were turned on and off to simulate day and night. We got a feel for the typical Submariner’s life, and it became clear it wasn’t just a career but a lifestyle. And it fascinated us. Sometimes, they told us, they surface as the sun sets and watch the ocean as far as the eye can see. The experience left us with a profound respect for those who choose this challenging yet rewarding path. Natasha Searle and Hannah David-Hoole, Year 12
The excursion to Geoscience Australia was an amazing experience to see how what we were learning about surrounding natural disasters this semester is done in the real world to mitigate risks. It was incredible to see Geoscience Australia’s Earthquake Alert Centre, complete a simulated response to a natural disaster and examine an incredible map that highlights the link between tectonic plates, and where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur. This was a very interesting and immersive experience that highlighted how what we are learning is such an integral part of the natural world. Rebecca Price, Year 11
As the year draws to a close on another successful year in Science, everyone in the Merici Science Department wishes all the graduating class of 2024 all the very best and all the returning students a wonderful but restful break over the summer.
Mrs. Jo Aboud
Science Coordinator
