Jigsaw Semester 1 2011 - International Grammar School

Contents
Contents‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚ii
Meet the Principal‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚1
Indigenous art show‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚2
Mia Sharma‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚4
IGS runners across the line‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚4
Meet our student leaders‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚5
European experience‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚6
IGS heads into cyber smart space‚‚‚‚7
Harmonies for Reconciliation‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚7
The HSC and beyond‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚8
New study centre‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚9
For a good cause‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚10
Theatresports‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚11
Thought leadership forums‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚11
Tributes to friends past‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚12
Arts Fest‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚‚13
Cover: The Indigenous Art @IGS exhibition drew
wonder and support with proceeds going towards
the IGS Indigenous Scholarship Fund. Miah Walker
admires Tarisse King’s painting Pink Salts. Also
featured, Hairstring by Eunice Napanangka Jack,
Ikuntji Art Centre (detail).
Back cover: Some of the artefacts provided by
Tali Gallery for the Indigenous Art@IGS exhibition
4–8 Kelly Street, Ultimo NSW 2007
Phone: 61 2 9219 6700
Fax: 61 2 9211 2474
www.igssyd.nsw.edu.au
ABN 74 002 807 525
CRICOS Provider Code: 02281C
Jigsaw is a regular publication produced
by International Grammar School.
Editor: Rosemary Pryor
Meet the Principal
Year 11’s Natasha O’Farrell
donned her journalist’s cap
last month to conduct an
interview with new IGS
Principal, Michael Maniska
NO’F: What drew you to IGS?
MM: IGS is a school I’ve had on my
radar for a long time—particularly
because it has a really strong
commitment to diversity. When I went
to school I was one of five non-Anglo
Saxon students in my whole school.
I loved that fact that IGS has a strong
emphasis on languages. I had the
feeling that I would be able to relate to
and really embrace the views and
perspectives of this school. In the past
I’d taught in very traditional private
schools and then more recently I was
the principal of a government
school—I like the fact that IGS seems
to sit really nicely in the middle.
NO’F: How did your passion for
languages come about?
MM: Like a lot of migrant children
I went to school and learnt in a
language that was different from the
one I went home and spoke to my
family. And like a lot of migrant children
I was used to moving between
languages and two ways of thinking.
I learnt French and German at school
and I found I had a real aptitude.
This was partly because I had the
experience of going between two
languages and had enough
understanding to determine that each
language had its own system. So
when I was in Year 7 and started
studying French and German, my
passion grew from the fact that in
studying these languages for the first
time, I understood how to approach
them and had an ear for them.
NO’F: Why didn’t you study
(your native language) Greek?
MM: That’s a good question. In those
days the only languages offered in
schools (especially a fairly Anglo one
like mine) were French, German and
Latin—so my native Greek wasn’t
offered.
I liked Latin—and my sister actually
won the Sydney University Latin
competition—but I thought to myself,
hang on, I need to study a language
I can speak! So I pursued French.
One of the things I really like about
IGS is that teachers speak to you in
the language you’re studying all the
time. My French teacher was an
amazing teacher who had a great
knowledge of grammar but she
couldn’t speak French which was the
case with lot of language teachers in
those days.
I also studied Italian at university and if
I had the time now—which
unfortunately my job won’t allow at
present—I’d really love to study
Spanish.
NO’F: What do you like about IGS?
MM: Oh, lots of things. I find the
students are articulate and they’re
always willing to express an opinion
and I really like the fact the student
body has an angle—they’re students
who are willing to share and explore
ideas. I’ve had some amazing
conversations with students and
I think that’s just fantastic!
Students aren’t marginalised in this
school. Everyone’s welcome whether
you’ve got black hair, blond hair or
blue hair, you’re equally part of the
school community and that’s really
important to me. It’s a relaxed school
community that knows how to have a
good time, to have fun.
The location is great, the school is in
a very stimulating part of Sydney and
I love the downtown setting—I don’t
know if you’ve seen the film called
Fame where everyone runs out of the
dance studio? Well, the school
reminds me of that. I love the fact that
students have good relationships with
teachers and that they can and do, sit
in cafes and talk about things. There’s
a very mature interaction.
NO’F: Are you excited about our
Arts Fest (30 May)?
MM: I’m looking forward to Arts Fest
day—I don’t know what to expect but
I have been watching rehearsals in
Room 222 after school and I’m really
“…in this school
it doesn’t really
matter what
you’re good at—
you’ve got the
ability to shine”.
excited to see what students are
going to perform. I’m also really
looking forward to International Day
next semester.
NO’F: I read your philosophy
about learning. Would you be able
to explain to me how that works?
MM: One of the things that really
struck me about my own learning
experience was that I was a
successful learner because I’d learnt
how to assimilate to expectations of
my learning which were presented
in fairly traditional and uninteresting
ways.
I’ve come to understand how the
IGS community embraces learning!
I think that the time for just mastering
content has passed. In its stead
we are embracing the learning
experience and understanding the
world differently. What we really need
to do is prepare tomorrow’s leaders,
who are students in schools such
as IGS.
To give you a good example, I was
very strong in French at school but
I was also quite good in Maths. My
language achievement was never
celebrated because it wasn’t valued
by the school whereas Maths was.
What I love about IGS and what really
underpins the philosophy—is that I
see students who are celebrated for
everything from the arts, languages,
thinking hyperbolically, maths and
sciences—it strikes me that in this
school it doesn’t really matter what
you’re good at—you’ve got the ability
to shine.
This is certainly integral to my belief
about learning.
NO’F: You mentioned you’d study
Spanish if you had more spare
time. Are there any other interests
you follow?
MM: Well, aside from travel which is
a necessary side effect of my passion
for different cultures, I’m interested in
commercial aviation itself. I’m now
running a lunchtime club in aviation.
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