Issue 13

SANDRA MANNING AND
23
FIONA DOCHERTY
VISUAL ARTS
I recently submitted a Past Pupil news
item about my participation in an art
festival in Sydney called the Beams
Festival. In my update, I reflected upon
my art classes with Mrs Manning
and Miss Brooksbank, because their
teaching undoubtedly had a strong
influence in my studies and subsequent
career as an art teacher and practising
artist. To this day I still recall a sage
piece of advice from Mrs Manning
about not filling up our water jars all
the way. (This was because that way, if
we were to accidentally knock it over,
it was only half a jar full of water to
be spilled! Genius!) I now pass along
this wisdom and even more valuable
aspects of art making practice, history
and criticism that I picked up to my
own students.
rigorous content, unpacking the
works of Shaw, Hardy, Steinbeck
and Dickens. They took us on study
tours and immersed us in culture and
languages. I remember them to be
experts, indefatigable, authoritative and
witty. One even had magic powers (Mr
Karasavas)!
Whether it is delivering formal training
in an educational setting or imparting
life skills to our own children, we as
people mostly teach how we were
taught. Now that I am a teacher, I am
so grateful that I may draw from my
experiences as a former student at
Iona and can only aspire to emulate
my teachers. I feel privileged to have
had the opportunity to receive what I
consider to be an exceptional education
and to be able to publicly say thank
you to my teachers (and also sorry for
talking so much in class). Iona teachers
make a difference.
Shavaurn Hanson
Class of 1999
I attended Iona Primary School and
the College from 1990- 1999 and
remember every single one of my
teachers fondly. They were there at
6.30am to train for cross country with
us, they were by the pool encouraging
us to try new dives and at the track
helping us with the finer points of
baton changes. They taught us social
etiquette and deportment, how to how
to chop an onion properly, to sew,
how to give a proper handshake, to
be a respectful audience member, to
be a humble winner and a gracious
loser. They taught us academically
IONA PRESENTATION COLLEGE MAGAZINE • ISSUE 13 • SPRING 2016 • esprit de corps