In ceramics this year, we were tasked to create a surrealist teapot that would be displayed as a tea party at the end of the course. As part of the course, we visited The Art Gallery of Western Australia to see their Alice in Wonderland exhibition. We also visited Fleur Schell’s workshop where she showed us her art and how to handle porcelain clay. After that, we started planning our teapots and looking for inspiration and eventually started creating our teapots with clay.
My Teapot-Making Process⤵️
I started with a cylindric shape and added eyes and lips with the plan to give it a long spout posing as the nose. I found making the eyes was the hardest part and they ended up being uneven but I decided that it was okay because it added to the surrealist feeling.
After making the face I realised that it looked like a chicken so I planned on making the lid of the teapot to look like a rooster comb but I changed my mind a quarter through realising it would be too difficult to go through the kiln, so I changed it to look like a garden eel poking out of the water.
I’ve always wanted my teapot to be functional and I realised that adding a spout would make the chances of it turning out as a functional pot very slim, so I decided to turn my teapot into a jug instead to ensure functionality.
As the last step, I gave the jug two chicken feet to add to the weird feeling of the jug. The lid had been dropped and fixed numerous times resulting in its slanted look.
My fellow year 10s and I have recently embarked on learning about driver’s ed. We have started learning about driver’s ed in our Health classes. As part of the course, we participated in an excursion at the RAC arena where we learned about the dangers of driving and the responsibilities that come with it. After the excursion, we were given the task to create a campaign on an issue that causes car accidents. For my campaign, I created a poster on drunk driving. This poster would be placed inside and around bars to remind the people there of the consequences of drunk driving.
1️⃣ What were the biggest things you learned while at the RAC bstreetsmart excursion?
One of the biggest things I learned while at the RAC bsreetsmart excursion is about the importance of not distracting the driver. They presented the importance of this idea by re-enacting a car crash caused by distracting the driver. The act was effective because it was emotive and felt real with the use of actors and accurate medical help. Watching the reenacted car crash, it highlighted the possible consequences of distracting the driver.
2️⃣ What one piece of advice would you pass on to young drivers above all else?
Why?
One piece of advice that I would pass on to young drivers is to pay attention to the road. It is proven that if a driver is distracted from the road while driving, the risk of a car crash multiplies and young drivers are more prone to getting distracted because of their maturity level. Young drivers can be easily distracted by driving with friends, using their phones, and more. Distracted driving not only puts the driver’s life at risk but also everyone else around them, inside the car or not.
3️⃣ Write down a pledge that you will commit to when you start driving.
Why did you pick these things to commit to?
How will you stick to these commitments?
I, Isabel, pledge to follow the road rules to ensure safe driving and safe decision-making and to prevent the harm that is bound to happen if the rules are bent. I promise to keep in mind the consequences of breaking the rules and to be a driver who makes responsible decisions like being aware of my surroundings and training myself to keep focus and never drive under extreme emotions or give into peer pressure when driving with friends. Along with my commitments as a driver, I also commit to being a good passenger who doesn’t distract the driver. By following this pledge, I hope to keep myself and everyone else around me safe.
I chose these things to commit to as they are all basic necessities for creating a safe driving environment for everyone and being a responsible driver. I have learnt about the dangers of reckless driving and how to prevent it and I fully plan on using my knowledge on how to prevent it to keep myself and others safe. As a driver, I will have many responsibilities and I want to be able to follow these responsibilities I know that if I follow the commitments I chose, I am guaranteed to follow my driving responsibilities.
I will stick to these commitments by always thinking about how I am feeling before driving, I will be making sure that I am not driving under extreme emotions that could put myself at risk of an accident, and if I am in a situation where I find myself starting to feel extreme emotions when I am already on the road, I will make sure to pull over and recollect my thoughts and only drive when I am fully ready and in the right headspace.
In term 3 health, we were given a project to get into groups and find ways to improve the well-being of people. My group consisted of students Jessie, Anna and myself. We decided to focus on stress and how we can prevent stress and help people deal with stress. We came to the conclusion of a “Stress-Free Journal” that we designed for people to use to help them deal with stress.
⬆A photo of Jessie and myself at the Wellbeing Expo showing our Stress-Free Journal.⬆
What were the biggest things you learnt while completing this task?
The biggest things that I learnt while completing this task is how people can be influenced in ways that alter how they deal with stress, such as how my group and I presented a Journal suggesting healthy ways how to deal with stress and by giving them our journal we are influencing to alter how they deal with stress based on strategies our Journal provides/suggests.
What one piece of advice would you pass on to young people with regard to well-being above all else? Why?
A piece of advice I would pass on to young people with regard to well-being is to make sure they have fun in everything they do. I chose this advice because having fun and enjoying as many things as possible is very important to me. It is important to me because I find that at the end of the day, nothing else matters along with the tasks we do every day as long as we are having fun and are happy with what we are doing.
Write down a pledge that you will commit to in regard to your own well-being. Why did you pick these things to commit to? How will you stick to these commitments?
I pledge that I will commit to making sure that I find enjoyment and have fun in everything I do. Whether it is brushing my teeth in the morning or completing my homework, I will find the fun and appreciate the potential of enjoyment in everything I do regardless of its worth. I will stick to these commitments by not letting the negative things get to me and always searching for the positive.
In this term, year 9 students were given a task to create a building model in groups that will be able to withstand an earthquake. We created this using spaghetti and blu tack with a budget of $60, (A string of spaghetti and a gram of blu tack costs $1 each.) The model would have to be within the height requirements of 60cm tall, and the model would have to be able to withstand 10 seconds of a makeshift earthquake.
Before creating the building model and officially starting the project, our group had to do a 50-minute design sprint. In this design sprint, the group was to create a building model out of spaghetti and blu tack without research within 50 minutes, and the model will be tested. This was hard for our group to do as there was only one member there on the day and they had to do the 50-minute design sprint by themselves. The model the member did was like a pyramid, it survived the earthquake test but was under the measurement requirements, didn’t have room for a platform at the top of the model, and broke apart after the testing. We then had to reflect on the 50-minute sprint and look for ways to improve and how to improve.
Afterwards, it was time to start the project. We started by giving each member of the group a role in the project and then setting clear rules. The project was split up into 6 phases, the first phase being “define.” Here we had to think about “What are we hoping to build?” and “Why is it important?”. The answer was written in Stile.
The second phase of this project was “Research.” In this phase, we had to gather data and search for information on how other engineers dealt with the problem. In our group, we searched for images of other models made out of spaghetti and blue tack that will be able to withstand earthquakes. We found a model that was similar to the one our member made during the 50-minute sprint. We liked the idea of mainly using triangles and pyramids in the model. We believe that triangles and pyramids are strong and sturdy shapes.
The image of a model we found on google.
The third phase of this project was “Design.” In this phase, we had to create/draw out a design of our model considering everything that was researched. One of our member’s roles was to draw the design of the prototype, so they were in charge of drawing it (keeping the researched model in mind with some modifications) and everyone in the group made sure that they were happy with the design.
Our drawn design with height measurement and a key.
The next part of the phase was to calculate how much money our materials would cost and how much of the materials we would be purchasing. We decided to buy 45 pieces of spaghetti and less than $15 worth of blu tack. We made sure to have some money left over in case we would need to buy more resources. (We ended up using all the money and the extra money for blu tack, our total spending was $60).
The fourth phase of this project was “Create.” In this phase, we had to buy our materials and put our model together considering our design. It took our group one lesson to finish our model.
A picture of our model with the group.
We made sure to be consistent with our idea of lots of pyramids and triangles for a strong structure. Our original plan was to make a model of pyramids on top of pyramids but we ended up making one tall and big pyramid with pyramids and triangles inside it and on the faces of the pyramid for support. Our model met the measurement requirements but still did not have the platform.
The fifth and final phase of the project was “Test.” In this phase, our teacher Mr Goor had a table ready with equipment that he could use to shake and move the bench mat that our model was on. Our model survived the test. I am unable to attack the video of our model going through the test here. While watching our model go through the test, we found that the strongest part of our model was the base as the base stayed still and the rest of the model moved around the base. A few spaghetti sticks fell off of the model but our model remained standing the whole test.
Australia ensures that everyone will be equally treated before the law by basing the legal system on the principles of Justice. Having these principles in place assures that the court will be well-mannered and appropriate. An example of one of the principles is the Presumption of innocence, which means that the accused will be treated and thought of as innocent unless they can be proven guilty. Another principle is that Everyone is equal before the law, meaning that everyone is entitled to equal treatment by law without discrimination. If someone in the court speaks a different language, they are entitled to have a translator to make sure everyone understands what everyone is saying. This principle can also be seen if someone in court is under 18, they will have the right to have a parent/guardian or independent adult present in court. Having these principles in place is what ensures that every case In Australia will be treated fairly and appropriately.
The John Button case:
The case that will be compared to the principles of justice is the John Button Case. In 1963, John Button was accused of murder. He was celebrating his 19th birthday with his little brother named Jim, and his girlfriend Rosemary Anderson who was 17 years old. While they were having dinner, Button and Anderson got into an argument and Anderson left the house to go back to her own. Button was concerned for Anderson as she was willing to walk home, so he followed her in his Simca Sedan car asking her to get in the car so he could take her home. Anderson refused. Button decided to stop the car and smoke a cigarette to give Anderson time to calm down, a small amount of time is needed to smoke a single cigarette, around 4 minutes even. After he had a smoke, he continued driving and found Anderson injured laying next to the side of the road, her injuries were caused by a car crash involving one car and one pedestrian. Button picked Anderson up and placed her in the backseat of his car in a panic, and drove to his family clinic in an attempt to save Anderson’s life. Anderson died later on. Police brought Button to the police station to interrogate him on what happened to Anderson. Instead, the police wanted Button to sign a confession, they tried to make Button sign it by using violence. After being physically assaulted, Button was informed about Anderson’s death. This was the woman who Button planned to spend the rest of his life with who he was told was dead. He signed the confession overwhelmed with faith that the police would find the real person who killed Anderson so he could be free to go home. The false confession was used in court and Button was decided guilty and sentenced to 10 years of hard labour. Button was only 19 years old when all of this happened to him, 39 years later he was proven innocent with the help of a journalist named Estelle Blackburn, and William Russel a car crash expert.
ABC Radio National’s explanation on the John Button case.
Lock this year was very enjoying, I had fun in every bit of it. I do find it a shame that I don’t have any of my friends here to enjoy it with me though, other than that I’ve liked it since the rock climbing, all the way to the bush cooking.
Recently we went on a day excursion to put our skills to the test, that was very fun. A challenging part of it for me is when I had to walk next to the river. The path next to the river was heavily overgrown with berry bushes and my legs got scratched a lot by the thorns. My favourite part of the day excursion was the cooking and tree top adventures, I wasn’t very skilled in tree top adventures, and I got scared easily, but I enjoyed it anyway, especially the zip lines. Another challenge for me was the harder parts of the tree top adventures and I’m glad that I was able to overcome it even though I was scared. The bush cooking was fun because we got to eat food and it was funny to watch my teammates try to trade our strange bacon for the other group’s better bacon. Everyone in this lock class is very friendly which made lock even more enjoyable.
