Bringing History to Life 

The Year 7 SEAL Humanities class traveled back to ancient times and presented a perspective about a key historical figure. Our time travellers told tales of their triumphs and woes.

They spoke of their views on leadership and high society and gave us the inside scoop of who helped them or got in their way. Our wondrous warriors, vicious villains and everyday heroes presented their life stories, explained their place in history and how they transformed it.

We lent our ears to the notorious Julius Caesar, heard from the ever-whiny Tiberius and were in awe of Augustus. Our students brought to life the mayhem and innovation that defined an era!
Miss Gemma Traill
Humanities & EAL Teacher & Humanities Learning Area Leader

I enjoyed acting out my persona, Constantius, because it made the CAT more enjoyable to do and I learnt a lot about Constantine and how significant he was and how he was a great Roman Emperor. Maryam Gulab, 7A

I really enjoyed exploring the concepts and conditions which affected Tiberius’ rule to be marked by paranoia and cruelty. The way his step-father, Augustus, (from whom the story was told) ruled differed drastically to Tiberius’. I also noticed that I performed much better while in front of a few people or when memorizing the speech than when I did, which essentially I expected but I would like to work on that in the future. I also enjoyed wearing the crown! Isla Jeremic, 7A

I really enjoyed learning about my persona, Mark Antony, and being him was so much fun. I loved his personality and affection towards Cleopatra VII. He actually died because he heard false information about Cleopatra’s death and he fell on the sword, in the war with Octavian. It’s all Octavian’s fault to start The Actium War!!! Akshaya Kunta, 7A

Year 10 Old Melbourne Gaol Excursion

On Tuesday 29th and Thursday 31st October the two Year 10 Criminal Law classes attended their excursions to the Old Melbourne Gaol. We learned about the punishments faced by the convicted criminals in the 1900s and the harsh circumstances they endured, such as the cells which were small and tightly confined, and the awful food served to prisoners which was often mouldy bread or meat. We were taught that early physiology concepts were used to determine criminality. For example, if someone looked a certain way, had distinctive features or an oddly shaped head they were considered to have been ‘born criminal’ and this was relied on as evidence to determine their guilt. We were also educated about the psychological effects caused by imprisonment such as hallucinations and other severe impacts on prisoners’ mental health. Many prisoners, upon completing their sentence, would have to be transferred to the local mental asylum so that they could recover from the impact of many years of incarceration.

In addition to educational facts and information, we were told funny stories about the different ways that some criminals had tried to escape and how some of them had succeeded while others were caught. One particularly funny story was about a criminal who straight up walked out of the prison and was only caught about a year later when she walked past the same officer who had arrested her. As it was Halloween, we were also told ghost stories which claimed that certain jail cells were haunted, and later we were encouraged to explore these cells!
Overall, the excursion was highly educational and lots of fun – I’d love to go again! Yaman Jabbour 10A

The 2025 Pascoe Vale Power Poll

On Friday, the 6th of December, we gathered to celebrate the hard work and creativity of our 8A Humanities class, who have spent the past few weeks exploring democracy, civic engagement, and how we can make a positive impact on our community. Friday marked the culmination of that effort, where each group presented their ideas and actions aimed at addressing real-world issues.

Thank you to the staff and peers who came along to support our Year 8 students as they presented their campaigns. Over the past term, these young leaders have worked hard to research, plan, and take action on issues that matter to them. They’ve learned about the power of democracy, the importance of active citizenship, and how we can all contribute to making our community a better place. The media campaigns to support their issues have been informative, creative and at times even head nodding with some sick raps.

Following our inspiring campaigns, we imitated the Australian preferential voting system to determine which group’s campaign had the most impact. The group that earned the most support would have their leader appointed ‘principal for the day’, giving them the opportunity to experience what it’s like to lead our school, and be a leader at a vital community institution.

Congratulations to the Pancake Party for securing the most votes!

Each group has shown incredible effort and creativity, and it’s been inspiring to see their passion and dedication to creating positive change.

Mr Adam Al-Salihi
Humanities Teacher