In the English Department, we recognise and build on the existing language competencies of our students. To develop language competency and to enrich the experience of our students, English teachers organise many extension activities. All classes are provided with a stimulating and challenging programme of work; however, other arrangements are also made to cater for students with particular needs.
In Years 9 and 10, very able students are selected on the basis of performance and teacher recommendation to form extension classes. In Year 9, students are also able to choose English Enrichment as one of their options.
Each year, poets, novelists, performing artists and a variety of speakers provide enjoyable and thought-provoking experiences for our students. Recently students have heard authors Juliet Marillier and Kate Forsyth discuss Heroes and Gender in Young Adult Fantasy, Boori Pryor tell stories and a speaker from the Red Cross on landmines. They have attended creative writing workshops with Marcus Zusak, an exhibition of art from the Kimberley and Pilbara regions and a day of lectures at Curtin University.
Creative writing flourishes in all year groups at St Mary’s. It is fostered in class and supported by visiting writers such as Markus Zusak and Glyn Parry. Many of our students submit wonderful poems and short stories to The West Australian Young Writers Contest and with great success. Each year we have many finalists and prize-winners, and have developed quite a reputation for the abilities of our students. We are proud of this sustained level of achievement for outstanding creative writing which reflects the talent of our students and the encouragement and commitment of the English Department.
Students from all years with a special interest in writing participate in an ongoing creative writing club aimed at inspiring their 'inner writer' by developing their talents and giving them insights into the lives of successful Australian writers. Here they are encouraged to craft work for some of the competitions which arise throughout the year and they may even be published.
The group kicked off in March with a two day attendance at the All Saints Literature Festival where they listened to authors and did some hands-on writing activities under the watchful eye of professional writers.
In collaboration with the Fellowship of Australian Writers Western Australia they also take part in occasional small group writing activities at Tom Collins House in Swanbourne. This involves working in an intimate literary setting with established professionals in the writing field who provide guidance. They also meet as a whole group for sharing ideas and experiences on a more regular basis at school.
Students also have won prizes in many other competitions including the statewide Make your own Picture Book competition and the Somerset National Novella Competition; further, they have been published by Penguin UWA Press and in online anthologies.
In 2002, John Kinsella most generously endowed an annual poetry prize (named in honour of his mother and aunt) to be awarded to a Year 12 student, who has shown talent and commitment to the craft of poetry. It is a wonderful encouragement and recognition of the work of our students.
SCRAM is a new initiative which involves an opportunity to enter the Schools Conflict Resolution and Meditation competition run by Edith Cowan University. This involves working closely with experienced mediators to learn life long skills in resolving conflict.