I would like to take this opportunity to thank Kate Guggenheimer for her enthusiastic contribution to the Art Department over the years, and in particular for her tireless efforts in establishing Fashion Units 3 and 4 at Ruyton. Kate is moving interstate at the end of 2010 and will be much missed by students and staff alike.
VCE students in both Media and Art produced a wide range of technically competent and imaginative work, as evidenced by the study scores. All VCE subjects with internally assessed practical folios are now reviewed externally on a regular basis and in 2009 Art had its turn. It was most affirming that no grade was changed and the report was particularly positive regarding the students' folios, each being so different from one another, clearly expressing their independent views.
As we wait for the Australian Curriculum to be introduced, with the Arts being part of the second round, changes to the existing programme have been kept to incremental improvement. Major changes will commence next year, with the time allocated to Year 9/10 electives increased by a third to fit in with the timetable requirements of first round subject changes, such as Humanities.
This will provide us with an opportunity to bring greater depth to our teaching, with more time to focus on the theory and history of each discipline, which will result in better prepared VCE candidates in each of the areas of study.
A highlight of the year was the visit by photographer Bill Henson to the School for a talk about his work and philosophies, followed by a question and answer session. This event was attended by senior girls, ex-students, staff, parents and a contingent of Trinity boys. Mr. Henson encouraged the audience to ask challenging questions and was very generous with both his knowledge and his time. He commented on the thoughtful and perceptive standard of the questions.
A number of Ruyton girls have received Art awards this year. Sarah Lee of Year 8 was judged as having the finest entry in the Lions International Peace Poster Competition. Her work then went on to also win the District award. Chantelle Kolaitis, also in Year 8, was a finalist in the Silk Cut National Lino Cut Competition. Year 11 student Kariesa Van Zyl was successful in winning the Boroondara Youth Art Award for the second time, an exceptional achievement.