Published on: 14 February 2014





The second annual Ad Astra Day was held at UWA’s St George’s College this week. The day aims to arm Year 11 boys with strategies to help them maximise their potential and cope with the intensity of their final years of school and beyond. 

Director of Studies Margaret Brophy said the initiative, developed by the School’s Academic Committee, was an opportunity for boys to gain inspiration from a range of speakers and interactive sessions in a university-style setting. Ad Astra means ‘towards stars’ or ‘towards excellence’ in Latin. 

This year’s keynote speaker was Winthrop Professor Grady Venville, who is the Dean of Coursework Studies and member of the Vice-Chancellery at UWA. Professor Venville emphasised to the 200 boys that everything they would learn from the day would stand them in good stead for the years ahead and through to university. 

Ms Brophy said the boys had an opportunity to ‘opt in’ to a number of interactive sessions, led by subject specialists, throughout the day. “A number of different teachers worked together to design the program for the day, which included sessions in English, Mathematics, Science, Humanities and Languages as well as service, IT and useful apps, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle,” she said. 

Other sessions included getting the best out of your brain and revision strategies; advice on psychological health and pathways after school. 

Old boys Leigh Travers (2003) and James Heaton (2011) led a group discussion about their post Christ Church experiences. Leigh, a stockbroker, and James, who is currently studying commerce at UWA, talked about the journey and decisions they had made since leaving school. There were also representatives from Shell, who spoke about working in the oil and gas industry, and a representative from the building industry.