Delany College students named state winners in National History Challenge
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Delany students Celine Duong and Joanne Duque with HSIE teacher, Ross Angelatos |
Two students from Delany College, Granville have been named NSW winners in the 2009 National History Challenge.
Year 10 students, Celine Duong and Joanne Duque were named the NSW winners of the category, ‘Indigenous Australia’, for their scrapbook based on the true events and experiences of victims of the Stolen Generation.
The National History Challenge encourages students from Years 5 to 12 to use research and inquiry-based learning to discover more about Australia and its past. Students are asked to be historians and are offered a variety of presentation styles from an essay to a performance or multimedia presentation.
As this year’s theme for the History Challenge was ‘Triumph over Adversity’, the scrapbook recounts the problems the Stolen Generation encountered as they worked hard to achieve acceptance and freedom.
The students gathered real-life experiences from different sources and put them together in the scrapbook to form a personal diary. The diary recounts stories such as life on the missions, loss of family and culture as well as the government policies over time, such as the Protection Policy, the Assimilation Policy, the Integration Policy and the Self-determination Policy.
Delany HSIE teacher, Ross Angelatos said he was impressed with the students’ efforts.
‘Celine and Joanne's entry was truly remarkable. Of particular note was the highly sophisticated and mature manner in which the girls dealt with some very confronting issues related to the adversities experienced by the Indigenous Australians, set against the backdrop of changing Government policy throughout the 20th century,’ said Ross.
‘I am extremely proud of the girls, and for Delany College to repeat its phenomenal success in the 2008 National History Challenge speaks volumes for the College's enrichment activities.’
As state winners in the special category, the students will share in a cash prize of $200. Both students will join 12 other state winners at a state presentation evening at Parliament House on Wednesday 2 December and will represent NSW in the national final.
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