Parent Teacher InterviewsToday, the addition of a new artwork graces the foyer of Harrisdale SHS. Over the past few weeks,15 of our Aboriginal students have been working with an Aboriginal Resident Artist to design, develop and produce a piece of artwork. The students engaged in variety of artist workshops to plan and workshop ideas for the artwork piece. The students worked with the artist and our Aboriginal Mentor, Kylie, to develop the story of Harrisdale SHS. Reflected below is the “story” of the artwork piece.
Sharing our story, the story of Indigeneity and Harrisdale SHS is represented in the artwork that we have created as a student community.
The centre of the work is focused on who we are and where we have been. This is the acknowledgment of our ancestors and the ancestors of all Aboriginal people.
Here we welcome you with the Wadjuk word for hello – “Kaya”.
We also remind you to be respectful of the land and peoples with the phrase “As you take your next steps remember that you walk on Aboriginal land”. Harrisdale Senior High School is located on the land of the Wadjuk people of the Noongar nation, but across the country you walk on the lands of different Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This is also an acknowledgment that the Aboriginal students at Harrisdale Senior High School come from different mobs, including Yamatji, Torres Strait Islander, Wongi and Pibleman.
Branching from the centre, are four sections. Each section is a representation of the four pillars of Harrisdale Senior High School – Respect, Responsibility, Care, and Excellence. The lines are representative of our journey of learning and growth, both as students and as young adults in our communities.
Smaller dots in the school colours of blue and green are also the colours of the waters and lands that the school was built on.
While the larger circles, each containing a handprint from a Harrisdale SHS Aboriginal student demonstrates our connection with culture and with each other as a community of students.
