Carey's History teachers recognised for excellence

The History Teachers Association of Victoria (HTAV) has recognised the sterling work that the Carey History teachers do (and have done over the years) and awarded them the 2024 prize for Excellence in History Education by a Teaching Team.

This award celebrates the achievements of an industrious, passionate and student-focussed team that lives and breathes History. The HTAV commented on the ‘innovative teaching methods, the high level of student engagement, the improved student outcomes and the contribution of the faculty to the HTAV and wider professional History audience through publications or other initiatives’.

The recognition is well-deserved as the Carey team has built a History edifice that is the envy of many schools. Carey is one of the few schools in the state that offers both Ancient and Modern History in the VCE and, indeed, it has all three ‘flavours’ of History at Year 12: Ancient, Australian and History of Revolutions – not to mention the strong numbers in the IB History program. The Year 10 program is equally popular with eight elective classes of either American History or World History: Conflict, Protest and Change and these numbers endorse the platform that is created in the compulsory 7-9 History program.

In these history classrooms, Carey students are privy to a wealth of learning opportunities and innovative teaching methods, incorporating dynamic activities such as the Harkness Method (Mr Trevaskis, take a bow) or asynchronous learning with interactive modules powered by the open-source content creation tool H5P (Ms May – kudos to you). Indeed, Carey students have had their classrooms transformed into lively arenas of debate and collaborative learning.

Outside of the classroom, Carey students can get involved in the History Club which meets weekly in the Mellor Museum or Library and can participate in the National History Challenge at either a State or National level. A host of Carey students have taken the honours in these competitions and, in 2023, Year 12 students David May, Virginia Rudd and Aisha Whiteley were awarded gold and silver medals respectively for their History prowess in the HTAA; specifically, David May won a Gold Award in the Category Australian Wartime Experiences, Aisha Whiteley won a Silver Award in the Year 11–12 Category and Virginia Rudd won a Silver Award in the category Australian Women’s History. Carey students also won awards in 2021 and 2022.

The staff themselves are experts in their fields: Olivia Heaton, Tim Ringwood, Allan Kerr and Jo Leech are all regular presenters at the HTAV conferences, Jo is a member of the HTAV Board, and Jo, Olivia and Allan have written textbooks for the HTAV. Many of our teachers are examiners and or contributors to other publications – the current Jacaranda Humanities Alive series has two Carey authors on the panel. From governance to publications, Carey History practitioners have left an indelible mark, inspiring educators beyond the campus.

Carey was nominated for this award by former Carey Head of Senior School and current Principal of Mentone Girls’ Grammar, Natalie Charles. She is also the parent of Carey alum Ned Prosser (2022), who is a proud Carey History graduate and is studying History at Monash University. Ned is just one of many History graduates from Carey who have maintained their love of History.

Overall, the award recognises the fact that through their dedication, the teachers of the Carey History department do not just teach dates and facts, rather they craft a legacy, nurture curiosity and illuminate the path to a deeper understanding of our past and thus a deeper understanding of where we are in the present.

Allan Kerr,
Leader of Learning – Humanities