‍Newest Old Grammarians describe the culture at MGGS

This year, there were a total of 11 students who commenced their journey with MGGS at the young age of three and are now part of the Class of 2021. They share the legacy that the School has instilled in them over these 15 years, starting from the moment they entered the ELC in 2007/8.

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• Evie Anderson
• Josie Burns
• Tiffany Chiang
• Fleur Hardisty  
• Sophie Piggott
• Dede Prappas
• Latasha Townsend
• Sophie Waller
• Emma Woo
• Abigail Heitbaum
• Yohansa Samarakoon

Fleur Hardisty
‍The culture at MGGS is one of engagement and innovation, as the School is constantly striving for an all-rounded education for its students. There is a great sense of camaraderie and acceptance within my cohort, which has created an educated, well-informed and mature year level. MGGS has been a nurturing and special place for me, as it allowed me to grow into an accomplished and confident young woman. I have enjoyed experiencing a range of diverse and educational experiences with my peers and I’m so grateful to have been able to experience such a vibrant and exciting all-rounded education.

Sophie Piggott
‍The thing about MGGS is that there's not just one culture. I think that because we're all so different, we form friendship groups with others who have similar values. So, perhaps when you look at MGGS as a whole, some aspects shine through more than others, but when you are immersed in it, you see all the things that make us unique. I've been at the School for most of my life so it's hard to say how it has shaped who I am but I know I have always been encouraged to celebrate the things that make me different and to not blend into the crowd.

Latasha Townsend
‍The MGGS culture is so unique. We have the most welcoming and inclusive community that is so accepting and enthusiastic about change. The camaraderie within the culture makes the School such an amazing place to be a part of. MGGS has provided me with so many opportunities that have changed my perspective and allowed me to create my own views, values and morals that have shaped who I am today. I have also met so many inspirational people throughout my time at School, from teachers to my friends who have really helped me form the person I am proud to be.‍

Tiffany Chiang
‍I would describe MGGS as an uplifting and supportive environment. I've always admired the open culture we have. It is accepting of all backgrounds, ethnicities as well as the LGBTIQ+ community, which I am proudly a part of. I am so very grateful to this School which has instilled in me the values of integrity, self-discipline, compassion and courage. I will indubitably carry them on into my life beyond school. My time at MGGS has enabled me to feel confident in my capabilities and has definitively prepared me for my journey beyond the red brick walls. I will forever be grateful for Dr Meath, my teachers and staff members who have assisted in my existential journey of learning who I am and who I will eventually become.

Evie Anderson
‍Apart from the high academic standards for students, there is a culture of compassion and supportive guidance throughout the School. The School has encouraged me to pursue what I am best at and my greatest interests which are music and arts, giving me opportunities to perform and shine in those areas.

‍MGGS Staff members who are also Old Grammarians talk about the School's culture

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‍Alex Burns (2011) | Middle School Teacher
‍It’s been 10 years since I left the MGGS community as a student, and four years since I returned in my capacity as a primary school teacher. I commenced my first year teaching at Morris Hall, which is almost unrecognisable in comparison to what it was like when I was a student there. Over the past three years, I have been teaching Year 5 in Wildfell, a building which didn’t exist when I attended school here. The physical landscape of Melbourne Girls Grammar is an everchanging environment, the exception being the red brick façade we all know and love. Some aspects of the School never change. I see the current students approach House events with the same level of enthusiasm as they did when I attended School, chants have been carried over through generations of students , maintaining the friendly competition between peers. End of year Carols at St. Paul’s Cathedral, music and drama productions continue to be an integral part of life at the School. While recently there have been some missed opportunities recently due to COVID-19, the School community continues to find ways to adapt, collaborate, and come together to continue these long-standing traditions.

Alison Heyes (James, 1982) | Learning Strategies Teacher, Morris Hall
‍I was quite a naughty girl when I was a student at Morris Hall. One can only imagine the look of shock on the face of Elizabeth Duzer, my Year 3 teacher, now a dear friend and colleague, when I walked in eight years ago. So many incredible memories came flooding back, when I began as the Pathways Planning Teacher. I love talking to the girls about my memories as a student. They can’t quite believe that I was their age once and wore the same uniform, which I still love. I have told them the headmistress, Miss Thomas, took assembly once a week and she would read Bible stories and we would sing hymns. Our classrooms were so much smaller back then and we certainly did not have our own bathrooms. We also used to line up at the end of the day and the Year 2 teacher would kiss us goodbye! I love the atmosphere of Morris Hall. Remote teaching has been challenging for us all but the support for one another and for the girls has been unwavering. I am incredibly grateful to be a part of this community. My mother went here, and I have many friends from school days whom I still see regularly. We have such a bond and it is all due to being a part of MGGS.

Georgia Holland (2015) | Legal and Humanities Teacher
‍I graduated from MGGS in 2015 amongst an exceptional cohort of people who continue to encourage, support and inspire me today. I left MGGS with a dream of one day returning to teach, but I never thought that goal would be realised so soon after graduating. My employment at MGGS started in the Boarding House in 2018, where I worked until the end of 2020. In 2019, I was fortunate enough to acquire a part-time teaching position at the School, which soon transformed into a permanent, full-time load teaching VCE Legal Studies and Humanities. I am often asked if it has been strange returning to the School but in all honesty, nothing has felt more natural. Every day I feel privileged to return to the School that shaped me into who I am today. The School continues to produce incredibly resilient, compassionate and intelligent young women and I feel beyond privileged that I have had a part in so many students’ journeys at this School.

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Lucy Lewis (Freer, 2004) | Learning Strategies Teacher, Morris Hall
‍I am a Planning Pathways Teacher at Morris Hall and I have been here since the start of the 2021. It has been such a delight being back at this wonderful School. My strongest memories of my time at School were in Ross Hall listening to special announcements, inspirational talks, Christine Briggs, School events and, of course, my Year 12 examinations. I still remember all of my teachers. In 2004, as I was leaving those beautiful gates on Anderson Street, I couldn’t wait to continue my studies and further explore the world. I am still so close to my peers, we have travelled, been to each other’s weddings and now we are growing our families, while juggling careers. I thoroughly enjoy telling the girls at Morris Hall that I am an Old Grammarian. They cannot believe that I wore the same uniform, ran on the same oval, sat in the same classrooms and entered the same school gates. The smile it brings to their faces is priceless. I have such vivid memories of walking back into the School in January 2021 - it felt like I was coming home. I am so proud to have been educated at Melbourne Girls Grammar and I couldn’t be happier being part of the staff community.

Phoebe McWilliams (2003) | Former Artemis Services Co-ordinator
‍Walking in for my interview last year for the role of Artemis Services Coordinator was like stepping back in time. Seeing the Chapel of St Luke, Ross Hall and the Year 12 Common Room, so many memories flooded back. I see that the same values still apply from my time as a student. Importantly the School continues to empower Grammarians to chase their dreams and be whoever they want to be. One major change, however, is the sporting facilities and programs available to students. Every day, I am amazed by the options available to students in our Artemis Centre. Students can swim at lunch time, workout in a fully equipped gym with a strength and conditioning coach or go skateboarding in the city after school. Their options are endless. As a former School Sports Captain and current AFLW player, I’m so proud to see my School promoting healthy lifestyles, competitive and non-competitive sporting pathways and encouraging students to try traditional and non-traditional sporting pursuits. Working at Melbourne Girls Grammar has made me even prouder of my association with the School.

‍Claudia Calvert (2017) | Netball Co-ordinator
‍I have been working at MGGS since I graduated in the Class of 2017, in roles in Artemis and the Boarding House. As a former boarder, seeing the other side of the House as a staff member was bizarre at first, but it has allowed me to form special connections with the students – and I know all the tricks of the trade! I appreciate that they may be far from home and initially out of their comfort zones. Being a part of the boarders’ lives as a pastoral figure is rewarding and enjoyable and being equally present in times of turmoil, success and joy is a privilege. I see myself and the girls I boarded with reflected in so many of the students I work with now. Nothing has changed. My fellow boarders remain my closest friends and I believe that this is a testament to the supportive, fun and inclusive boarding environment at MGGS. I look back on my time as a student with fond memories and will always appreciate the opportunities I was afforded. I hope by working here, particularly in the Boarding House, I have given back even a fraction of what this community gave me.

Pip O’Connor (Farrer, 1965) | School Historian
‍My connection with the School began with my thirteen years as a student, following in my mother’s footsteps. Then, after a gap of some decades, it continued with my last sixteen years here, first as a teacher and then as School Historian. I remember so well returning to teach here in 2005 and the past and present frequently colliding as I would round a familiar corner only to find a completely new landscape in front of me. So much, though, had not changed in those decades; the uniform, the Merton Hall classrooms, the familiar ring of teenage voices, the red stairs, the School Anthem and much more. The more I study and record the School’s history, the more I realise how lucky I have been to be connected to this community. The sense of belonging and the bond between us all is lifelong.

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‍‍‍Liz Barwell (1970) | Music Teacher
‍I was employed in 1992 and have been a part of the Music School ever since. I began as a classroom teacher, accompanist and VCE teacher and have ‘had a go’ at leading nearly all the ensembles at one time or another. My classroom was Dr. Meath’s office and we taught Music Theory on the stairs, Guitar in the cellar underneath and Piano in the dungeons. We all love our beautiful modern Music School. School Concerts, when I was at School, were held in The Hall first, then in Ross Hall but, when I returned in 1992, the concerts had graduated to Dallas Brookes Hall and then onto Hamer Hall, and the Recital Centre. This is a testament to the way music has flourished at MGGS. I have worked under superb Directors of Music, Faleiry Koczkar, Caroline Cousins and Elizabeth du Blet and even undertook the role myself for a time. My love of the voice in Solo and Choral music combined with my instrument, the Piano, have sustained me, but more so it is the students who bring our Music School to life with their vitality, enthusiasm and love of performance. Back then we had recorders, folksong books, a couple of ensembles and choirs. Now we have Orchestras, Bands, Choirs, Pop and Jazz groups, online composition programs, House Music, Cathedral Services, Speech Night, the Carol Service and so much more. The Music School is a place of joy and collegiality for all - students, teachers and visiting music staff. I am the luckiest person to have been a part of this wonderful institution, MGGS, for all these years.