Illumine

Teenagers are facing a momentous cultural shift. On 10 December 2025 the Federal Government’s Online Safety Amendment Act lifts the age of access from 13 to 16 years for a range of popular social media platforms. In this episode Principal Jacinda Euler Welsh speaks to a key changemaker, hears how students are feeling, and unpacks the challenges and opportunities ahead with School psychologist Dr J...

Brisbane Girls Grammar School celebrates its 150th anniversary this year.  To recognise and celebrate this significant milestone, Historian, Ms Helen Penrose, has researched and created a book—to be released later this year—that will explore the School’s pioneering history as one of Queensland’s original Grammar schools and leading girls’ school. In this episode, Principal, Ms Jacinda Euler Welsh,...

In 2021, Chanel Contos sparked a national movement when she invited young women to share their experiences of sexual assault—resulting in mandated consent education in the Australian national curriculum from Kindergarten to Year 10, and inspiring conversations around the country. In this episode, Principal, Ms Jacinda Euler Welsh, joins Director of HPE, Mr Stephen Fogarty, and Head of HPE—Curricul...

Three years ago, Illumine released an episode on sexual consent education which greatly resonated with not only our school, but the wider community.  In this new episode of Illumine, hear from Year 12 students, Scarlett and Molly, to learn what they think has changed since then and what could be further improved in 2024.

In 2024, more than half of the world’s population will take to the election polls. With rising trends of authoritarianism against a backdrop of increasing global conflict, some commentators are predicting this could be democracy’s biggest test to date.  In this episode of Illumine, Principal, Ms Jacinda Euler Welsh, speaks with Director of Humanities, Ms Alison Dare, and Head of Subject—Humanities...

Earlier this year, a group of students and staff visited Italy, exploring places of significance in Western culture, from ancient societies through to the Renaissance … and of course, some of the nation’s gelaterias. In this episode, Principal, Ms Jacinda Euler Welsh, sat down with students Charlotte, Ruby, and Grace to hear about the highlights, experiences, and learnings from the Latin and Roman...

Few of us can say that, in our lifetime, we have fulfilled a dream we have harboured since we were seven years old. One lucky person who can make that claim is celebrated writer and Brisbane Girls Grammar School alumna, Anna McGahan (2005). Earlier this year, Anna was awarded one of Australia’s most prestigious literary awards for young writers, The Vogel Prize, which was won by her uncle, Andrew...

Australia's National Financial Capability Survey 2021 has found that 94 per cent of young Australians aged 14 to 17 feel it is important to learn how to manage their money, but only 42 per cent felt confident to do so.  A few of our students here at Brisbane Girls Grammar School are taking their financial wellbeing seriously, through the establishment of a new Financial Literacy student club....

Should artefacts currently in museums be returned to their country of origin?  In recent years, the debate has been gathering momentum, kick-started again in 2022 in light of the death of Queen Elizabeth. Reconciling the actions of those acting in the past with our values in the present is an issue fraught with tension, and no easy answers are apparent.  In this episode, Head of Ancient History, D...

It's no secret that true crime podcasts are hugely popular, but why do we find historical murders so interesting?  In this episode of Illumine—Grammar Women, host and Principal of Brisbane Girls Grammar School, Ms Jacinda Euler Welsh, interviews two alumnae of the School: Rosalind Crone (1998) and Anna Whip (2016). Both graduates share a love and keen interest in the study of history, having...

Choosing subjects for Years 11 and 12 can be a challenge for many students, as they balance subjects they are passionate about with the need to fill prerequisites for certain tertiary degrees.  Although at BGGS we value the Creative Arts as part of our broad, liberal approach to education, sometimes external pressures, misconceptions, and worries about scaling can lead students to hesitate before...

What makes an excellent teacher? According to acclaimed educational researcher, Professor Dylan Wiliam, it’s about regularly checking for student understanding. Professor Wiliam is passionate about the practice of formative assessment — the assessment that many people say ‘doesn’t count’. Over the course of many decades of research, Professor Wiliam has established that there is nothing teachers c...

Have you ever wanted to be an astronaut?  Here at Girls Grammar, one of our most popular and longest-running international programs is Space Camp, where students get the chance to take one step closer to that dream. In this episode, Principal, Ms Jacinda Euler, speaks with three students who recently returned from Space Camp—about what they encountered, learned, and hope to achieve in aerospace an...

In early 2023, social media furore erupted after publisher, Puffin, employed sensitivity editors to rewrite parts of Roald Dahl's books deemed offensive. Throughout history,  artists, authors and musicians have been censored by various authority figures, but in recent decades, activists and social media campaigns have called for pieces to be edited, 'cancelled', or removed from exhi...

In recognition of NAIDOC Week 2023, Illumine shares Part 2 of Principal, Ms Jacinda Euler Welsh, in discussion with Professor Adam Shoemaker, Vice Chancellor of Victoria University. Much of Professor Shoemaker’s past three decades has been spent listening to, recording and sharing the work of Indigenous Australians. As one of Australia’s foremost researchers in Indigenous literature and culture, P...

In the critical developmental years of secondary school, students need safe spaces to explore and debate the important issues affecting their lives, identity, and understanding of the world. In this episode, Principal, Ms Jacinda Euler Welsh, sat down with three senior students—Sophie, Yasmin and Sophie—who have all participated in one such forum at Brisbane Girls Grammar School: the Educate and E...

With so many exceptional tertiary options available in Australia, it’s no wonder the idea of international study may not always be top of mind. However, the benefits of studying overseas—for your whole degree or only for a semester or two—are endless. To explore why overseas tertiary study can be so enriching, Principal, Ms Jacinda Euler Welsh, spoke to Director of Tertiary Pathways, Ms Louise Wal...

Year after year, research shows that young Australians rate body image as an important concern. So, how do our students feel about their bodies, and what are they doing to promote body acceptance? In this episode of Illumine from the Students , Principal, Ms Jacinda Euler Welsh, speaks to two Year 12 students, Emma and Liza, who have presented to the School's Educate and Empower student club...

‘In this country we have the oldest continuing civilisation in the world, and that’s something really unique that I think we should celebrate… that’s the one thing that is truly Australian.’ —Ms Sophie Mynott, BGGS Deputy Principal (Co-curriculum). In this episode of Illumine: For Parents , we discuss the School’s Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), which will be launched next week during National R...

Do you remember the world without screens? Our younger secondary school students are part of ‘Generation Alpha’—completely digital natives who have been around smartphones and devices for their entire lives.  Emerging research indicates that these young students use devices and interact with social media in vastly different ways to their older peers.  In this episode, Principal, Ms Jacinda Euler W...

Homework, or 'home learning' as we call it at Brisbane Girls Grammar School, can be a hot topic for families. While many students comfortably complete their allocated work each night, some find they struggle with quantity, or understanding what they need to accomplish. Home learning also changes as students progress through secondary school, with the intention of encouraging more indepen...

The world is abuzz about ChatGPT and the potential of artificial intelligence. But what do our young people think of the tools that are predicted to run their future? In this episode of  Illumine From the Students,   Principal, Ms Jacinda Euler Welsh, speaks with three Year 11 students about their experiences, their concerns, and their hopes for AI platforms. 

The number of Australians, and in particular, Australian women, experiencing homelessness has never been higher and it’s a crisis that shows no sign of slowing.  As a nation, we have never been more reliant on non-profits and charitable organisations to shelter women and their children who are in crisis and have found themselves suddenly without a roof over their head. For more than a decade, Bris...

ChatGPT remains in the headlines around the world for its ability to answer seemingly anything. Educators around the world are grappling with how to manage ChatGPT, with many schools restricting access to the platform. Is this option sustainable in the long term? Or, should we find ways to use such AI responsibly, and for our benefit? In this episode of Illumine ,  Principal of Brisbane Girls Gram...

To experience the arts can be inspiring and life-affirming, and yet many parents and  society at large struggle to connect their relevance to our modern lives.  In this episode of Illumine for Parents, Principal of Brisbane Girls Grammar School, Ms Jacinda Euler, and Director of Creative Arts, Andrew Pennay, discuss the opportunities that Grammar girls have in the world of arts, their value in a b...