Celebrating with Year 10 - Personal Project Exhibition

Year 10s celebrated their Personal Project Exhibition this term. They welcomed Year 9 students and their parents on the evening of Wednesday 9 October to the Great Hall, where they shared their experiences and project wisdom, as Year 9s themselves set off on their Personal Project journey.

On Thursday night they celebrated the conclusion of the Exhibition with parents and senior staff. The Great Hall was certainly a frenzy of creativity, passion, enthusiasm and achievement. Our Year 10s undoubtedly excelled and were keen to share their accomplishments with those who joined them. If you managed to walk through the Hall and look at the exhibits last week, I am sure you would agree the standard of presentations was simply a credit to all involved.

So many standouts ranging from a recycled artwork of Elvis Presley, a robotic arm, a restored antique piano, novellas, novels and children’s books, a political analytical text, recycled teddy bears for charity, indigenous jersey, dress making, solar planes, fabulous sculptures, photography and coffee table books, amazing creative artwork, including fine arts projects, music compositions, architectural models, heartfelt books delving into cultural heritage , video of stunt work, a renovated boat and car, go-carts, innovative surfboard designs, incredible videos focusing on topics ranging from stunt work, skateboarding and a variety of sports, gravity reduction office chair, a motorised push bike, sport programs for elite athletes, environmental service projects, and sport uniform design … the list is endless and represents the many varied interests and talents of our students.

To put this journey in perspective, the Personal Project is a requirement for students in the fifth year of the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (MYP). The project itself encourages students to practise and strengthen their skills, to consolidate prior and subject-specific learning, and to develop an area of personal interest. The Personal Project provided an excellent opportunity for our students to produce a truly personal and creative product or outcome, which demonstrated consolidation of their learning in the MYP. The personal nature of the project is important given we are asking Year 10 students to complete an assessment over a nine month period – the fact that it revolves around a challenge that motivates and interests the individual student is what makes the final outcome so impressive. Most importantly, we recognise completing the project isn’t a commute. It’s a road trip, full of deviations and byways that so often become the source of true learning.

So to all those students who were standing proud next to their products on Wednesday and Thursday evening, who worked diligently on their online blog and willingly shared their personal stories about their journey with others, we congratulate you. We recognise it is a mighty achievement that did at times seem daunting, yet you reached the end through determination, self-motivation and tenacity. All great skills to take you forward into Year 11!