The Year 8 Personal Interest Project (PIP) is a six-month journey, providing students with the opportunity to delve into an area of interest, a passion or something they would simply like to learn. Students are encouraged to seek a mentor in the community to support them along the way, to provide feedback and to discuss ways of overcoming problems. In addition, students are required to journal their experience through writing, drawing or photography and to document their process, thoughts, feelings and struggles.
A significant part of the Personal Interest Project is the development of time management skills and creating realistic and achievable goals. For many students, their projects stimulate ideas and choices for future creative direction and career opportunities. This year, our students had additional barriers to overcome due to COVID-19 and the lockdown period, just when the PIPs were well underway. Many had to change course or redirect their topic to suit the ensuing restrictions. Another challenging concept for the students was the fact that parents, mentors and friends were not able to attend their presentations.
Regardless of these obstacles, the class put together an incredibly diverse, unique and artistic array of displays and their speeches were just as impressive. Projects ranged from documentaries to fishing lures, coding to fitting out a boat. Please take the time to look through the photos and congratulate Class 8 on their projects.
Lindel Gass & Rhys Edwards
Year 8 Guardians