In 2022 Emmanuel College saw the launch of the new Year 9 program 9@RICE, an innovative program where 200+ Year 9 students engage in a wide variety of thought-provoking curricula, engage in immersion weeks and take on responsibility in creating a ‘passion project.’ The 9@RICE program aims to encourage students to engage in new experiences, be challenged and break individual barriers while also contributing positively to the community.
The 9@RiCE program is located solely at the RICE campus on the corner of Canterbury Road and Bromfield Street, which allows the Year 9 students to form strong friendships and connections with others in the program. From the start of the year, the Year 9 cohort work through multiple project based learning tasks to prepare them for their passion project formulations in Term 3. Students can elect if they work individually or in groups, choosing a passion of theirs and creating something to utilise this passion.
Last year the program culminated in students creating their own ‘larger-than-life’ passion projects displayed to family and friends at the end of year Exhibition. This fantastic event was full of laughter, joy and a real sense of community and personal achievement. The exhibition had a rich and diverse collection of student work on show, including designed fashion pieces, documentary movies, cookbooks, detailed works of art, a minigolf course, a refurbished go-kart, raised garden beds, novels, sports tournaments, drama workshops run at local primary schools, board games and jewellery pieces just to name just a few!
. . . our students will have the tools and the self-belief to become the innovators and creative thinkers of the future. . .
In 2022 the leadership team; Director of 9@RICE Ms Josie Monro and Program Coordinator Mr James Laidler said the first year of 9@RICE was an overall success, with high levels of engagement displayed in students by the end of the year.
In discussions with students who completed the program, the leadership team found many students really enjoyed the content offered and, upon reflecting, understood how everything in the program knitted together.
“We hope this program will be the spark that lights a fire in our students…The passion projects they worked towards, particularly, we hope, will leave a lasting imprint on their lives.”
“In the future, Emmanuel College hopes that our students will have the tools and the self-belief to become the innovators and creative thinkers of the future, full of the confidence that they can have an idea, do some research and turn that idea into a reality. How exciting is that!”
2023 introduced a new Head of 9@RICE - Mr Glen Martin to coordinate the 9@RICE program in its second year. Having been previously the 9@RICE Student Coordinator in 2022, Glen is eager to see how the program will evolve this year with some refinement, fresh eyes and new staff on board.
“Last year’s exhibition was a great success!” Mr Martin said.
“The current Year 9 students came over last year as Year 8 students and looked through the exhibition. This was an excellent opportunity for the students to have a practice run before their families came in later that evening.
“It was beneficial for the Year 8 students to see the projects as they could see the high standards that have been set and could get some ideas of what they could do.”
Minor changes for the Passion Projects this year are focused on the planning and preparation stages to ensure a high percentage of students are working on projects that spark unique passions for each individual.
With the green light given for construction to start this year on the new $16 million-dollar dedicated Year 9 Learning Centre - the Edmund Rice Centre on McAuley Campus, excitement is brewing for students and staff to experience the 9@RICE program in the new facility with completition expected at the start of 2025.
“We’re excited to see the students working in a brand new facility and utilising all of the break-out spaces,” Mr Martin said.
“The ERC is so well connected for Wisdom, Communication, Discovery, project-based learning, PE and Fit 4 Life spaces.”
“During this term, I was given the opportunity to create a project that I am passionate about, and I had an extensive amount of freedom to create whatever I wanted. I chose to make a workshop to help young people discover and exercise their creative flare. I was so passionate about this project because of my passion for the dramatic arts and how much I love teaching and interacting with children. I wanted to create something enjoyable from the kid’s everyday learning and expose them to an under-represented interest as intricate and creative as the dramatic arts. I believe young kids should have the opportunity to become more involved in the things they love. With the workshop, I felt I gave children that enjoy drama another chance to enjoy something they love doing. The students responded positively, and everything went better than I had planned.”
- Jess Bushell, Student
