Passion Project Video Presentations

We were so impressed with these video compilations put together by our students we had to share them. Click on the year level links below and enjoy!

Year 7

Year 8

Year 9

Year 10

Year 7 Passion Projects

Jade Gundry, St Rafka

My passion project topic was the History of Surfing and how it came to Australia. I chose my topic because I love everything about surfing, I love watching it on t.v, watching world competitions at Bells Beach and the feeling I get from surfing in the ocean. I loved doing my project because I found out a lot of information I didn’t know about and had fun putting it all together. I also made chocolates to share with my year level and teachers.

Joan Sam, St Nea

I am Joan in Year 7, St Nea. For my passion project, I decided to make a blog. I created a website using wix.com and the link for the blog is https://jsam281.wixsite.com/mysite. To create this website, I had to look at fonts, eye-catching colour schemes and writing pieces that would be entertaining to my classmates. The part I found the hardest would be writing the blog posts because I found it really important for it to be humorous, but also helpful and informative for the students to read. The three pages (each button goes to a separate page) are Home and About, Blog and Suggestions and Questions. The Home and about is what the blog is about and what type of blog it is. The blog is for the posts I have written and you can go through each and read them and laugh. The suggestions and questions are for you to review the blog and give me feedback for posts to write and anything like that. Hopefully, you get a chance to read my blog!

Shanmathy Jayakumar, St Rose

My name is Shanmathy and I'm in Year 7 in St Rose. For my Passion Project, I cooked a variety of different cultural foods and researched its history (the identity it provides the culture). The dishes I made were Nasi goreng (Indonesia), Biryani (India), Lamingtons (Australia, also my favourite), Cinnamon Rolls (Sweden) and finally Tacos (Mexico). Lamingtons were actually made accidentally because (Lord Lamington), the Governor of Queensland's maid, accidentally dropped sponge cake pieces into melted chocolate. Lord Lamington refused to waste any pieces of the sponge cake and so ordered his maid to coat them in shredded coconut to make them less sticky to avoid messy fingers.This is one of my favourite and interesting history I researched about the dishes I made. This project has really taught me basic maths and science skills, being cautious around fire, baking, sauteing, frying, deep frying, seasoning, grilling and many more. I was able to learn many information in a new, independent way in something I enjoy and have an interest in. I am really grateful to all the teachers for giving us an opportunity like this to expand our learning in a different, unforgettable way, even through an unfamiliar remote learning period.

Year 8 Passion Projects

During remote learning, the Year 8s had an opportunity to engage in the College's Change the World, Change Yourself Passion Project. The engagement from the girls was outstanding! They took on this self-directed project-based learning very well and worked well with their mentor teachers. The Passion Project showcase held last week was an amazing experience for everyone involved. The Year 8s have researched and presented some fabulous projects from cooking and songwriting to making sensory blankets for children with Autism. Many students worked to raise awareness of mental health issues and charities that need support. The quality of the showcase was beyond what we expected from the Year 8s. I would like to congratulate every student who worked so hard on their Passion Project. To the Year 8s, I am extremely proud of each and every one of you and everything that you achieved!! I hope you continue to engage in your passion and bit by bit, change the world for the better!!

Miss Emma Neville

Year 8 Student Development Leader

Year 9 Passion Projects

It was no surprise that the Year 9 students embraced the challenge of passion projects enthusiastically. Since the day they entered the open plan Helen Toohey building, they have shown themselves to be self-motivated, independent learners willing to take risks and explore the unknown. Passion projects would be another step in their journey to discovery, as they asked themselves the fundamental question, “What am I passionate about?”. The answers were as diverse as the students themselves and we witnessed them question, research, design and create as they followed their passions.

Thu Vu built a computer keyboard from scratch because she is passionate about ergonomic design. Sienna Pasitchny taught herself guitar and learnt a selection of songs from different countries… “I always wanted to help the Killester Community, especially when we had our showcase, to connect people to their culture or country where they came from through music. By teaching them a little about the kind of music from different countries and showing them what the music sounds like, I was hoping for people to connect to their past, or their country of origin.“

Many of our sporting students taught themselves new skills, such as Tyrese Dimilanta’s weightlifting program to a number of netball training programs that are sure to assist our young women develop their fitness and precision when they finally get a chance to return to the court. "I thoroughly enjoyed working on my Passion Project as I felt that I was able to learn more about myself as an individual, as well as gain new skills and knowledge. I created a video about the 'Life Benefits of Weight Training', which was aimed specifically at empowering more "Wonder Women", in our community." We had students explore their passion for the environment as they designed gardens, explored sustainability projects and even built possum boxes. Katelyn Hunter was our resident snake wrangler who bravely highlighted the overlooked beauty and intelligence of these fascinating reptiles. Indianna Smith investigated the social construct and history of witchcraft because “...considering what’s happening around the world at the moment I feel that that notion of accepting and being mindful of others, their races, lifestyles, backgrounds and religions has just become a whole lot more important.”

Across all projects, the students developed life skills that they will hopefully now apply in the classroom - and beyond.

“This project has changed me because it helped me manage my time better, and have the time and resources to learn about things that really interest me. Before doing this project, I was often unsure about how to research properly or complete projects within a certain time frame. However, now I feel more confident about my skills, and have come to enjoy researching topics (if they interest me).” Vivien Owens

By doing this project, it made me a better learner, as it taught me skills that will help me in the outside world, the one that exists beyond the classroom. I was able to try things that I wouldn't try before, like leaving my phone on the kitchen table while I studied, or writing all of the tasks on a checklist. This project has changed me in a good way. One would definitely be my ability to be more organised and problem solving independently. I am now able to use my time efficiently, and to stay on task to finish what needs to be finished. Mitsuki Otaka

“This project also encouraged me to be a problem-solver and a critical thinker. This is because it required me to view problems and challenges from different angles to solve the problem and create a solution which works.” Sienna Pasitchnyj

Staff and students alike were blown away by the creativity and talent of the young women of Year 9. They are gourmet cooks, gifted artists, musicians, crocheting champions, elite athletes, environmentalists, social commentators, architects, biologists, zoologists and Auslan interpreters. The “driving question” that remains is how we as their teachers, peers and parents are going to encourage and inspire them to maintain their passion and continue to challenge themselves as they make their mark and make this world a better place. Their passion is our hope. Congratulations Yr 9 Students- you have only just begun!

Ms Donna Brunt

Year 9 Student Development Leader

Year 10 Passion Projects

The passion project was done because Killester hoped to provide the opportunity for students to explore topics that are not taught at school. While looking at the projects that everyone worked on I learnt that everyone is creative and despite the change of the working environment, everyone showed perseverance. All projects were interesting and the ones that stood out for me were the History of Hangul, an Embroidery of Flora, the Adorable Origami Penguins and the Miniature Sewn Clothing. This was a good use of my time because seeing the impressive projects that resulted from everyone’s hard work motivates me to become more resilient in my own work. It was surprising to see the skills and knowledge we can learn from doing the activities we like. As we move towards senior years, we don’t have to make a firm decision on our destination but make sure we give our all on this learning journey to make sure there will be no regrets.

Wendy Nguyen, St Mark

Killester College Newsletter

Issue 11 · 26 Jun 2020

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