Around the College
Peer Support Program
In Term 1, Year 11 and Year 7 students engaged in the Peer Support program. Peer Support includes activities run by Year 11 students to provide an opportunity to grow, learn and develop friendships within the group that would ensure the year 7s felt comfortable as a member within the Endeavour community.
To facilitate this, we developed a course that enabled the Year 7s to feel relaxed, have fun and feel as though they were able to connect with senior students rather than feel uncomfortable and intimidated around us and the Endeavour campus.
At the beginning the course, the focus was “getting to know each-other” games and activities such as “Personal Bingo” and ‘Where the Wind Blows’, which set the foundations for helping the Year 7 students feel comfortable and confident interacting with Year 11s. As the term progressed, the seniors took turns in presenting a session that was constructed based on student feedback from the previous week, which ensured we met their needs and desires effectively.
Incorporating outdoor activities, technology and hands-on tasks throughout a range of sessions proved successful in conveying the Endeavour Way and Christian values to assist in connecting the purpose of the course to the College ethos. Each Village was required to brainstorm and construct a ‘Major Project’ that both year levels worked on together. Heysen’s idea was to create four wooden wall-hangings with raised lettering, featuring the values of the Endeavour Way, painted in their specific colours. Each wall-hanging featured the handprint of both a Year 7 and Year 11 student. This task allowed for creativity and collaboration between the two year levels.
This task allowed friendships to further develop that will last throughout the next two years. Year 7 students were given the opportunity to learn and understand about the Endeavour Way values, Year 11s challenged themselves by developing their leadership skills. When asked about the value of Peer Support, Year 7 students gave the following answers:
“…When I first came to Endeavour I was super scared, but Peer Support helped me out with it.”
“They (Year 11s) have made me realise how caring the older students are.”
The course was a valuable experience for both Year 11s and 7s and was a time of learning and opportunity for growth for all involved.
Blake Soroka
Year 11 Student
Geography Corner
Endeavour College Tree Planting
This term the Year 9 Geography students have been busy representing the school in our community and campaigning to raise awareness and money for an important cause.
On Thursday 10 May, 22 students participated in a planting day at the Vernal Pool site near Parafield Airport. Vernal Pools are a unique ecosystem comprising of rare and endangered flora and fauna with the Parafield Airport Vernal Pools being the last remaining in the Adelaide metropolitan area.
On the day students planted a number of different species of plants and shrubs designed to ensure stability and protection of one of the pools. Students were given a presentation on the importance of the area, conservation and how to correctly plant seedlings. Whilst on site, the crew from Channel Ten’s Totally Wild program were filming with a number of students being interviewed. The episode is set to screen later this year.
On Monday 14 May, Year 11 and 12 students also visited the site to plant a different species of tree. The efforts of both groups will go a long way in helping to re-establish these unique ecosystems and provide the ability for students to connect with the wider community through purposeful learning.
Year 9 Palm Oil Awareness Day
On Friday 11 May all three Year 9 classes combined to run ‘Palm Oil Awareness Day’ in the College’s mall. The awareness day was the result of three weeks research by the students investigating the effects of deforestation caused by an increasing demand for Palm Oil. Students researched the effect this demand is having on wildlife, in particular the Sumatran Tiger and Sumatran Orangutan which are both on the critically endangered lists, as well as other sustainable alternatives to Palm Oil.
As part of the campaign students prepared food items made using sustainably produced palm oil, or with a palm oil ingredient replaced with a more sustainable alternative. These were then sold to the school with all money going to the World Wildlife Foundation. Students also created posters to raise awareness of the issue. The event was well received with the group raising over $550 on the day – an outstanding achievement!
Year 11 and 12 River Torrens Excursion
On Friday 18 May Year 11 and 12 students visited the River Torrens as part of their SACE requirements. The purpose of this trip was to investigate the human impact on the river system with students collecting primary data which included river velocity, water quality and a bi-polar analysis. During the day students were able to identify different plant and animal species and recognise the effect of water flow on pollution. The final outcome of this investigation will require students to represent the data graphically using maps and graphs and provide recommendations on how water quality can be improved.
Liam Sloan
Geography Learning Leader