Urban Systems
From Tuesday 13 March to Friday 23 March Year 9 students participated in an out-of-class program in Richmond. Throughout the year, formal classes stop and Year 9 students choose from a range of experiences designed to provide meaningful learning opportunities and encourage independence. The Urban History Program, based at our City Centre in Richmond provided students with an opportunity to take part in a city talk by a Youth Officer from Richmond Police, a visit to the Richmond historical society researching and handling primary sources, a talk by author Robert Newton (The Runner) on how he does historical research and then some relaxation time at St Stephen’s working on their movies.
Year 9 students Allegra Fanourakis and Amy Vaughan reflected on the program:
Within the past two weeks, one-third of The Year Nine cohort had the opportunity to participate in an Out of Class Program located in Richmond. Over the course, we were required to make a short video, based on an aspect of Richmond’s history. Ranging from the history of Richmond FC, Federation, and the daily lives of women and children, there were many opportunities for us to pick a topic we were passionate about. Amy and I, were interested in the daily lives of Women in the early 1900s so we were thrilled when we spent two weeks researching at various locations such as the State Library, the Melbourne Museum and the Richmond Historical Society.
There were many struggles faced completing this out-of-class program, such as the trains not running throughout week two as we were required to get there ourselves, and especially finding quiet places to film our videos. Although several problems arose, the sixty of us overcame all of these challenges with a great product in the end.
Presenting our five minute videos to the rest of the cohort was one of the highlights both of us. From dressing up in 20th-century clothing to visiting amazing locations, The Urban Program has been an amazing experience, and I’m sure that everyone who completed the program would agree.
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