Holy Eucharist Campus

Year 9 Head of Campus– HOLY EUCHARIST

David Alexander

The Year 9s have showcased a remarkable ability to navigate the uncertainties with their schooling, show a willingness to adapt and ultimately just get on with business.

The ongoing evolution of De La Salle’s Holy Eucharist Campus continues to have wide-reaching benefits for both students and staff.

The curriculum that is intentionally designed to be distinctive to Year 9 students, continues to evolve. On a daily basis this is brought to life by an outstanding team of Year 9 specialist teachers and Education Support Officers. Their portrayal of cohesion, stability and empowerment has gone a long way in anchoring this successful change. The accomplishment of the Year 9 movement was evidenced within the 2021 Year 9 Review with both current and former students labelling the campus a huge success (82%). Maintaining regular contact with the same teacher and being able to garner more ownership over their learning experiences were reported as two key factors that have led to an improved independence in a Year 9 student’s learning journey. In 2021, born out of a teenager’s aspiration to see progressive self-improvement, saw the inception of the Year 9 WISE Program. This concept involves a goal-orientated task for Wellness, Independence, Service and Expedition. The program continues to engage and empower our young men through active participation and resilience building. This year, the Year 9 program saw many successful ventures – a city experience, House activities, a lightning premiership, social justice initiatives, fundraising barbeques, rock band, the Man Cave, record numbers at Friday run club, and importantly the galvanisation of a group of young men destined for great things. You will note that until now this article has not mentioned the disruption to schooling due to government-imposed restrictions. But it must be said, the Year 9s have showcased a remarkable ability to navigate the uncertainties with their schooling, show a willingness to adapt and ultimately just get on with business. In this tricky world that we live, our students should be applauded on this – a true marker of resilience.

David Alexander – Year 9 Head of Campus

This year another group of students joined us eager to take up the opportunities that a special year at the Holy Eucharist Campus provides. Now in its third year, students are starting to enter the gates of the Year 9 Campus with plenty of stories and questions; born from the tales of older siblings or friends that have come before them.

Harnessing the students’ enthusiasm and encouraging them to step up to challenges, we have seen record numbers of Year 9s put themselves forward academically and stretch their learning in different ways. From participation in the ACC Debating team, Chess competitions, Music Tour or signing up for extra Maths or Literacy classes, Year 9 students have found their niche at Holy Eucharist. We may not have been able to provide every experience as planned, but the Alliance city learning and personal development workshops were participated in with gusto, developing our learners into empathetic and engaged young men. Lauren Anderson – Year 9 Learning & Teaching Leader

This year I had the great honour to serve as the Holy Eucharist Campus Captain. During this time, I enjoyed the opportunity to strengthen bonds with my cohort and form collaborative relationships with the Holy Eucharist staff.

Much like last year, this year had its fair share of struggles, especially with the constant back and forth transition from remote to face-to-face learning. However, as a cohort we have been able to build on our experience from last year to overcome these adversities and make the most of our time at Holy Eucharist. As Captain, it has been rewarding to see the development of our cohort through the Year 9 program. Personally, I have been able to form much closer friendships with my peers because of the close-knit community at the Holy Eucharist Campus. During this year, being isolated from the other campuses, we were given a terrific opportunity to grow, mature and prepare ourselves for whatever the future holds. Skyler Sahely – Holy Eucharist Captain

2021 HIGGINS MEDAL

The De La Salle College Year 9 nominee for the 2021 Higgins Medal is James McLisky.

James is a stand-out performer at the Holy Eucharist Campus. He has shown a steadfast commitment to his studies and maturity in being able to transition to and from remote learning conditions. James was recognised in the Semester One Awards for Media and Physical Education. He is commended on his work ethic which sets a fine example for his peers. James is a talented sportsman and has dealt with interruptions to his football and basketball seasons. He will also represent the school in ACC cricket, a sport he plays at a very high level. James’ maturity, commitment and resilience makes him most deserving of this Higgins Award. We encourage James to use his Year 9 year as a platform to pursuing future leadership opportunities at the College.