Year 9 Year 9 is classically known as a time of transition, where many of the experiences and activities in 2016 were designed to encourage the boys to step out of their comfort zones and to feel confident that they can face whatever comes their way in the future. Christian Service is a crucial element for our students to develop their Men for Others attitude to life. As part of their faith formation and commitment to serve, each Year 9 student had the opportunity to participate either in a breakfast or reading program at one of the local primary schools. During Term 4, each Year 9 student attended the Galilee retreat which, metaphorically, celebrates the path of Jesus as he walked around the Lake of Galilee with his Disciples, by taking a journey around a large body of water somewhere in the Perth metropolitan area. The retreat was a wonderful way for the students to share some of their life experiences. The College provides a wealth of opportunities for students to develop a strong sense of culture through co-curricular activities such as Music, Art, Dance and Drama. Many of the Year 9 students take this opportunity and it was great to see some outstanding performances this year at the Middle School Concert Night. The major social event of the Year 9 calendar was the eight weeks of ballroom dancing lessons with Mercedes College girls culminating in a 1950s themed dance. After overcoming the initial awkwardness of having to hold a girl in their very own hands, I could tell most of the boys thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to express their inner ‘Fred Astaire’. I don’t think any of them would have
Mr Kenny Chan Head of Year 9
been invited on the TV program, Dancing with the Stars, but it was great to see that most got into the spirit of dressing up for the social night and there were no shortages of fancy tuxedos and fedora hats on the dance floor. The boys were absolute gentlemen at all times and handled themselves very maturely and confidently whilst interacting with the Mercedes girls. The feedback I received from staff was overwhelmingly positive. This cohort was particularly strong on the sporting front for 2016. Most Year 9 teams, whether it be in summer or winter PSA competitions, were dominant in their respective fields. There was a number of outstanding performances in the Middle School Athletics team, including new PSA records set in the Year 9 400 metre and 800 metre by Alexander Rossi (9.6), ensuring a strong overall result for Trinity. Throughout the year, there were students who are congratulated and commended for making State and Australian teams in their sports. These students were Liam Pabbruwe (9.2) and Oliver Pabbruwe (9.5) – sailing; Mason Tatafu (9.5) – soccer; Reesjan Pasitoa (9.6) – rugby; Jackson Lee (9.6) – soccer; Nicholas McDonald (9.7) – soccer; Benjamin Pears (9.8) – AFL; and Jerome Iaconi (9.8) – tennis. Academically, many students continued to strive for excellence, with numerous accolades stemming from the Australian Mathematics Competition, the da Vinci Decathlon and the Australian Geography Competition. The high number of certificates of excellence presented at the end of the year for various academic achievements shows the continued strength of the cohort on the academic front. BECOMING MEN PROGRAM As mentioned earlier, Year 9 is recognised as a difficult year for students as they make the necessary social and emotional adjustments for entering Senior School and manhood. It is for this specific challenge that we developed the Becoming Men Program. The program assists our Year 9 boys in making the transition from childhood to becoming resourceful adults able to make informed and good choices for their lives. Furthermore, there were opportunities to explore what it meant to act as a leader. Each term had a specific focus.
Year 9 Bake Sale
Term 1 focused on the boys looking at what influenced the decisions they made, whether good or bad, who their role models are and the difference between the ways children and adults think. In Term 2, the boys were introduced to strategies for resilience and dealing with challenging situations and ‘life potholes’ that may come up. There was also an opportunity for some boys to undertake a specialised program in personal leadership, where they looked deeply within themselves at what stressors existed in their lives and how to make good decisions.
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