With exciting new technology, forwardthinking curriculums and strong links to local community, Catholic schools in the city are bursting with opportunities.
For 20 years, students at Christian Brothers College have been reaching for the stars, delving deep into the mysteries of the universe thanks to an on-site optical observatory. Now students can reach even higher with the arrival of a new astronomy telescope, featuring a fully robotic imaging system that takes deep sky images that incite wonder, awe and inspiration.
The telescope will be used by the college’s advanced learners in subjects including astrophysics, physics and research projects, complementing the shared technology already on offer at The Heights School in Modbury.
“We’ve used the ASSA (Astronomical Society of South Australia) optical telescope for many years, which is very good but it’s limited in what we could do,” says John Santini, Christian Brothers College, Gifted and Talented co-ordinator. “We would be there at midnight photographing objects for four or five hours.
“Now we can do this type of research from home. The telescope can be set up remotely, its on-board computer will take hundreds of photos and then students will start to analyse them.”
With the telescope still in its testing phase, Santini and his students are excited to explore its capabilities but have already captured a breathtaking image of the Eta Carina nebula, approximately 8500 light-years from Earth. “The telescope opens up a brand new world for us,” Santini says. “We have a lot of programs in mind, from chemistry to spectrographs to looking at different constellations. That’s magnificent.”
Embedded in the heart of the CBD, students at St Aloysius College take their relationship with the local community seriously. The college’s Justice and Mercy (JAM) group has established a strong bond with the nearby Adelaide
Clockwise from top left: St Mary’s College students Stephanie and Sophie participating in the Grounds for Change program; St Aloysius College students Tegan, Chloe, Isabella and Lucy delivering goods to the Adelaide Day Centre; Christian Brothers College students Ramzan, Harrison and Andre with the new telescope on the roof of their city building.
Day Centre, which provides nonresidential daycare to Adelaide’s most disadvantaged. For the past two years, JAM members have been making weekly visits to the centre to help prepare dinner and build meaningful connections with staff, volunteers and clients alike.
“We do whatever is needed, from buttering bread and chopping vegies to chatting with the clients,” says Clare Peterson, student social justice coordinator at St Aloysius College.
Peterson credits her own time as a St Aloysius student and JAM group member to shaping her views on justice and mercy.
“Everything links back to being able to leave school with this overarching knowledge of being a global thinker in your own community, not afraid of people based on what they look like and their situations,” she says.
“That’s really powerful learning students have reflected on with me over the years and I’m so lucky I get to witness that.”
“We do whatever is needed, from buttering bread and chopping vegies to chatting with the clients”
Year 12 students Lucy and Tegan have been members of JAM since Year 7. “We do fundraising and events inside school but being able to see the impact it is actually having and meeting these people is amazing,” Lucy says.
These connections ensure the values the college teaches will stay with its students for life, “I was at a conference and something was said that really stuck with me: when your passion and your purpose collide, that’s what you’re supposed to be doing in your life,” Tegan says. “I don’t think I could live without knowing I’m trying to make the world a better place.”
A new barista training program at St Mary’s College isn’t just about teaching students how to make the perfect cup of coffee: it’s also about blending reallife skills with academic learning to set them on their pathway to future success.
Grounds for Change began in term one as a pilot program for interdisciplinary learning: since then it has blossomed into a thriving business that encourages student mentoring and supports the local community.
“We have Year 12 students training Year 8s in all factors of cafe management, accounting and coffee making,” says Jas Parasiers, teacher and organiser at St Mary’s College. “I’ve been getting them to think about how to prepare for the workplace, how to engage with others, how to present themselves as an employee, as part of our community – so they’re doing lots of personal and social learning, as well as numeracy and communication skills.”
Thanks to the efforts of Year 3 students, the college has secured a partnership with Fleurieu Milk to supply product at cost price, as well as partnering with Bunnings to secure donations to build the coffee cart. Profits are donated to those in need. “We have partnered with Cafe Outside the Square on Whitmore Sq to help their food kitchen, which is helping to support disadvantaged individuals in our community,” Parasiers says.
St Mary’s College principal Clare Nocka is thrilled to have the opportunity to add innovation to the school’s curriculum. “It is an excellent example of taking learning out of the subject area boxes and see how learning happens in outside subjects that deal with real-life skills,” she says.
Source: News Ltd
Written by Lynn Cameron
Photos by Mike Burton
Located on the Eyre Peninsula coast and surrounded by nature and a supportive local community, boarders at St Joseph’s Port Lincoln are learning valuable skills for life beyond education.
