Mark Oliphant College – TRANSCRIPT Parent – “We got to watch it ...
Mark Oliphant College – TRANSCRIPT Parent – “We got to watch it ...
Mark Oliphant College – TRANSCRIPT Parent – “We got to watch it ...
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
1<br />
<strong>Mark</strong> <strong>Oliphant</strong> <strong>College</strong> <strong>–</strong> <strong>TRANSCRIPT</strong><br />
<strong>Parent</strong> <strong>–</strong> <strong>“We</strong> <strong>got</strong> <strong>to</strong> <strong>watch</strong> <strong>it</strong> being built from the ground, from dirt, so yeah we think <strong>it</strong>’s great.”<br />
Student <strong>–</strong> “I like doing PE and Sport so I like how there’s big ovals and the gym.”<br />
<strong>Parent</strong> - “It’s nice, <strong>it</strong>’s big, <strong>it</strong>’s roomy and the staff and teachers are wonderful w<strong>it</strong>h the kids.”<br />
Student <strong>–</strong> “I like the playground the best on the school.”<br />
Student <strong>–</strong> “Right now I’m doing technology and visual arts and <strong>it</strong>’s really fun.”<br />
Narra<strong>to</strong>r <strong>–</strong> <strong>Mark</strong> <strong>Oliphant</strong> <strong>College</strong> s<strong>it</strong>s proudly amidst a rapidly changing landscape of new housing<br />
and infrastructure<br />
It’s all part of Playford Alive, a new development covering one thousand hectares located 30<br />
kilometres north of Adelaide.<br />
Thirteen thousand people live in this area.<br />
That number’s expected <strong>to</strong> rise <strong>to</strong> 40,000 w<strong>it</strong>hin the next 15 years.<br />
This <strong>College</strong> is one of two new state-of-the-art schools catering <strong>to</strong> the young families moving here.<br />
It’s South Australia’s first purpose-built facil<strong>it</strong>y <strong>to</strong> offer childcare right through <strong>to</strong> Year 12 all on the<br />
one campus<br />
Since the <strong>College</strong> opened <strong>it</strong>s doors in May 2011, more than 1100 students have enrolled, and<br />
plenty of others are on the wa<strong>it</strong>ing list.<br />
Principal Lynne Symons <strong>–</strong> You only get certain moments in your teaching career that are really<br />
really special and <strong>watch</strong>ing every one of those parents come in w<strong>it</strong>h their kids sent a shiver down<br />
your spine as people walked around w<strong>it</strong>h their mouths agape saying ‘this is ours, we’ve actually<br />
<strong>got</strong> this, we’re ent<strong>it</strong>led <strong>to</strong> this, we can have this’.<br />
Lynne <strong>to</strong> students in woodwork class <strong>–</strong> ‘OK, come on fellas. What are we doing here?”<br />
Student <strong>–</strong> ‘It’s engraving the wood, and we’re using a laser.’<br />
Narra<strong>to</strong>r <strong>–</strong>Principal Lynne Symons jumped at the opportun<strong>it</strong>y <strong>to</strong> spend the last years of her career<br />
in education as head of a brand new, state-of-the-art school.<br />
But the role comes w<strong>it</strong>h a challenge.<br />
To turnaround the low academic results that have <strong>–</strong> until now - been the norm for many children<br />
living in this area, designated as one of the lowest socio-economic in Australia.<br />
Lynne Symons <strong>–</strong> This school is not an experiment. It’s actually a real, living, breathing school.<br />
It was built in an area where the schools were in appalling cond<strong>it</strong>ion<br />
This is actually the facil<strong>it</strong>ies that are now possible in the rest of the world. What we’ve been<br />
fortunate enough is <strong>to</strong> have <strong>it</strong> built here.<br />
Robotics teacher <strong>–</strong> ‘And when you make <strong>it</strong> go backwards, how many rotations do you want….’
2<br />
Narra<strong>to</strong>r <strong>–</strong> In keeping w<strong>it</strong>h <strong>it</strong>s namesake, scientist and former South Australian governor Sir <strong>Mark</strong><br />
<strong>Oliphant</strong>, the school’s developing a science focus.<br />
Lynne Symons - The thing I love about Sir <strong>Mark</strong> was that he was also slightly eccentric and as a<br />
school I think we’re standing out as being slightly eccentric <strong>to</strong>o, and we’ve been given carte<br />
blanche - by the fact that we are so new <strong>–</strong> <strong>to</strong> take those chances.<br />
Robotics Teacher <strong>–</strong> For us as teachers <strong>to</strong> have these resources, <strong>it</strong>’s once in a lifetime.<br />
Robotics Teacher <strong>–</strong> “And how many centimetres did you set <strong>it</strong> <strong>to</strong> s<strong>to</strong>p before the wall?”<br />
Narra<strong>to</strong>r <strong>–</strong> The school’s layout around a circular walkway is designed <strong>to</strong> promote a sense of<br />
commun<strong>it</strong>y.<br />
Lynne Symons on school walkway <strong>–</strong> “I say sometimes <strong>it</strong>’s like the Champs Elysees. If you stand<br />
here long enough you’ll have everyone in the world walk past you.”<br />
Lynne <strong>to</strong> students <strong>–</strong> “Go and line up please.”<br />
Lynne Symons on school walkway <strong>–</strong> “It’s an amazing place <strong>to</strong> be when you’ve <strong>got</strong> 1100 kids<br />
promenading around here and doing <strong>it</strong> basically w<strong>it</strong>h goodwill and no major issues, apart from the<br />
usual rambunctiousness one gets from l<strong>it</strong>tle kids who want <strong>to</strong> play w<strong>it</strong>h big kids.”<br />
Lynne <strong>to</strong> students <strong>–</strong> “Where’s your hat?”<br />
Student <strong>–</strong> <strong>“We</strong>’re learning about Russia and all kinds of different countries so we have <strong>to</strong> go<br />
overseas <strong>to</strong> find the information of the lap<strong>to</strong>ps”<br />
Narra<strong>to</strong>r - Technology is a major <strong>to</strong>ol in the quest <strong>to</strong> level the playing field, and give these students<br />
every chance <strong>to</strong> fulfil their potential.<br />
The investment in technology means students get hands-on experience w<strong>it</strong>h the kind of cuttingedge<br />
equipment now being used by various industries.<br />
Carpentry Teacher - When I started teaching <strong>it</strong> was all pen and paper but now kids can actually<br />
create three dimensional models and from there go <strong>to</strong> designing and producing these things. I<br />
could never believe that would be possible when I first started, so <strong>it</strong>’s absolutely fantastic.<br />
Food Technology Teacher - Using these facil<strong>it</strong>ies <strong>to</strong> create like the pies that we made <strong>to</strong>day, we<br />
could never get that crispy, crunchy pastry at the bot<strong>to</strong>m but w<strong>it</strong>h these fabulous ovens every<br />
single pie works out magically. It’s brilliant.<br />
Lynne Symons - We want our kids <strong>to</strong> be producers, not just consumers.<br />
We want <strong>to</strong> make sure they’re in this millennium’s learning and so through that they’re going <strong>to</strong> get<br />
the best opportun<strong>it</strong>ies, the best qualifications and the best employment outcomes.<br />
Student <strong>–</strong> “The books help me <strong>to</strong> read and I like <strong>to</strong> read a lot.”<br />
<strong>Parent</strong> <strong>–</strong> “I reckon <strong>it</strong> will be great for my son <strong>to</strong> have a leapfrog in<strong>to</strong> a job. Hopefully he’ll find what<br />
he wants <strong>to</strong> do here, and follow on w<strong>it</strong>h <strong>it</strong>.”
3<br />
<strong>Parent</strong> <strong>–</strong> “I’ve <strong>got</strong> four children from kindy up <strong>to</strong> year 11 and so far so good. All the children are<br />
enjoying themselves.”<br />
Student <strong>–</strong> “I like <strong>it</strong> because <strong>it</strong>’s not like every kind of school. It has all, like, family in <strong>it</strong>.”<br />
Lynne Symons <strong>–</strong> When I walk out the last time I hope I leave a school that is completely confident<br />
in <strong>it</strong>self, that the current crop of year 8s who will have h<strong>it</strong> year 12 by then, that their destination<br />
surveys show that they’re accessing not only univers<strong>it</strong>ies but TAFEs, but apprenticeships, but<br />
jobs. The whole range, the whole gamut. That is the legacy that I want <strong>to</strong> leave behind, and a<br />
school that knows <strong>it</strong>’s proud of <strong>it</strong>self.