Up to their best

Beaconhills College student Lara with her photographic tree.

REACHING their personal bests is different for each Beaconhills College Year 9 student.
The results of many hours of planning, designing and building went on show at the college recently as students presented their Personal Best projects.
The array of projects ranged from a scaled-down tank to a 100 kilometre charity bike ride, a make-up range, a cricket batting cage, a fantasy novel, a bush survival video and even a two-storey dog kennel.
Year 9 students must spend a term completing a Personal Best project, documenting their work in a comprehensive folio which is displayed with the finished piece at the end of the term.
The program allows students to choose an area of interest in which they want to develop skills, working towards a set goal (overcoming set-backs along the way) and documenting and reflecting on the process.
Teacher Kalliopi Koukouras said at the presentation night, students showcased their hard work in an exhibition, a fashion show and a concert.
She said some of the standout projects included a metal detector by Brett and a photography tree by Lara.
“There were some incredible pieces of photography this year, each one with a different theme showing the creative talents of these students,” Ms Koukouras said.
Lara said it took her about three days to make the base of her photographic tree, including a whole day just to wrap the wire around the tree.
“The theme of the photographs was ‘ethereal’ – I tried to make them look a bit creepy and mysterious,” she said.