ruMAD? at Rokeby High

Staff and students at Rokeby High are using ruMAD? to help the school connect with the community.

Teacher, Peter Veness, has relief one day each week to focus on the program and assist other teachers. This intensive assistance has been made possible by a partnership between the school, the Department of Education and the Sidney Myer Fund. The partnership was facilitated under a Memorandum of Understanding with the Tasmanian Centre for Global Learning, whose staff assist the school with training, curriculum materials, learning resources, mentoring and community contacts.

Rokeby High School is located on the Eastern Shore of Hobart, in what has historically been known as Clarence Plains. It is a small school, with an enrolment of around 200 students, servicing families from Seven-Mile Beach, South Arm, Cremorne, Clarendon Vale, Rokeby, Lauderdale, Acton and Clifton Beach. The challenges of generational unemployment and relative poverty experienced in some of the school’s feeder suburbs contribute to Rokeby High’s classification as a "needy" school. 

The school faces these challenges through inclusion, innovation, flexibility and teacher excellence. Staff at Rokeby first approached TCGL about the ruMAD? Program in 2007, as a means of engaging students in learning and improving outcomes.

Over the last few years Rokeby High had already developed partnerships with a variety of organisations, including: the Anglican Parish of Sandford; 20 businesses in the Mornington Industrial estate; Clarence City Council; Beacon Foundation; Rokeby Cricket Club; Lauderdale Basketball Club; and Clarence United Soccer Club. Most of these were part of the Beacon Foundation's No Dole program that equips students with the skills to identify and access appropriate employment opportunities, further training and education.

Read more about Rokeby High's MAD projects in 2009...


ruMAD? Youth Action Conference 2009

At the 2009 Youth Action Conference  in September, Rokeby students prepared a display of their MAD activities and spoke about this with students from other schools and guests including the Lord Mayor, representatives of community organisations, and politicians. They also participated in workshops on a range of social issues (such as poverty & homelessness, human rights, transitional communities, and youth health) with campaigners from national and local NGOs.

Another group of Rokeby High students from the catering classes took on the role of hosts for the conference and impressed everyone with their competence and friendliness. Thanks to Carolyn Martyn from Rokeby High who acted as supervisor and mentor for the day.

Rokeby High is hoping to host the the 2010 Conference at the school.

Read more about the conferences...


Rokeby ruMAD? Day 2009

On November 26 the whole school ran a hugely successful ruMAD? Day to celebrate their MAD activities and raise funds for local and global projects. The day was attended by a record number of parents. Student activities during the day included a number of fair-style sideshows they had created themselves: apple-bobbing, wet the teacher, hotdog-eating and vortex-throwing competitions, a raffle of donated goods, and a plant nursery stall, to name just a few.

In the evening a hungi was cooked with the help of members of the Maori community, to celebrate ethnic diversity through food. There was also a very successful fashion parade and art auction, where student artworks went ‘under the hammer’ alongside pieces by renowned Tasmanian artists. Instead of bidding in dollars, participants bid that they would pay a chicken, blanket, toilet, or some other item for a poor community, using the Oxfam ‘Unwrapped’ gift catalogue – and raised over $3,800!

“It’s just brilliant! If you look around and you see the looks on people’s faces, I guess the biggest reward any teacher can ever get out of their career is what’s happening out there. You look around and you see kids that are participating – they’ve generated this, it’s not me – this is the community, this is kids spreading the word to their community, and the whole community coming together.”  
Peter Veness, Rokeby High ruMAD? coordinator, during MAD Day


From the Principal...

"Our school has gained tremendously from this. First of all, it was probably one of the bravest things we’ve done in terms of taking something across the whole school. We found that was difficult in the first few months of the year, but there was a point in time where it blossomed right across the whole school and the students understood what it was about, especially the concept that they created – of us connecting ourselves better with the community – and they developed an understanding of how what they do, can also reach out to the outside world. So it was part of their learning about connecting themselves with the community better and also learning about the rest of the world and thinking about that, developing their empathy.
 
It’s been a marvellous concept, it’s been a big journey, and it hasn’t always been smooth running... But there was a point in time ... and it was probably about 5 weeks ago when the children started to grab hold of this and just run with it and they took over. In fact, they took over so much we struggled to keep up with them! Because they were forever coming to us saying, “I’ve got to write this letter to this organisation!” or “I’ve got to talk to these radio stations, I’ve got to try to get these sponsors...” And so we were busily checking and editing their work and helping them do it, but they were off and running!

I think the teachers really demonstrated the good skills of teamwork we often talk about in education – they demonstrated those to each other. They pitched in and worked and did it rather than just talking about it, and I think they’ve got a lot of satisfaction from it.

It’s one of the most powerful programs I've ever seen in a school, and primarily I'm saying that because I've experienced it... When you experience it and see what it's done for our children and how we're building more positive community and connectedness – it’s very impressive. Quite frankly we wouldn’t have done a day like this 5 years ago. We may have been too concerned about all the things that could go wrong rather than getting on and making it happen. I feel we have come along way as a school.

We can run a day like this where the children have taken control, and every staff member is relaxed. They’re totally engaged, they've generated the activities, they've worked hard...

And there’s little groups of Grade 8 boys who’ve been running their own fundraising exercises – there’s one where you’ve got to run a ball down a particular hole to get a prize, and they’ve spent 6 weeks in MDT making that machine with their own hands, and they’ve used it to raise money here today for these causes who they’ve nominated. That’s a classic example."

Steve lists the benefits to Rokeby High resulting from the ruMAD? Program as:

• Empowerment of students: student initiated learning has resulted in the highest levels of engagement with learning evident in the school for over a decade.
• Organisation of the ruMAD? Day focussing on community connectedness and supporting people in overseas countries living in poverty has ‘lifted’ thinking and awareness of the outside world, unified students, ‘softened’ the school culture (through development of empathy and compassion), and most importantly enabled students to have fun.

• Student attendance rates at Rokeby High School have slowly but continuously shown improvement during 2009. A key theme of the ruMAD? Program in our school is connectedness. In particular, younger students have demonstrated increased ownership of their school and senior school students have demonstrated leadership, proficient organisational skills, increased levels of commitment and an understanding of the ‘local’ and ‘wider’ world.
• ruMAD? has provided a real framework for personalised learning as individuals and groups of students have negotiated and developed learning projects with teachers.
• The program has enhanced teamwork and a positive culture amongst the staff.
• Community links are being developed to a level not seen for over a decade. These links include businesses, parents and grandparents, local organisations eg. Clarence Council and more families are being connected with what is happening in our school.”
   

From the students and teachers...

“I've enjoyed it heaps. I've learnt that we're really fortunate in Australia with what we have - there are other people way worse off - and that I can make a difference myself just by doing a few small things.” Grade 10 student

“I think I got more students actively participating in class discussion activities than I get in nearly anything else I've done all year, so it has been really positive... The main positive that I see, for me, is that some kids that are quite active and really at times difficult to manage, they've just focussed, and I don't see that very often. If there's one positive, it's realistic learning and they focus their attention. And today, with the success they're having, I'm just so proud of them all, that's why I'll do it again next year.” Grade 8 teacher

“It’s been an amazing journey for a lot of them, and it’s been an amazing journey for me, so the rewards are twofold – it’s not one group benefitting; all people are benefitting.” Grade 9/10 teacher