Own goals are a laughing matter

By Sarah Schwager
A NEW look at the Year nine program at Cranbourne Secondary College has moved into its second year with plenty of success.
Year nine students were rapt when comedian and radio host Declan Fay turned up at the school earlier this month to talk to the kids about goal setting and doing their best.
The Triple J presenter, who also writes for Rove Live, enthralled students in his motivational speech, which he has performed at more than 300 schools around Australia and New Zealand.
The new Year nine program was spearheaded last year as a way of engaging students in their learning process.
The program features team teaching with combined classes and two or three teachers.
One of the coordinators of the program, Paul Evans, said last year’s program had a lot of success, with students having access to more intellectual resources and teachers able to share the load.
Mr Evans said they had also learnt from their mistakes to make this year’s program even better.
He said the talk by Fay was a huge success.
“He gave an entertaining talk on goal setting and doing your best. For over an hour the kids were captivated and roaring with laughter,” he said.
“It was then followed by a barbecue and Declan Fay stayed around and then spoke to the kids individually.”
Mr Evans said the course helped students better prepare for Year 10 and gave them a break from traditional teaching, with most eager to tackle the more structured environment of the VCE.