Since 2016, Grade 9 students at WAB have been taking part in 'Infinity Week', which as the name suggests is a week where students can explore an infinite number of interests and passions. The aim is to give students the option to try something completely new, get a taste for self-directed learning ahead of the Grade 10 Personal Project, and encourage making a positive impact in the community.
This year, for the first time, students have the option between off-campus projects focusing on six different themes and on-campus projects based on any topic of interest. Off-campus options include working with the hearing-impaired community and learning sign language, volunteering at an animal shelter & creating awareness-raising campaigns, learning about sustainability by visiting a zero-waste school and volunteering at a local thrift store, working with children at a Leukemia ward school, and learning about urban farming and biodiversity.
Angelia Crouch, WAB's Global Citizenship Coordinator is particularly excited about the off-campus offerings this year. In the latest episode of the WAB Podcast, she explains:
"I was really excited by the types of things that kids chose to spend their time doing. It says a lot about our students at WAB that giving 14-year-olds a whole week to do something, and seeing that just about every single one of them are meaningful. And we did want them to think about not just 'me' but 'we' in their planning and in how they were going to collaborate with their peers."
Those students choosing to stay on campus are also delving into a fascinating and diverse range of topics, covering everything from music and filmmaking, to storytelling to disease research and more. They get to work on projects individually or in groups and take complete ownership of their learning.
Also joining this week's podcast are High School Vice Principal Brent Abrahams, who started Infinity Week seven years ago, and Holly Rogers, the Grade Level Learning Leader for Grade 9. The conversation explores how infinity week came about, the learning outcomes it aims to achieve and the exciting projects students will be working on.
Tune in to our podcast for an in-depth exploration of Infinity Week and the upcoming community event featuring presentations by Grade 9 students. Keep an eye on WAB Weekly for details about the event.
