AC Project Week

Rules for the March Project

1. Rules for the March Project

All students are required to choose a suitable project. It should last for at least six days, except for second years where at least four days is required. You should try to ensure that you choose three very different types of project during your two years at Atlantic College. It is desirable that at least one of them should be of a service nature. Projects may be either staff organised or individually organised.

1. Staff Organised Projects

Several members of staff organise projects. These will be advertised well in advance. Please sign down in the appropriate place after having given it serious thought, as it is annoying for staff if names keep getting changed, but be prepared to be disappointed as some are often oversubscribed. I have asked all staff members organising projects to provide me with the names of all students taking part so that I can publish a list by Friday, 1st February. If your name appears on this list, you should not complete a project form.

2. Individual Projects

If your name is not on the staff organised lists, you will need to obtain a Project Form from the SCO and return the completed form to the SCO by 17.00 on Monday, 11th February.

A GOOD PROJECT should have a clear aim. It should be of educational value, be well planned and organised, show initiative and be adventurous (in either the physical and/or mental sense). It must be safe and should be carefully costed to fall within the costing guidelines. It should also be enjoyable.

You should discuss your ideas with your academic tutor but you will also need to have a Project Tutor. The Project Tutor must be a member of staff who can actually take responsibility for your project. He or she will need to make sure that it is adequately prepared and supervised as a written a comment is made for your end of term report. To assist your tutor you may be required to produce a written report at the end of the project, although for certain projects this may consist of some "product" rather than a written report.

For reasons of fairness, you should not plan on going home (unless your Houseparents strongly support you for special reasons). Equally, your project should not be expensive. The total cost, excluding the food allowance you can claim for each night spent away on project, must not exceed £120. Projects must take place in the British Isles unless officially organised by a staff member, or, unless it is specifically to develop language skills in a foreign language you are taking for the IB, in which case, your Project Tutor must be your Language B teacher and it must have my agreement before any tickets are booked. An official form must be obtained from the SCO in this case. No student should be prevented from doing a worthwhile project due to lack of funds and there is a small amount of money available for those who are genuinely needy. If you feel this applies to you, please discuss this directly with your Houseparents as soon as possible.

To help you get your mind working and to plan ahead, here is a list of some past successful individual projects:

1. Working in an old people's home; nursery school; primary school in an immigrant neighbourhood; hospital; home for the physically disadvantaged.
2. "Work shadowing" a doctor in a hospital; a lawyer; a bank manager; a vet etc.
3. Following a route along a coastal/inland path, staying in youth hostels along the way.
4. Academic research not connected with your normal work in a subject of your choice, either at College or elsewhere.
5. Learning a new skill.
6. Studying a new religion.
7. Touring on a bicycle.

THE DEADLINE FOR HANDING IN THE FORM TO THE SCO IS MONDAY, 11TH FEBRUARY.
Failure to meet this deadline without an extremely good reason will mean that you will incur my wrath and will be allocated automatically to a project of my choice. I hope this will not be necessary!

Have a really enjoyable project.