Emily Hinchliffe
As a 13-year-old student, I am excited about the prospect of participating in a program that offers me the opportunity to explore the world and gain exposure to different perspectives, cultures, and ways of life. I believe this experience would be incredibly rewarding, although challenging, as it would enable me to grow and develop beyond the influence of my family. One of the things that excite me most about this program is the potential to develop a new perspective on various issues, such as what makes a great school. For example, having the chance to switch schools for a week could help me appreciate the little things that can make or break a school’s culture. Having been at All Saints College for just over a year, and in comparison to the public primary school I attended, I have come to appreciate the factors that contribute to a school’s success and have some ideas on what can limit or benefit a student’s development and schooling experience. As I embark on this program, I am eager to learn from John Paul College’s values, operations, and student outcomes to improve my own understanding of what makes a great school. I believe that this experience will allow me to gain insight into the best practices that schools use to achieve their goals and help me identify ways to improve All Saints College. I am excited to apply the lessons I learn to develop innovative ideas that can be shared with both schools to create even better student outcomes.
We live in a two-storey house within walking distance to All Saints College – I walk to school most days (it only takes 7 minutes) unless I have 7 am swimming squad training (which isn’t very often thankfully)! My Mum works from home and walks with me to school most days, and is always around to help out. Our house would be perfect for an exchange student – I don’t have any siblings, so I am lucky enough to have my own bedroom plus a second bedroom for my study, and I don’t have to share my bathroom with anyone at the moment – but would happily share with an exchange student of course! They would have plenty of private space to make their own.
My Dad is a part owner of a company, so can work flexible hours to ensure there is always support around when needed. We can offer a supportive environment to learn in. My Dad’s great at helping me with my Maths homework! We have a big dining room table where I do my homework and study each afternoon, so there’s plenty of room to spread out and collaborate on whatever homework we have.
I am very passionate about swimming and netball. I was runner-up MVP in the under 13’s All Saints netball team last year and was also playing games to help out the under 14’s as well. Training is due to start again in the coming weeks. The visiting student can join me in netball training, and maybe even in games if they wanted to! I love swimming and made the interschool team this year, which I’m really proud of. They can join me during swimming – whether it be in my squad or just doing something at their own pace. During school, I will always make sure the student is with me during class and can explain things they don’t understand or haven’t learnt. I can introduce them to all of my friends and the different groups that I interact with at school.
On the weekend, we can take them to Cottesloe beach at night, and have a walk on the beach and watch the sunset over the ocean. We would naturally give them a tour of Perth, and we can take them to the Bell Tower, Perth Mint and anything else they are interested in seeing. We would have to visit Kings Park and show them the view over the city – it’s amazing, and we could also take them to the Chocolate Factory! We could visit Rottnest Island, and try to get a quokka selfie!
While at John Paul College, I would be really excited to join in with all of the student’s classes and activities, no matter what it is. This is the part I’m really excited about – getting exposed to new opportunities and developing new interests in life. I would love to join them in classes and any co-curricular groups they are involved with. I would of course be representing All Saints College in a positive and respectful manner the whole time, in line with the school’s values.
By hosting a student from John Paul College, I would be able to share my own interests and experiences with them, while also learning about their own culture and way of life. This would enable me to broaden my horizons and learn through shared experiences. One of the things I’ve really enjoyed at All Saints College is learning about different religions and belief systems, and our family has always been supportive of everyone’s different religious beliefs and would of course support the needs of an exchange student.
Our family is unique in many different aspects. There are just three of us in our family, my Mum, my Dad and I. We foster cats though, which means more company! My mum puts a lot of effort into an organisation called Perth Rescue Angels. They rescue stray cats and kittens who need homes, ensure they are healthy and have their vet work done, and then find them loving owners. Some cats go quickly, but our two big cats, LouLou and Hazel (1.5 years old), have been at this house for over a year as they were mistreated as kittens and we are very patiently getting them ready for their forever home.
It is always sad to see the kittens we have made connections with go to new homes, but we always have to remember that they now have owners who will love them and take care of them. My Mum recently organised and ran a Bunnings sausage sizzle. The money they made went towards Perth Rescue Angels as it’s a volunteer organisation focussed on the care and correct control of domestic and feral cats. There is a lot more work than you think that has to be done. My Mum had to cut up 20kg of onions! (She had to borrow my swimming goggles). She was very stressed but she did very well in the end. My Mum is a very supportive person and she tries her best at everything. My Dad is the same. He is extremely funny (he told me to write that) and helps me with homework, especially maths.
We would welcome an exchange student with all our hearts. We will put all our effort into making this their second home.
One of the best things about All Saints is how caring the teachers are. My class is called 8W, and it is a kind and supportive class. We would all love to host and learn from an exchange student; it would be really interesting and educational to get their feedback on how All Saints operates. Our teacher, Mrs Kirkham is lovely. She understands the challenges of year 8, what we are going through and the stresses involved – she’s very kind and funny. She’s one of my favourite teachers (tied with Mr Wong). I’m sure the exchange student would feel welcome and supported, but I would take on the responsibility of making this happen, and I would work with every single member of the school community to do the same. We’ve got an amazing class.
Thank you for reading my application. I am very excited about the potential to participate in the exchange program and look forward to sharing my school, my home and our city with a student from John Paul College.