At Orange High School Terry Baker’s year nine students are living the dream.
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Instead of spending long periods in class staring at complicated equations they may or may not ever use again, the students are running, juggling and uni-cycling their way through a circus routine.
Mr Baker is the head teacher of personal development, health and physical education at Orange High School, and is also the teacher – or ringmaster – of the Orange High School circus skills class, which is called PIPS.
Mr Baker said PIPS – which doesn’t stand for anything, it’s just called PIPS – started as an extra-curricular activity while he was a student.
“I moved away to teach, and came back about eight years ago,” he said.
“By then the PIPS class was part of the curriculum, and has been for at least 12 years.
“We've had 12 years of the course, which has included health and fitness, gymnastic aerial routines and trapeze.”
For the past few years, the class has culminated in a show at storytime at the Orange City Library, when students choreograph their own routine and perform it in front of children.
“It's the time to incorporate circus skills, gymnastics, performing. All the choreography has been done by the kids, and it fits in with the library program,” Mr Baker said.
“This is my first time at the library, so it's a little bit new to me, but it'll be fun and a good way for the kids to show off their skills.”
They will play three shows this year, from December 5 to December 7.
However, this will be the last year PIPS runs as a year-long elective for year nine students, as Mr Baker said the numbers had gone down and many students were more interested in the physical activities and sports studies course.
“In a way [it is sad], we'll continue to teach the syllabus as part of the physical activity and sports syllabus, but it won't be all about PIPS. We'll still get the chance to do circus skills, but not as much,” he said.
“It's been a great subject, with physical activity that's a really hands-on subject that lets kids learn in a different way.”