Here at OYIS, the Personal Project is a huge part of the Grade 10 experience, and I’m incredibly proud and lucky to get to help students achieve their goals. Each personal project consists of a learning goal and a product goal. To give an example of the process, a student might first decide that they want to write a series of short stories, then decide that their learning goal is to study Japanese folklore and horror story conventions in order to create that product. Or a student might first decide that they want to research waste management programs in the city, then decide that their product is to create a composting system at the school for lunch leftovers. Over the next few months, the students will develop an action plan, conduct research, and write their own success criteria for their product. Finally, the students write a (lengthy) report and evaluate their product themselves, using their own criteria. It is an in-depth process and is necessary to create the sort of learners that will be successful going forward in the Diploma Programme.