The college is located in a multicultural area of the city, and the 2000 students that attend represent over 85 different cultures.
The language programs on offer place great emphasis on the local community, offering students authentic learning opportunities.
All students on the Findon campus, from Kindergarten to Year 6, study Italian, while Years 7 to 12 at the Flinders Park Campus may choose between Japanese and Italian.
During the last Adelaide Italian Festival in 2021, the school collaborated with Italian Radio 531AM and an idea was born.
Teachers and students came together to facilitate hosting the weather forecast segment at the school.
The first segment was very well received and the initiative garnered praise for involving the younger generations in the Italo-Australian community.
The segment is produced entirely from the school’s resources and involves the Year 11 music classes, guided by Jessica Joyce and Wesley Brice, who helped to create the theme song, Che Tempo Fa?.
“The radio segment is a fantastic opportunity for our students to connect with the Italo-Australian community and to use what they have learned in language lessons to provide relevant and current information to the wider community,” Italian teacher Grace Gava said.
“Italian Radio 531AM airs live from radio studios, has an App and is available online, which means that our weather program reaches a variety of listeners from different generations.”
The forecasts are recorded twice a week - on Mondays and Thursdays – on podcasting equipment provided by the school, which also includes radio-style microphones, so that students can hear themselves 'on the air'.
Recording takes place at the Flinders Park campus every Monday, and at the Findon Campus every second Thursday, so as to involve all year groups.
Overall, the school teaches Italian to 383 secondary students and 650 primary students.
“The idea is to slowly involve all students in the recordings, ” Gava explained.
Students can volunteer to help with the recordings through an online platform, booking themselves in.
Ada Skalonja, a student learning Italian, is enthusiastic about the segment.
“I look forward to participating in the radio program,” she said.
“It’s a great opportunity to put my ability to speak Italian into practice!
“It’s also nice to be part of the younger generation that keeps the Italian language alive within the community.”
Another Italian student, Lauren Logozzo, who is also interested in music, helped to write the theme song.
“I wanted the theme song to be lively and captivating for all listeners,” she said.
“With the help of my music class and other students, the jingle turned out brilliantly.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to be able to collaborate on a project like this, and the idea that so many people listen to our theme song makes me very proud.”