Rope Projects - Student Information

Your ROPE (Right of Passage Experience) is intended to be a culminating experience for your time at Sacred Heart School. As such, it requires serious work and preparation on your part. Most importantly, though, it should be an opportunity for you to carefully and prayerfully reflect on how you have grown as a person and as a Christian during your time here and to set goals for high school.

Your presentation should address four important areas:

  1. In what way have I developed my character during my time here at Sacred Heart School (one way)?
  2. What specific things have I learned, read, experienced, or done here at school that helped me to develop this part of my character?
  3. What is my personal goal for four years from now (including two or three practical steps that you will take to reach this goal). This goal does not have to be connected to the first part of your presentation.
  4. How do I demonstrate the SLE’s (Schoolwide Learning Expectations) in my words and actions? Pleas select one SLE from each section (#1-4) to discuss in your presentation.

As you begin to prepare your ROPE project you should:

  •  Write down everything that you think you might include in your presentation.
  • Put each idea onto a note card/slide. Each note card/slide should include just one idea (e.g., your topic, one specific way that you developed your character, your four-year goal).
  • Arrange the note cards/slides into some kind of logical order.
  • Eliminate excess cards/slides (and the ideas written on them). If an idea does not contribute to helping your audience understand who you are, how you have grown here at school, and what you want to accomplish, leave it off. You may also want to eliminate cards/slides if the presentation becomes too long (more than 20 minutes).
  • Turn each note card/slide into a Power Point or Sway presentstion. Each slide should contain a word or two, a brief quote, a picture, or some other short focus. The slide should be a starting point from which you will talk. DO NOT crowd your slide with information and then just read it to the audience.
  • Your presentation should be stories about you.
  • When putting together your presentation, avoid using sounds and special effects that do not enhance your presentation. Often the sounds and special effects detract more form a presentation than they add to it. Use them sparingly.
  • Use props, music, etc. sparingly as well. Ask yourself before including something: Does this make my presentation easier to understand? Does this make my presentation more clearly about me as a unique individual? If you can answer “yes”, then include it. Otherwise, leave it out.
  • Once you have your presentation put together, rehearse it a few times. If possible, ask a friend or someone else to watch your presentation and give you feedback. Don’t over-rehearse. Your presentation should be a story about you. Know clearly what you will present, but you don’t need to try to memorize word for word what you will say.
  • Based on the feedback you receive from others and your own experience, make any needed changes to the presentation.
  • You should not cover every year that you have attended SHS. However, any part of your time here at the school may be included.
  • You should dress nicely for your presentation. This is a formal presentation, and you should treat it as such.
  • A computer display and adapter will be available for you. You should bring your presentation on a thumb drive and save it to One Drive. You must you have made arrangements ahead of time if you will be using a Mac or any other technology in your presentation.
  • You may invite family members and teachers to your presentation (including siblings who attend SHS). Please make sure to invite teachers as early as possible and understand that they may not be able to attend all of the presentations to which they are invited. You must also let the school know at least two days in advance if you plan to have more than 6 people attend your presentation.