By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
THE VCAL students responsible for constructing a fire-resistant garden at their school in case of an emergency have been praised by the State Government.
The group of eight students from Narre Warren South P-12 College were awarded the VCAL Foundation Team Achievement award last month by Education Minister Martin Dixon at a special ceremony held at Deakin Edge in Federation Square.
It’s the 14th state VCAL award won by the college since 2006.
Assistant principal Rob Duncan commended the students on their success after starting the garden project as year 10 students in 2013.
“It was called the Get Involved project and the end product was a fire resistant garden which the students built behind our science block and which is there now with a plaque,” Mr Duncan said.
“This group of eight kids put in the design and built the garden.
“They got it all costed, worked out how to get money and the City of Casey chipped in to put it all together.
“It took the students the best part of a term to actually build it and it probably took them a few weeks to design it, in conjunction with the City of Casey, to see what plants would be fire tolerant and what wouldn’t go up in flames.”
The students also worked in partnership with Victoria Police, the State Emergency Service and the Country Fire Authority to develop the garden.
The aim of the project was to educate young people about volunteering and the opportunities to contribute to community life as well as enhancing their ability to respond in times of an emergency, Mr Duncan said.
“I’m really pleased with the work these kids have done, and the teachers involved did a great job with them,” he said.
“I’m proud of how far the group has come and it’s representative of a broader VCAL cohort.
“It’s a really proud moment for our school. Every one of those kids has grown incredibly.”
