MOSSGIEL Park Primary has received a $500 prize for its Anzac Day commemorations.
The Endeavour Hills school was the Victorian runner-up in the Anzac Day Schools Awards primary school division.
Senator Mitch Fifield visited the school on Monday to present a certificate and plaque to Mossgiel’s Anzac Project co-ordinator Louise Rezel.
Ms Rezel said it was the first time the school had entered the competition, and that Anzac Day commemorations allowed the children to learn and reflect on the men and women involved in World War I and all conflicts since.
Preps read the picture book Anzac Biscuits by Phil Cummings and then made Anzac biscuits in their kitchen, and the juniors and 3LR walked up to the Endeavour Hills cenotaph to pay their respects and lay wreaths.
Ms Rezel said the whole school commemorated the day with a special service that included readings, poems, the Last Post, a slideshow and a rendition of The Last Anzacs.
“This ceremony was respectful and reflective which created a mood of sorrow, understanding and pride,” she said.
The judges said they were impressed by the standard of planning and consideration of how the Anzac spirit could be introduced across all school levels.
Veterans’ Affairs Minister and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Centenary of Anzac Michael Ronaldson said “an understanding of service and sacrifice will live on in future generations of Australians thanks to the commitment of these primary and secondary schools”.
