By Eleanor Wilson
The third and final part of a multi-million dollar upgrade to Hampton Park Secondary College has commenced, with artist renderings providing a sneak peek into the future facilities at the school.
Eight million dollars will be injected into stage three of the school’s upgrades, which will refurbish its science area, and establish a wellness centre and a house administration building.
It’s part of a $14 million investment by the State Government into the school’s stage one, two and three upgrades to improve facilities and student learning.
Stage one works kicked off back in 2018, which invested $2.62 million to refurbish and modernise classrooms and create a senior learning centre.
Late last year saw the completion of the second stage of the upgrades – a $3.9 million science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) centre at the school.
The centre features state-of-the-art technologies including a 3D printer, plasma and laser cutters and robotics and engineering equipment available for students to utilise.
“The school was built in the mid-‘80s and things have changed in society and in education a lot since then, so it’s a matter of reshaping the learning spaces to match the way that our world has evolved, but also the way teaching and learning is undertaken,” Hampton Park Secondary College principal Wayne Haworth said.
In November, a builder was appointed to commence works on the final stage of the project, which will construct a wellness centre, refurbish science classrooms and establish a house administration building.
Narre Warren South MP Gary Maas, who assisted in securing funding for the project, said it was fantastic to see stage three of the works moving forward.
“The recent artist renderings show what the school community has to look forward to with improved learning spaces and facilities,” Mr Maas said.
“I thank principal Wayne Haworth and his team for helping to guide the school community through the phases of construction as they look forward to the benefits of these upgrades and how they will support teachers and deliver the best education possible for the students.”
Mr Haworth said he hopes the establishment of a wellness centre will promote a “holistic approach to wellness”.
“We have a great team here supporting wellbeing and we needed to provide a facility to match.
“Particularly in the post-Covid period, where mental health has been a challenge and everyone has been challenged in different ways.”
The school currently has an onsite GP for four hours a week and employs a registered nurse, visiting psychologists, counsellors and speech pathologist to support students in their wellbeing.
“Holistically, we’ve got a suite of professionals that can help students based upon what their needs are,” Mr Haworth said.
The wellness centre and science area upgrades are expected to be finished later this year, with hopes for the entire project to complete in late 2024.
