Esteemed in history, Moorabbin Primary School No. 1111 dating back to 1875 was announced as the recipient of the 2016 Kevin Heinze Perpetual Award for school garden excellence at the Victorian Schools Garden Awards (VSGA) ceremony.
Moorabbin’s grounds, once a barren underutilised facility has been transformed into an indigenous habitat, with frog friendly gardens, productive zones, fruit orchards and a chicken coup, changing their outdoor spaces into stimulating learning opportunities for the 245 students who attend the school and partake in weekly sustainability classes.
Over 300 students attended the VSGA Presentation Ceremony held in the beautiful and ideal surrounds of the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne to celebrate their gardening achievements. In excess of $40,000 worth of prizes was distributed amongst the winning schools to continue the growth of their gardens.
Ms Judith Graley MP, Parliamentary Secretary for the Minister of Education, presented the state and perpetual awards along with Paul Crowe OAM, VSGA patron and co-founder.
The VSGA program which will celebrate its 40th anniversary next year has a long history of encouraging schools to consider their outdoor spaces as an important facet for learning, acting as classrooms for hands on education while improving student health and well-being. It also acts as a vehicle for getting children involved in gardening and creates awareness of future employment opportunities in horticulture and environmental industries.
“We would love 2017 to be even bigger”, explains VSGA Chairman Craig Taberner, “I encourage all schools to get involved – it is simple, apply for a grant or enter for an award”.
Click here for 2016 VSGA Award Winners