Phoenix gets tutor and sporting boosts

STUDENTS at Phoenix P-12 Community College will benefit from funding injections to both the school’s sporting facilities and tutoring program.

On behalf of the State Government, Member for Buninyong Michaela Settle turned the first sod on the site on Friday and officially started construction on the new $11.7 million sports hub.

Set to include two new indoor courts, two outdoor tennis courts with tiered bleacher seating and landscaping works, Principal of Phoenix P-12 Karen Snibson said it will become an asset for not only the school, Basketball Ballarat but also the wider city.

“It will provide indoor sports opportunities that cater for demand right now,” she said.

“Our partnership with Ballarat Basketball is strong, we are aligned in our beliefs about creating sporting opportunities for our community.”

Phoenix school captain Tahlia Watts added, “It’s awesome that the school’s not only building this for the school and the kids here but for everyone around it, it’s definitely going to draw a lot of attraction.”

Once Harris HMC Constructions finish the build, Basketball Ballarat will use of all four basketball courts which Neville Ivey CEO of sporting association said is what they’ve been lobbying for.

“Our goal is to take basketball, netball, and volleyball into the new centre,” he said.

“This will allow us to offer new programs and competitions in the biggest growth areas of Ballarat in the coming years.”

In addition to the new construction, the Victorian Government also provided $644,575 in funding to support 12 full-time and part-time tutors to help Phoenix students with their studies.

“The tutor initiative is an invaluable investment in the education of our students. We are pleased to have our tutors employed and already working with our students,” Ms Snibson said.

“We see this as a tremendous strategy in assisting all students to progress strongly out of COVID.”

As a student representative currently utilising the tutor program, Ms Watts said it’s important for the students to not only extend their skills within the classroom but also out of it.

“It’s key that we’re building relationships with our teachers but also having relationships with the tutors that we’ve been so luckily gifted,” she said.