Ribbon cut on Mt Rowan upgrades

MOUNT Rowan Secondary College received special guests last week to announce the completion of years-long capital works at the school.

Minister for Education, James Merlino, official opened on stage two of the State Government’s $3.6 million overhaul of the school’s facilities.

Having last visited the grounds in 2018, Mr Merlino said both the students and teachers will benefit from the “transforming” of the school.

“What we wanted to deliver at Mount Rowan were facilities that match the quality of your teaching,” he said.

“We know the most important thing is the quality of teaching, but the design, construction, and new spaces make it easier to teach and easier to learn.”

The upgrades include a new administration building alongside new landscaping and flagpoles, re-surfaced tennis courts, and upgraded fencing, lighting and outdoor furniture.

More works will be developed later in the year including further landscaping, painting, and additional outdoor furniture and fencing.

Mount Rowan Secondary principal Seona Murnane said the upgrades are “amazing,” and she’s already pushing for the next stage of developments to make the school even better.

“It’s been 10 years since I’ve been here, and I used to be really embarrassed about taking people on a tour because I didn’t think that our school was looking great for the students,” she said.

“But now I’m really happy about taking people on tours and having guests. We’ve got matching furniture, we’ve got technology in rooms, and we’ve got clean and tidy spaces.

“I’m beginning to plan ahead and think about the future of how we can make it better for the students who are going to be joining us in the future as well.”

The upgrades expand upon the State Government’s previous $12 million developments for the school, which modernised the performance and VCE centres, canteen, music rooms, toilets and sports courts.