School receives spoilsfor garden toils

AFTER a year of putting their green thumbs to work, staff and students at St James’ Parish Primary School are celebrating their new garden with back-to-back state wins.

The institution’s new native habitat and play space, named Our Common Home, was honoured with multiple accolades in the Victorian Schools Garden Program’s annual awards, including the state, and south western regional gongs, and the Kevin Heinze Perpetual Award.

Students were presented with the accolades during a ceremony in November, and the school’s STEAL and classroom teacher Claire Lay said the recognition was incredible for them after months of development.

“It was all about the kids,” she said. “They got up and received the awards. It was a very special day for them.

“When I spoke to the people at the presentation, they said it was because of our whole-school approach of how we care for the planet.”

Ms Lay, who co-facilitated the project alongside colleague Maree Reus, said the students’ personal acceptance of the award represented the breadth of their involvement in the project.

“It was all the students,” she said. “We began the year by asking our children what they want our outdoor space to be.

“From prep to grade 6, they all brainstormed, and most came up with a similar idea that they wanted to a rock river running through it to represent the Yarrowee River.

“They wanted a bush hut, bridge, frog bog, lizard lounge. All the work, the ideas, the labour has come from them.”

With donations from the City of Ballarat, and assistance from teachers and parents including supplying excavating equipment, the space is currently home to about 300 plants.

Complete with an outdoor classroom space with blackboard, tables, and chairs included, Ms Lay said the project has elevated what was already a much-loved space.

“It’s become a place where the children go and take a lot of their learning out there with nature,” she said.

“It always was an area they went but their level of respect is so much more evident. I’ve taken groups outside to just sit and do their writing. It’s being used for multiple curriculum areas.

“I think we’re just going to keep rewilding St james, planting and creating a world for all sorts of creatures in our yard space.”

The school community showed off the new space as part of an opening and blessing event earlier this month.