St James school up for sustainability honour

SEBASTOPOL’S St James Parish Primary School has been named a finalist in two categories of the ResourceSmart awards for sustainability in schools.

St James’ students and staff are up for the Community Leadership School of the Year and Curriculum Leadership School of the Year awards in the primary school section.

Pupils learn about sustainability across subjects and classes, and STEAM students aim to assess the Yarrowee River’s health as part of the River Detectives initiative.

Staff at St James have also partnered with the University of Melbourne to deliver some of these programs.

St James has its own student-designed Sustainable Living Strategy which was presented to councillors and officers at the City of Ballarat.

Sustainability Victoria director regions and community action, Katie Pahlow said the 2024 awards theme is, ‘Legendary Legacies – what will you leave behind?

“The theme is a celebration of the outstanding work achieved by the hundreds of Victorian schools that have been part of the ResourceSmart Schools program,” she said.

“These schools are not only making a difference now but they’re leaving a legacy for the next generation through their sustainability endeavours.

“The ResourceSmart Schools Awards is an opportunity to recognise the tremendous achievements of the teachers, students, school staff and the wider community who are creating a sustainable future.”

ResourceSmart Schools is a State Government initiative aiming to support educators and children to boost biodiversity, live greenly, limit waste, and energy and water use. About 1600 schools across the state have taken part so far.

The ResourceSmart Schools Awards have been led by Sustainability Victoria for 15 years, and 22 schools are finalists across the categories.

Successful schools will be announced at a presentation at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in June.