Iona College looks to the future

BURGEONING Armstrong Creek school Iona College is looking forward to a sustained period of exponential growth, as it takes its next steps towards becoming a P-12 college and early learning centre for more than 1500 students.

The school’s foundation students, now in Year 9, welcomed Victorian Senator Sarah Henderson to its grounds on Monday this week to formally open its $5 million Columba building, which was home to classes for their first two years of high school.

The federal government has committed a further $10 million for the school’s next stage, as it continues to grow in step with the surrounding Armstrong Creek and Charlemont communities.

College staff and students helped Senator Henderson unveil a commemorative plaque for the inaugural construction, which principal Damian McKew said represented an important milestone in the school’s young history.

“This (the Columba building) was the first building when we established. We had all our classes out of this, including specialist subjects. We started the contemporary arts in line with what students need in this day and age,” he said.

“It housed the first two years of our existence and will continue to do so.

“We’re very thankful for the support that we’ve received from the Commonwealth. Without that support we’d be unable to be a school.”

Iona’s next building phase will deliver specialist learning spaces for subjects such as science, art and technology, while also housing a library and student services, plus the all-important school canteen.

Iona also has Victorian government support, with the state delivering $5 million for an AFL-standard oval, gymnasium and food technology centre.

Mr McKew said he felt fortunate to be a key figure in the school’s rapid growth as facilities continued to develop to meet local demand.

“I’ve been a principal for 18 years now and it’s the most exciting thing I’ve done,” he said.

“I think that having the opportunity to do that from scratch is something that not many people are able to do. It allows you to let go of traditional structures and dream of what education can be.”

A pipeline of construction in the coming years will eventually create facilities for an early learning centre, primary school and full secondary school.

Official projections have the school’s total enrolment at 1500 students when finished, but Mr McKew said the figure could prove to be a conservative estimate for the rapidly growing area.

Senator Henderson announced the $5 million establishment fund for the school at Horseshoe Bend Road in 2018, and said this week she was excited with its progress from an empty block to a school of almost 600 students.

“This is an enormously growing part of Geelong. We’ve been so impressed to see how Iona College has emerged,” she said.

“It was only a few years ago that I was here when the school purchased the land and what has been achieved has been incredible. It really is a beautiful school.”