Gerald Lynch
Two Hume and Whittlesea schools are in the running to win ResourceSmart Schools Awards next month.
Aitken College in Greenvale has been nominated as a finalist in three categories of the 2024 ResourceSmart Schools Awards.
The college is vying for the secondary school titles of Community Leadership School of the Year, Curriculum Leadership School of the Year, and Teacher of the Year.
Aitken College students are engaged in many projects that support local biodiversity including Melbourne Water’s Liveable Communities, Liveable Waterways Program.
Environmental science students created habitats for endangered species such as the Golden Sun Moth, while year 10 agriculture students investigated alternative methods of horticulture, which led the school to purchase a hydroponic system.
The college is engaged with Hume council’s Seedlings for Schools and Flick the Switch initiatives and students also collect plastic bottles for recycling with local community and businesses through the Precious Plastics Program.
Aitken College sustainability and agriculture co-ordinator Dwayne Ganci is nominated for Teacher of the Year.
He founded the sustainability committee, co-ordinated the school’s inaugural sustainability week and championed national environmental initiatives such as clean up days and Earth Hour.
Bundoora Secondary College has also been nominated as a finalist in the 2024 ResourceSmart Schools Awards for its sustainability efforts.
In contention for the title of Community Leadership School of the Year, the nomination rewards the college’s continued commitment to sustainable practices, having been a ResourceSmart School since 2015.
The 2024 nomination celebrates the school’s involvement in environmental projects, including tree planting days in partnership with the local council, supporting endangered species by participating in Zoos Victoria’s Fighting Extinction program, and incorporating First Nations perspectives into the curriculum.
This year’s winners will be announced at an awards ceremony at the MCG on June 4.
Deatils: www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/resourcesmart-schools-awards-2024-finalists
