By Laura Michell
Greenvale residents have spent more than 26 years lobbying for a secondary school to be built in their suburb. Their dedication to the cause paid off on Tuesday morning as Greenvale Secondary College welcomed its first students.
The community began lobbying for the school in the mid-1990s. Land on the corner of Barrymore Road and Glencairn Drive was set aside for the school more than 10 years ago but a commitment to building the school wasn’t delivered until 2018.
School principal Mark Natoli said staff and students were all “super excited to be part of a new school”.
“It is such an opportunity for [students] to not only have brand new school facilities but to also work with us to get the culture of the school. That is something not every student … gets the opportunity to do.”
The school will only welcome year 7 students this year and will add to its student cohort in the coming years.
Mr Natoli said the teachers were focused on helping the students settle into secondary school after two years of interrupted learning.
“We have thought about it from the prospective that this cohort of students has had two years of remote learning,” he said.
“Some will be nervous… some will be excited to be back in school.
“We want to make it as positive an experience as possible.”
Mr Natoli said interest in the school had exceeded the Department of Education’s expectations.
“There has been a really good level of interest from families in terms of enrolments,” he said.
“We are looking forward to getting to know the community.”
In a social media post on Monday, Yuroke MP Ros Spence paid tribute to the Greenvale community for it tireless lobbying to have the school built.
“A big thank you to all the local residents who have worked with me and helped ensure this important new facility will finally serve Greenvale families,” she said.
