St Mary’s Primary School is working toward official recognition as a Fighting Extinction School – an initiative led by Melbourne Zoo that celebrates student-driven conservation.
While not formally partnered yet, the school is currently applying to the program.
“Our students have been highly engaged in learning about critically endangered Australian animals,” STEM specialist teacher Kayla Borg said.
“This engagement stems from the relevance of the topic to our local environment and where the students live.”
A key area of focus at the school has been in animal conservation, with a particular focus on the Victorian grassland earless dragon.
The tiny reptile, rediscovered in 2023 after fears it had vanished forever, has captured the imagination of students learning about endangered species in Australia.
“Our students are currently working on some amazing projects that we will be submitting to the zoo as part of this initiative,” Ms Borg explained.
“We chose the earless dragon because it was rediscovered in 2023 and Melbourne Zoo is putting in a lot of research and time to help discover more earless dragons and help save this species.”
The project has taken on real-world meaning with a fundraising push.
The students are pooling their pocket money to buy special earless dragon tote bags from Melbourne Zoo’s gift shop, with all proceeds going directly to conservation efforts.
“Our students are bringing their money in and then we are going to buy as many bags as we can to raise money,” Ms Borg said.
“We have focused on endangered Australian animals where they need to identify ways that we can help protect them. They are beginning to understand how important it is to protect our Australian habitats as these are home to endangered animals.
“They will be creating some writing, pictures and designs to show their support for the endangered animals.”
