2019 ResourceSmart Schools Awards
Congratulations to all the amazing winners of the 20119 ResourceSmart Schools awards.
Student with Craig Reucassel from ABC TV’s War on Waste School of the Year
Winner: Carrum Primary School, Carrum
Sharing is caring: Carrum Primary School inspiring environmental spirit
Surrounded by wetlands and a unique farmlet, and close to long stretches of white sandy beaches, lies Carrum Primary School. This location inspires a love and respect for nature and the school’s
comprehensive learning program sees sustainable practices and knowledge shared with the broader community.
Every year, students guided by Assistant Principal Amanda Carmichael and Learning Specialist Marcus Mulcahy, celebrate a sustainability term devoted to environmental activities across all grades integrating sustainability into the curriculum.
Students learn about sustainability and waste through a kitchen garden program that transforms organic waste into chicken, goat and bird food. Students also recycle food waste from the local supermarket to enrich their compost.
The school leads by example, hosting the Big Green Conference annually, and are regulars in the Mornington Peninsula Environment
Week Showcase, and the Kids Teaching Kids conferences. The school’s ‘Carrum Radio’ program also hosts segments focussed on sustainability.
Carrum also host monthly beach clean-ups and planting activities, earning the support of Kingston City Council.
Sustainability is boosted by developing a solar bank and working with Zoos Victoria, the Dolphin Research Institute, and the Mornington Peninsula Aviculture Society.
With this level of initiative and quality commitment to sustainability it is easy to understand how Carrum Primary School has been
awarded a ResourceSmart 5Star school twice, and earned the title of our 2019 ResourceSmart School of the Year.
Finalists
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Working towards big sustainability ambitions
A nature-based playground adapted to solar energy and water re-usage, a Green Purchase Policy and an annual market day recently accredited as a Waste Wise Event, prove why Colbinabbin Primary School is an exemplary leader in sustainability.
The curriculum includes the study of energy and human impacts on biodiversity and students are encouraged to participate in sustainable challenges to share their ideas with the wider community. With 32 students, one active Green Team, and two teachers, this small 5Star school is making a big difference!
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Transforming the learning process: a win-win
During 2018, St Columba’s Primary School transformed their curriculum with the Operation STEAM Clean the Bay program. The shore became the classroom to pursue citizen science and share indigenous historical and scientific knowledge, whilst improving the environmental health of Port Phillip Bay and encouraging sustainability.
This renewed curriculum, with the help of the Eco Warrior Team – staff and parents included – plus the school’s partnership with the Port Phillip EcoCentre and CERES, brought a much deserved ResourceSmart Schools 5Star certification and a Baykeeper Award.
Campus Infrastructure and Operations School of the Year
Winner: Beaconhills College, Pakenham and Berwick
Energy and infrastructure for champions
Sustainable infrastructure became serious business for Beaconhills College in 2018. They installed a 230kW solar system on top of their
already existing 100kW structure. They designed a green building with sensor lighting, air conditioning, double glazed windows and
installed stormwater toilets. Other features include a wetland with ponds for birds and a lizard lounge, sponsored by Landcare Australia.
This 2 Star ResourceSmart school has lowered their ecological footprint thanks to their Waste to Food program that provides natural fertilizers for school gardens which provide 35% of their canteen’s vegetables. With an extraordinary infrastructure, this school encourages environmental awareness, inspires students and Green Teams across all grades, whilst saving energy and carbon emissions.
Finalists
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Learning process leads to school improvements
An impressive array of 862KwH of solar-generated power with battery storage and a LED installation that covers almost the entire Camberwell Grammar School, significantly decreases energy consumption and sets the ideal context to embed sustainability in to everything they do.
The students assess the school’s data collection processes to improve their sustainability performance. As a result, the school has established multi-recycling streams, with recycling bins, e-waste, and clothing collection points. They also use water storage tanks to water the oval and operate the Junior School toilets.
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Growing a collaborative learning landscape
Indigenous planting that attracts local biodiversity, a frog habitat created by Grade 6 students in collaboration with Newport Indigenous Nursery volunteers, eco bins, as well as worm farm stations and vegetable beds watered with rainwater pumped from tanks are some of Seabrook Primary School’s impressive features.
This 2Star school of 1,000 students embeds sustainability with the assistance of organisations like So Eco and the commitment of a community that created a fun, interactive learning space for its students.
Teacher of the Year (Primary)
Winner: Vanessa Smith, Truganina South Primary School, Truganina
Fostering love and respect for nature by example
Behind Truganina South Primary School’s sustainability approach lies the commitment and enthusiasm of Vanessa Smith. This Science
Teacher advocates for sustainability side by side with her students in events like the 2018 War On Waste March carried out on the school’s oval, the Kids Teaching Kids conferences and Clean Up Australia Day. She looks for sponsors, coordinates activities and promotes sustainability initiatives across social media.
Vanessa motivates the Green Team to diffuse the sustainability message creatively. Entering the Wakakirri Musical Competition with an environmental-inspired performance is a prime example. She is also responsible for embedding sustainability in the school’s
science program.
Her inspiring leadership earned the school a 5Star certification, and to Vanessa, the well-deserved Teacher of the Year distinction.
Finalists
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Commitment and action: key ingredients for sustainability
During 2018, Kunyung Primary School was recognised as a leader by the Dolphin Research Institute. Parent and teacher, Glenn Jepson, played a big part in this environmental leadership acknowledgement.
Glenn organised initiatives such as the National Tree Planting Day, the Kitchen Garden Club, and the school’s revegetation project. Plus, he secured support from local businesses and community.
Through his passion and fieldwork, Glenn guides the Sustainability Team’s activities and the school’s ResourceSmart School journey, sharing his environmental enthusiasm with this school.
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Sharing sustainability enthusiasm across the community
Responsible for coordinating Werribee Primary School’s certification process, Jo-anne has become a guide for other schools participating in the Wyndham Teacher’s Environment Network.
Jo-anne leads with actions and care. She is a classroom teacher, the Environment Student Team guide and the School Council Sustainability Subcommittee leader. She also liaises with institutions like the Wyndham City Council and the Werribee Open Range Zoo.
Her commitment to education and multitasking skills have inspired the school’s community to become the sustainability leaders they are now.
Teacher of the Year (Secondary)
Winner: Timothy Thompson, Mount Lilydale Mercy College, Lilydale
Ready to get your hands and feet dirty: learning sustainability through agriculture
Agriculture Teacher, Timothy Thompson, has been responsible for raising awareness of sustainability in agricultural practices and for guiding The Yarra Valley Young Farmers: a group of 50 driven Mount Lilydale Mercy College students.
Under Timothy’s guidance, students analyse the impact of sustainable practices on agriculture by revegetating eroded land and preventing overgrazing and plague techniques.
He connects students with the largescale harvesting and fermenting processes in the school’s viticulture program. The Yarra Valley Young Farmers’, guided by Timothy, have become Young Rural Ambassadors for the Yarra Valley.
Timothy’s active teaching style allows the students to experience sustainable impactful learning in a fun way. His classes are so popular and engaging that the number of students increases every year.
Finalists
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Fostering environmental awareness from scratch
Responsible for Ringwood Secondary College’s 1Star certification, and both the students’ and staff’s Green Teams, Jacqui has demonstrated a commitment to sustainability that involves the whole school community.
This Geography Teacher educates about sustainability in her lessons, manages the recycling and composting processes of the campus, works on the ResourceSmart School program, and even organised the first school’s EnviroFest. With inspirational passion, she built the sustainability spirit of this school from scratch and will surely continue to grow their care for the environment.
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New curriculum for new sustainable priorities
Venkata campaigned to transform Brentwood Secondary College into a 3Star school. He worked alongside the Green Team on the sustainability certifications, shaped the new curricular approach and secured the school with grants for energy development.
Recognised by the City of Monash for his contribution in Sustainability, this Environmental Science teacher and Sustainability Coordinator, provides his students with real-life ecological experiences by organising excursions as well as encouraging leadership, arranging activities with the Centre for Sustainability Leadership and CERES.
Student Action Team of the Year (Primary)
Winner: Truganina South Primary School, Truganina
Communicating sustainability through performance
The Green Team at Truganina South Primary School embrace sustainability with style and creativity. Inspired by the ABC’s War On Waste TV series, the Green Team started a movement that led to nude food days, a shared reusable bag program and rubbish collection sessions open to the whole school. They also created a story accompanied by a giant puppet made from recycled materials to illustrate the impact of waste on a frog’s habitat.
A collaboration with the Wyndham Council’s Greening the Pipeline project, constant participation in Kids Teaching Kids conferences,
and the production of sustainability videos are just some of the activities carried out by this Green Team. Currently, this 5Star school is preparing a musical performance called War on Waste that surely will showcase their students’ creative and driven spirit.
Finalists
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Greater than the sum of its parts: a collaborative sustainability project
Students from grades 3 to 6 have weekly sustainability classes and often share their knowledge with their prep buddies. Grade 2 applies what they learn from the Clean Up Australia Day initiative, while the 25 Chicken Captains and the 40 Water Warriors look after the coop and the garden respectively.
Parents and students worked together on school infrastructure and gardening enhancements to improve their children’s learning experience in a working bee session. Clearly, at Mentone Primary School everyone is an integral part of this collaborative team.
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Partnerships and school spirit
Moorabbin Primary School has set a record in student action. They partnered with a Mercedes Benz dealership to transform tyre waste into campus infrastructure and worked with a justice community group to improve the school garden. They also participated in green conferences, organised a no waste fete and managed a newsletter to share their initiatives.
The Environmental and Sustainability leaders, the Student Representative Council, and the School Captains guide the school’s sustainability journey with the support of the principal, teachers, and parents.
Student Action Team of the Year (Secondary)
Winner: Nossal High School, Berwick
A collective effort: sharing tasks to address sustainably
Students across all grades participate in the Nossal Environment Sustainability Team (NEST): a group of 60 students lead action on sustainability in the school. The NEST leaders capture the environmental concerns and opportunities presented by the school then delegate tasks to four action groups who work out how to improve specific areas of sustainability.
The school’s involvement in events such as the high school’s Selective Entry Schools Environment Summit and the Casey Environmental Summit are arranged by the summit group. The ResourceSmart Schools team undertake the program’s modules. The Green team look after the natural spaces, whilst the Public Relations delegates communicate environmental activities to the members of this 3Star school.
This innovative approach to collaboration shows how the Nossal High School is taking action in sustainability.
Finalists
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Training and action to improve sustainability performance
Brentwood Secondary College’s Green Team comprises 40 students from across every grade. They remain at the forefront of sustainability issues by participating in the Future Environmental Leadership Program and the Monash Tech School’s Optimising Super Problems program.
The Green Team manage and audit the campus waste, work alongside the sustainability coordinator on the ResourceSmart Schools modules, and organise events such as the Brentwood Tree Day.
This 3 Star school, recognised in the 2018 Victorian Schools Garden Awards, is evidently shaping active citizens with sustainability awareness.
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Encouraging sustainable practices via innovation and certification
2018 brought big accomplishments for the Green Team of the Ringwood Secondary College as their work contributed to the achievement of the school’s first sustainability certification star. The group also created the Envirofest, an event based on clothing donations, aimed to raise money for environmental projects and foster re-use and recycling practices.
Some further concerns addressed by this group include garden maintenance, the School Environmental Management Plan and plastic use in the canteen.
Community Leadership School of the Year (Primary)
Winner: Warrnambool East Primary School
Community benefits through real-life learning experiences
Using the natural surroundings and involving the wider community in learning about the environment is a key part of sustainability at
Warrnambool East Primary School.
The school teaches sustainability from prep to grade 6 and works with experts in the community to provide fun environmental education. The Inspiring Young Scientists program, recognised with the Victorian Education Excellence Award, offers real-life learning experiences with Deakin University students.
The Marine Entanglement Community Action Day gathers the broader community around workshops, such as constructing reef ecosystems, beach clean-ups and sorting marine debris.
The school’s efforts are complemented by parents that coordinate the recycling and composting process for the community and with work alongside organisations like Zoos Victoria and Wannon Water.
Finalists
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Sustainable actions speak louder than words
The Carrum Primary School community’s commitment to sustainability translates into student action beyond the classroom. Supported by Kingston City Council, Friends of Carrum Foreshore and Friends of Roy Dore Reserve, the school revegetates and beautifies the foreshore, whilst Love Our Street and the Carrum Beach Patrol teams look after waste in the surrounding area.
The Big Green Festival and The Big Green Schools Conference events solidify the leading role this school has in working towards a more sustainable world.
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Foster a responsible consumption culture by choosing local
The Love Local Community Market Day organised by St Macartan’s Parish Primary School encourages a low carbon footprint and gathers over 3,000 attendees and 95 local producers. Cooking workshops and the school’s cookbook are also offered at this event.
This 5 Star ResourceSmart School; which has Sustainability Teams from students in their foundation year through to year 6, has presented at events like the Mornington Peninsula Environment Week, and has contributed to the planting of 17,200 trees, proving their impact beyond the school’s walls.
Community leadership School of the Year (Secondary)
Winner: Footscray City College, Footscray
Bringing biodiversity back to the community
Two major community concerns became a learning opportunity for Footscray City College students. As the Footscray Park plants
started to disappear, the school’s Sustainability Centre (The Farm), focused the Horticulture class’ efforts in re-growing the missing
flora. Additionally, supported by Maribyrnong Council, the Community Action class conducted research in the local wetland, installed a
floating island device to filter the water and improve its quality and planted trees.
The construction of an eco-friendly astronomy house powered by wind turbines proved the STEAM class’s capabilities and the installation of an industrial composter funded by the local community via a Pick my Project grant, demonstrates the sustainability leadership of this school.
Finalists
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Food and teaching match made through sustainable consumption
Covenant College provides a complete learning experience whilst having a direct impact on the community via the True Food program. Ethical, sustainable, and locally produced food is offered on a weekly basis to the school’s community with the distribution managed by students.
The school enhances student’s literacy and numeracy skills through collecting, labelling, packing, and organising the program’s stock activities. The students learn the value of a responsible supply chain that offers delicious food to 343 families and 63 staff members, whilst also learning about sustainable consumption and independent ethical farming.
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Sustainability inside and outside school hours
The Annual Pedal Cinema, where the attendees pedal to power the projection of an entire movie while learning about energy conservation, and their involvement in the Sustainable Living Festival are prime examples of Melbourne Girls’ College’s leadership in the community.
They carried out biodiversity projects with the Wurundjeri Tribal Council and litter clean-up activities around Birrarung Marr with the Yarra River Keepers, promoting sustainability and commitment beyond the classroom. This school was also awarded the 2018 City of Yarra prize for Educational Leadership in Sustainability.
Curriculum Leadership School of the Year (Primary)
Winner: St Aloysius Primary School, Queenscliff
Encouraging sustainability from the classroom to the shore
Using Port Phillip Bay and Swan Bay as classrooms is key to St Aloysius Primary School’s curricular program and outdoor education policy.
A partnership with Deakin University and the Marine and Freshwater Discovery Centre allows the school to organise visits to the centre each term, to be part of the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning funded Marine Science Experts Steward of Swan Bay program and to assess the impacts of the curricular program.
Students advocate and develop empathy for the environment whilst snorkelling to survey and monitor seagrass.
The school’s participation in the Kids Teaching Kids conference earned them the Borough of Queenscliff Australia Day Award for Best Community Environmental Event in 2018. And now they are adding the prestigious title of Resource Smart School Curriculum Leadership Primary School of the Year.
Finalists
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Reinforcing school identity by embracing sustainability
The 2018 Sustainability Scope and Sequence program highlights Moorabbin Primary School’s sustainability and engagement journey. The program is part of the school’s new set of values and includes waste, energy, biodiversity and water as main topics, studied in specific terms in almost every learning area.
Participating in activities carried out by the Dolphin Research Institute, market days and the Big Green School Conference, students get to develop a sense of identity and sustainable habits in a school with a renewed curriculum and spirit.
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Developing active environmental citizens
St Louis de Montfort’s Primary School and it’s ‘From Little Things Big Things Grow’ approach promotes sustainability practice and activism. The Photo Pals project, in partnership with Monash University, connected the school with Bangladesh students by exchanging sustainable postcards and exposing them to different living conditions, which motivated students to raise money to fund one of their overseas peers.
The My Perfect Playground program, where students designed a sustainable green school park and the constant work with local ecosystems, are other remarkable features of their practice-oriented curriculum.
Curriculum Leadership School of the Year (Secondary)
Winner: Kyneton Secondary College, Kyneton
Adventure in the field: citizen science and sustainability
Mapping the distribution of the near-threatened platypus nationwide and re-vegetating ecosystems are some of the amazing activities
Kyneton Secondary College students engage in with experts from the surrounding community.
The students work alongside scientists from the Upper Campaspe Landcare Network’s Platypus Project extracting cellular debris from water samples to map the distribution of the platypus.
The Campaspe River in Kyneton and Bald Hill are the open classrooms where students from every year level engage with citizen science and sustainability, conducting research on the Brush-tailed Phascogale’s food and nest distribution and study environmental human impact with the help of Macedon Ranges Shire Council.
Humanities, Science, Maths, and English are some of the learning areas involved in these engaging outdoor activities.
Placement opportunities with Parks Victoria are another feature available to the students of this outdoorsy 2Star school with a love for nature.
Finalist
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Sustainability in an expanding curriculum
The School Environment Management Plan of Ringwood Secondary School comprises the study of sustainability through the Geography and Science learning areas. The school is now considering further outdoor activities after receiving positive and enthusiastic feedback from the students following a successful fieldtrip to CERES.
Sustainable projects carried out by the students as part of the InterGREAT Unit, as well as litter and waste audits in Geography classes are some of the offered curricular activities. In addition, the school’s agenda includes positive action campaigns, gardening sessions, and fieldtrips to foster community and sustainability involvement.
