Mackillop Catholic Regional College from Werribee has been selected as a winner of the Curriculum Leadership School of the Year (Secondary) category in the 2020 ResourceSmart School Awards.

Member for Werribee Tim Pallas said local school, Mackillop Catholic Regional College, is actively reducing its environmental footprint and inspiring others, sharing these learnings beyond the school gate.

The ResourceSmart Schools Awards is Victoria’s largest sustainability awards program. The Awards recognise schools who are taking action to transition Victoria to a circular and climate resilient economy, by leading the way in minimising waste, saving energy and water and increasing biodiversity. The awards are open to all Victorian schools.

‘People and the planet’, celebrates how Victorian students contribute their humanity – our knowledge, care and passion – with stewardship of our environment, and how our environment contributes to people’s wellbeing in return.

Mackillop Catholic Regional College provides students with a holistic understanding of sustainability by designing and teaching multiple units centred on sustainability, resource efficiency and biodiversity. The school’s project‑based learning model incorporates sustainability in multiple areas including art, design and science. It culminates in VCE Environmental Science, where students conduct soil, water and wildlife monitoring and contribute data to citizen science initiatives such as Backyard Bird Blitz and the frog census app. Student engagement has increased dramatically where sustainability has been incorporated in classroom activities. A green chemistry unit in Year 10 science saw students design, manufacture and test environmentally‑friendly cleaning products. Students also participated in bottle cap collection as part of their unit on biomimicry and prosthesis manufacture, while conservation and land management students participated in a range of horticulturaland environmental activities.

The 2020 Award categories are:

• ResourceSmart School of the Year
• Teacher of the Year (Primary and Secondary)
• Student Action Team of the Year (Primary and Secondary)
• Community Leadership School of the Year (Primary and Secondary)
• Curriculum Leadership School of the Year (Primary and Secondary)
• Campus Infrastructure and Operations School of the Year (Primary and Secondary)
• School Community Volunteer of the Year

Winners were announced today for World Environment Day.

The Awards are part of the Victorian Government’s ResourceSmart Schools program. ResourceSmart Schools is a free program offered by Sustainability Victoria that has engaged 1,400 schools across the state to collectively save $29 million and avoid 80,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases.

Visit www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/schoolsawards for information on the winners and finalists and to view the virtual awards ceremony.

Quotes attributable to Member for Werribee Tim Pallas

“I’m very proud to congratulate the students, teachers and parents of Mackillop Catholic Regional College.”

“The 2020 ResoureSmart Schools Awards theme is ‘people and the planet’ and Mackillop College is acknowledged for their achievements.”