Recognition of the breadth and depth of learning opportunities provided by the Cornish College EcoCentre keeps coming as it has won the State award at the Victorian Schools Garden Awards, for Prep to Year 12 schools.

The centre also picked up the Regional Victorian Schools Garden Award for Most Engaging Student Garden for Learning, despite there being an increase in the number of entries in this popular category. Both awards follow hot on the heels of the Greater Dandenong Sustainability Awards, Community Category Award, that the EcoCentre won earlier this year.

Deputy Principal, Nicola Forrest says the EcoCentre is supporting the curriculum across the year levels: “Our students can engage with the centre to connect conceptual understanding to real life spaces and purposes. The EcoCentre also supports VCE Environmental Science and Breadth Studies electives for Years 9 and 10 students. We’re now working with Monash University to develop opportunities for students to gain deep understandings in science, technology, engineering and maths, through an ‘Internet of Things’ pilot project, which launches in 2019.”

Principal, Vicki Steer, said: “This award recognises the significant effort put in by students and staff to develop an educational garden and outdoor learning space for all year levels, from our Early Learning Centre to Year 12. The breadth of learning opportunities is outstanding with an aquaponics system, enclosures for chickens, ducks and guinea fowl, bee hives, vegetable and native plant gardens, worm farms and composting for example. I would like to congratulate everyone involved and invite the wider community to visit and find out more about this incredible asset to our school.”