On Friday, 3 November our Year 9 sparc students officially opened their Greening PC Garden.
The garden was part of the Greening PC program, where students undertake a project aimed at transforming an area at the school to increase tree canopy, regenerate nature and enable biodiversity to thrive.
This year, students wanted a place where they could sit down and relax in a cool place to chat with their friends without feeling uncomfortable or hot. They identified an area outside the Uniform Shop that met their needs and had an opportunity for improvement.
The space had fake grass and lacked canopy coverage, in their research as part of the Program they measured the surface temperature of the fake grass, which reached 55-degrees celsius on a 32-degree day.
“During our research period we found that fake grass not only adds to the Urban Heat Island Effect but decreases biodiversity and pollutes our soil with microplastics.” - Elia, Year 9
After pitching their design and plan to School Leadership they applied for grants through not-for-profit environmental youth organisation Millennium Kids and City of Stirling; the students successfully secured:
- $3,300 from the City of Stirling Living Green Schools Fund; and
- $2,000 from Millennium Kids
Students worked with sparc mentors and the grounds and maintenance team to buy materials, design and build a bench, and select and plant native plants.
The garden was finally completed after many weeks and sacrificed lunchtimes, with the official opening taking place on Friday 3 November.
Congratulations to our Year 9 sparc students for making such a great contribution to our School which will leave a legacy for years to come. And a special thank you to Catrina and Wayne from Millennium Kids, and Fiona from City of Stirling, for attending our grand opening and for your support of this project.
