Kyneton Secondary College year eight science students and their teacher met in the dark last Thursday morning at Kyneton Railway Station to make the trip down to Melbourne for the Sustainability Victoria Resource Smart School Awards at the MCG.
The excited students were finalists in the awards and were delighted to hear directly from Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio that they had won the ‘Curriculum Leadership Secondary School of the Year’ award for their work with the Upper Campaspe Landcare Network and EnviroDNA to map the distribution of the near-threatened platypus and re-vegetating ecosystems on the Campapse River.
Schools across Victoria were recognised for their efforts to inspire sustainability action in their communities, reduce the environmental impact of their campuses and protect the environment.
“You are leading the way when it comes to protecting the environment and acting on climate change,” Ms D’Ambrosio said in congratulating the students.
Science teacher Dr Anwyn Chapman, who accompanied the children and led the work with the students, said that whether they were planting trees, analysing water quality or collecting insects or DNA samples, it was incredibly rewarding watching the interactions between the students and the community groups, scientists and environmentalists they worked alongside.
“Everyone is so willing to share their passion and knowledge that the students involved come away feeling empowered and enthused by the fact that they have contributed something very real to making our local community a more sustainable one,” she said.
