Williamstown High School

Suburban: Located in Williamstown (Melbourne inner west) adjacent to Jawbone Marine Sanctuary. The school has two campuses. The Bayview Campus is a middle years school (7-10) and involved in Sustainable Schools.
Student numbers: 250 (Bayview Campus)

Themes: Waste, Biodiversity, Water, Energy

Key elements: Whole School Committment, Monitoring and Evaluation, Implementation, Community Links, Goals and Targets, Committee, Curriculum Plans, Assessment Audit, Policy, Action Plans

Partnerships: City of Hobsons Bay, Gould League, Parks Victoria, Queenscliff Marine Discovery Centre, EPA Victoria, Melbourne Water

Summary

Williamstown High School (Bayview Street Campus) joined the Sustainable Schools pilot in 2003.  The school had previously been part of the Science in Schools Research Project (2001-2003) and has established a Marine Education Centre at the school which is used by WHS students and visiting schools.

The current school buildings are scheduled to be demolished and a new sustainable school building, consistent with environmentally sound principles, will be built as a model environmental school. As a result of their involvement in Sustainable Schools, staff have identified and prioritised their requirements for their new school buildings to make the best use both financially and educationally of their resources.

Achievements
There have been significant changes in the school since joining Sustainable Schools:

• There is a shared vision of the importance of the environment across the school.
Students have been  given the opportunity to become empowered through action based/learning through doing to create positive environmental change.
• Sustainability programs are embedded in the school curriculum.
• Increased student and staff awareness of energy consumption and recycling.
• Students have monthly environment group meetings and spearhead activities.
• Increased and enhanced awareness of environmental issues in the local school community.
• Active participation of the school community.<
• On-going partnerships have been developed.
• School costs have been reduced.

The school has a staff and student Environment Group and a Sustainable Schools teachers’ group who worked on the Vision statement and then took it to the students. Environment is also the focus of the Innovation and Excellence cluster with three local primary schools, and this focus developed out of Sustainable Schools.

The school received a grant of $8,500 through the EPA/Sustainable Schools Stormwater Action Project to install retention tanks and water treatment systems designed to reduce runoff from the school site. Benefits have included reduced environmental damage to the sensitive adjacent Jawbone Marine Sanctuary and reduced water consumption within the school.

To date a wetlands area has been created and drainage, channelling and connection of stormwater from the horticulture complex and garages has been completed. Rainwater tanks will be placed in position and will be connected when the stage 1 school building is built. A long term aim is to recycle both grey and black water on the school site.

"Sustainable Schools provided focus and scaffold to what the school was already doing – but it embedded sustainability into the curriculum across campus teaching and learning."
(Alison O’Connor, Sustainable Schools Coordinator)

The staff have undertaken and received accreditation for the Core unit, the Waste theme and the Biodiversity theme.

The Bayview Campus has adopted a Middle Years engagement focus and used 'relating actions to consequences’ as the drivers for this program. The staff at this campus of Williamstown High School are also hoping to exert pressure upwards to involve the senior campus in more environmental activities.

Success factors
The key to the success of Sustainable Schools at Williamstown High School (Bayview Street campus) have included:

• Passionate staff with environmental interests and expertise – especially Steve Cook (Principal), Alison O’Connor (Sustainable Schools Coordinator), and John Popjoy (Acting Principal and Campus Manager).
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• The support of the school leadership team.
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• The high profile of the environment in the school – students, teachers and community.
• The embedding of Sustainable Schools within the learning process.
• The creation of partnerships and linkages.
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• The student focus has provided opportunities for students to develop leadership and communication skills and develop a wider range of abilities.
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• Students have been able to see that they can make a difference.

• Two student environment captains provide leadership to other students and represent the school
• School staff and teachers are often asked to give presentations at forums and conferences on sustainability activities at the school.

• Savings from reduced water consumption.

• The school has developed partnerships with Parks Victoria and other

• Use of infrastructure as an on-going educational tool and resource for the teaching of sustainable principles, water consumption and management, and ecological interrelationships.
• Students learning has been enhanced through an action based project that has involved cross curricula teaching and learning.
• There is a richer curriculum with hands on activities across all KLAs.
• Students have been involved in data collection, mapping and tabulation, as well as refining of scientific analysis, evaluation and testing techniques.
• Students have opportunities to become aware, passionate and enthusiastic about the environment.
• The action based nature of the program has meant that teachers and students can see results for what they do and they attain high profile outcomes (for example, grow plants, fruit, recycling, wetlands, marine centre, crab surveys etc.)

• Water quality improvement of Jawbone Marine Sanctuary as a result of plantings by students.
• Monitoring and management of immediate coastal environment.
• Reduction of school water consumption.
• The school has environmentally minded gardeners who work in with the worm farms and composting.
• There is an indigenous plant nursery on site which has increased its partnerships with the community and government groups
• The school has organized a community printer cartridge recycling program.