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Grants and awards | December 07, 2020

Gardening awards for local schools

The amazing achievements of students at Pomonal Primary School and Edenhope College have been recognised at this year’s Victorian Schools Garden Awards.

Pioneered in 1977 by Paul Crowe OAM and the late Kevin Heinze, the program recognises the importance of outdoor spaces in progressive modern learning and introduces the joy of gardening to school-aged children through the use and development of school grounds.

The Pomonal Primary School was the recipient of a major Award for the Most Engaging Student Garden for Play, with the Edenhope College winning the North Western Regional Award for P-9, P-12 and all secondary colleges.

The Nationals Member for Lowan, Emma Kealy said the development of green spaces at schools gave teachers a fabulous opportunity to take the classroom outdoors and enable students to explore the many benefits of gardening.

“School gardens offer a wonderful opportunity for children to learn about biodiversity and sustainable practices, providing a perfect environment for students, teachers and parents to share in a ‘hands on’ experience while fostering environmental awareness,” Ms Kealy said.

“Research is also showing that growing up around greener spaces is being linked to better health outcomes that can last a lifetime, with researchers consistently finding more and more science-backed reasons we should spend time outside.

“The students, staff, parents and communities at the Pomonal Primary School and Edenhope College should be really proud of their fantastic efforts in using their outdoor spaces to engage students in practical activities which foster learning, well-being and community pride, as recognised by these awards.”