MATTHEW FLINDERS GIRLS SECONDARY COLLEGE
GEELONG, VIC
Whether it’s in the school’s ‘living garden’ or in the possibilities of technology for improving the world around them, Matthew Flinders Girls students aren’t afraid to put creativity first and foremost – or to get their hands dirty. The school’s ‘Earth care, people care, fair share’ philosophy has seen it create a model community garden that is used for learning in classes from maths to food technology, and grows everything from vegies to native flowers. The girls share the space with community schools like the Bay City Learning Centre, and via iniatives like Dial a Lunch share organic produce with people in the City of Greater Geelong who would benefit from the food. In future, the living garden is expected to be a place to engage the school and the wider community in important activities that increase awareness of permaculture, sustainable living practices, caring for the environment, healthy eating, and reuse and recycling practices, including food swap events and farmers’ markets.
Creativity has also seen the invention of a brand-new ‘digital technologies’ curriculum, with an ‘invent to learn’ core that has already spawned a student-led Maker Fair for 120 primary schools. Its focus on ‘understanding through inventing and tinkering’ is grooming students to be ‘creators, not consumers’.