Healesville High students Tyson Briggs, Dannilee Schulz, Fraya Banting and Lulu Fawdon-Jenkins, with, centre, Swinburne’s Ian ‘Doc’ Wallace and Healesville High School’s MAD Project co-ordinator Gordon MacDonald.
By Kath Gannaway
HEALESVILLE High School year nine students showed they could really make a difference with a presentation of community-based projects at Swinburne University on 18 November.
Groups of students who have worked on projects presented power-point presentations and talked about their individual schemes.
These ranged from a push for better public transport, a walkathon to raise money for a disadvantaged school in Brazil, working in local opportunity shops, advocating for improved youth recreation facilities, developing a community voice website and creating a medicinal garden at Healesville Sanctuary to a project on drink driving and hooning,
The Healesville students were partnered in the Make A Difference Program by Swinburne University students who acted as advisers and mentors.
Swinburne University’s Ian ‘Doc’ Wallace, discipline leader and lecturer in information technology systems & multimedia, said it was the first time Healesville High School and Swinburne had worked together on such a project.
“I think we have achieved some greatness in what we have seen here tonight,” he said.
He described the program as “wonderful” and “visionary” and said the presentations reflected the energy and enthusiasm of the staff, teachers and students of both organisations.
“I thank the principal of Healesville High School for what I think is a vision to allow this particular program to go ahead,” he said.
