VCAL students at Hillcrest Christian College have been given opportunities to explore their own interests while working on projects that demonstrate the skills needed to complete the certificate.
They’ve had the opportunity to choose the focus for their final year, opting to either join the environmental class or the media class.
“As a VCAL Literacy teacher, I have had the privilege of facilitating the learning of those in the environmental class, and it has been extremely rewarding to connect our program with initiatives at our 25 acre environmental reserve,” said Polly Penn, Hillcrest VCAL teacher.
The environmental reserve has provided rich fodder for students in their latest VCAL project.
Since the beginning of the year the class has made regular trips to the reserve, drawing inspiration from the natural environment and its unique features to incorporate into their own original picture books.
In creating the books, students have selected an aspect of the reserve to focus on, planning and drafting their narrative, and illustrating and publishing their final product.
Several students were inspired by the migration of the Latham Snipe, an endangered bird that flies from Japan to Australia each year and has chosen the Crest Environmental Reserve for its holiday home.
Others focused on their own connection to nature and the sense of peace they experience at the reserve.
The project culminated in a visit to the Year 2 classes at Rivercrest Christian College, where the Year 12 students read their picture books and shared some of their experiences from the environmental reserve with the younger students.
VCAL students are also redesigning several areas at their environmental reserve, with the intention of making the resource more accessible for the Hillcrest and Rivercrest community.
