Student Voice Council 

Environment Day 

The Student Voice Council meets fortnightly with the Assistant Principal. Student representatives from all year levels comprise the Council. This a student leadership forum where issues can be raised, ideas can be suggested and exciting events can be planned. 

On July 14, the first ever Warrandyte High School "Environment Day" took place and it was a huge success. 

The Student Voice Council joined forces with the "Beyond the Classroom" Trail of Discovery program and together a plethora of working bees were organised for Environment Day.

All of the working bees had to enhance the school's environment  and/or surroundings in some way and they had to be student led. There was a school wide signing up period where all willing participants were invited to volunteer their services. It was fantastic to see students volunteering from all year levels, from Year 7 through to Year 12. 

Participants of Environment Day were exempt from regular classes and they had the option of wearing free dress that was appropriate for their particular working bee.

So what were the student led Working Bees that took place on Environment Day?

A group of girls, mainly from Year 9 and 10, and mainly from the "Beyond the Classroom" Trail of Discovery Program, volunteered to paint the girls' toilets whilst a group of boys, ranging from Year 7 through to Year 11, volunteered to paint the boys' toilets. Both groups did an amazing job.

Wanting the school to be even more inclusive, a third group of students, ranging from Year 7 through to Year 12, took on the task of painting one of the school's main stairways First Nations colours, specifically the colours of the Aboriginal flag and the Torres Strait Islander flag. These newly painted stairs are now the perfect companion to the school's other main stairway which a few years ago were painted the colours of the rainbow flag. 

Gardening! Gardening! Gardening! Another two groups of students, again spanning all year levels, brilliantly chose to work in our fantastic wellbeing garden and in another of the school's many garden areas - mulching, raking, weeding and planting all contributed to a fantastic result. 

The level of student interest in our proposed Working Bees was high. The commitment from the many students who participated was phenomenal. Seeing our students so invested in projects aimed at further improving the environment of their school is truly inspiring. 

What will the Student Voice Council organise next?