Mary's Way - Volume 1, Edition #1 - July 2018

Our Students
VCAL Students Leave Their Legacy
Each year, students studying VCAL undertake a major project
as part of their ‘Personal Development Skills’ topic. In 2018,
the VCAL students at Marymede Catholic College have
worked toward leaving a legacy that lasts long beyond their
graduation date in 4 months time through the conception
of their ‘Garden Makeover Project’. The Garden Makeover
Project was designed as a means to transform the Wetlands
Garden Area behind House 7 at the College into a sustainable
food garden which can be used by future cohorts for a range
of causes, predominately charity based. The VCAL students
reflect on their experience below:
What are your long term goals for the garden?
Long term, we hope that our plants continue grow and that
regular harvesting can occur so that items can be donated
to those less fortunate. We also hope that future cohorts
will continue to provide maintenance in the garden area to
ensure that the Garden Beds remain in great condition for
the foreseeable future. We hope that this project will work
to create a long lasting tradition between the VCAL students
and Year 4 Team – working together in the garden.
Why did you choose to include Year 4 students in this
Project?
We chose to work with the Year 4 students because we wanted
to see the garden from a younger person’s point of view and
we worked with them previously in some of our Literacy tasks.
We tried to design a garden that would benefit the whole
School community so it was great to get the perspective of
some of our younger students in addition to our own ideas.
They were great to work with - kind, respectful and a lot of
fun. We would love to work with them again.
What advice would you give to young students in Year 10
or below who might be considering VCAL as a pathway in
2019 or beyond?
Well for starters, VCAL offers opportunities that VCE does
not. VCAL is not just for students who do not want to learn
academically or do not ‘like’ school; VCAL is a great option
for all students who find it better to learn in a hands-on
environment. We would recommend that anyone who is
considering VCAL as a pathway contact the College to discuss
further because it is a great alternative.
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