Building the Education Revolution in Barmera
With a population of around 2000, Barmera in
South Australia is an idyllic town on the edge of the Murray River,
but like many areas, it has been hit hard by the drought.
The impact of St Joseph’s School’s Building
the Education Revolution (BER) construction has boosted the town,
both financially and in terms of its morale, as well as offering
upgraded facilities for the students.
With $850 000 under the Primary Schools for the
21st Century (P21) element and $75 000 under the National
School Pride Program, the effort has involved 23 local businesses,
from landscaping and rendering through to plumbing and fencing.
The school principal, Joyce Stark, said the
construction of the library/multipurpose room under the P21 element
added an extension to the old convent creating more areas for
computers, specialist learning and flexible activity areas.
"Being able to incorporate the old convent into
the new school entrance has created street access to the front
office and raised the profile of the school," Ms Stark said
"One of the other positive aspects for our
school and its students is the National School Pride Program
funding, which helped us to upgrade the external areas, including
the construction of a shade structure over the multi-purpose court.
"We have as a school community endeavoured to
continue to plan for the future and the BER funding has allowed us
to progress with these plans and with new ideas sooner than we had
envisaged. The BER has been a blessing!
"Due to high levels of local involvement in our
redevelopment the community has an increased sense of ownership and
a growing pride in our already valued and respected school.
"Following the redevelopment, local businesses have expressed
gratitude for the opportunity to be part of the project, the
students are happy and enjoy the upgraded facilities and the staff
are pleased that our vision for the school has taken a significant
step towards becoming a reality," Ms Stark said.
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