John Septimus Roe Anglican Community School

JOHN SEPTIMUS ROE ANGLICAN COMMUNITY SCHOOL

NO PLANET B: STUDENTS DRIVE SUSTAINABILITY

A passion for sustainability by a Year 10 student at John Septimus Roe Anglican Community School (JSRACS) is the driving force behind changes at the School in 2021.

In an effort to make positive change in the School, Year 10 student Falak, with the support of fellow student Maddison, put forward a proposal to Principal Jason Bartell for dedicated rubbish bins around the School that separated general waste and recycling.

Falak provided solutions that were tailor-made for JSRACS, which would be both cost effective to implement and beneficial to the community.

“I am passionate about sustainability and wanted to make a difference at JSR and knew if I could meet with Mr Bartell, I could show him that it would be easy to start making a change,” Falak said.

The student proposal specifically targeted rubbish distribution and just how much rubbish consistently went to waste. As a result of their proposal, JSRACS now has separate, brightly coloured recycling bins, to ensure they are easily identifiable by students.

Falak and Maddision also designed a poster and made videos to be shown in both the Primary and High School assemblies, drawing attention to the necessity of undertaking more sustainable practices. The recycling bins encouraged more students to become educated on sustainability practices as well as encouraging students to think twice before throwing rubbish into the bin.

“We were so happy to see our ideas come into action, and people actually starting to think about the issue themselves,” Falak said.

Principal Jason Bartell said the two students increased sustainability practices at the School and highlighted ways that students could lead change in the community.

“They act as role models, encouraging other students to believe in their ability to change the world around them, sparking positive, proactive change. These positive changes hopefully find their way beyond the school, into homes now and in the future,” he said.

“No matter how small, all students can make changes that act as a catalyst for the wider community, and we are proud that these students have turned their learning into action.

“From early learning to senior school, we ensure our students are empowered to believe in the value and impact they have in their community.”