ESPERANCE ANGLICAN COMMUNITY SCHOOL
LOCAL LEARNING With the Esperance Wildflower Festival in full swing, students at Esperance Anglican Community School took the opportunity to integrate plants and culture into their learning experience.
Year 9 Big Picture student Poppy also contributed to the Festival after participating in an internship at Esperance Community Arts earlier this year.
Held, each September, this year’s Festival theme was Plants and Culture: Kaddatji Nyungar Boodja.
Poppy’s mentor, Jane Mulcock, suggested that she work on some animations of local wildflowers, leading Poppy to create four animations.
Residents from across the region are invited to participate in the festival through submitting artwork or written pieces, or by participating or visiting some of the many activities on offer throughout the festival week. Year 9 and 10 Food Science students took part in this year’s theme through a biscuit design brief. Local Botanist Ken Mills and Esperance Tjaltjraak Ranger Jennell Reynolds came to visit the students to help them investigate local plants. Ken brought microscopes and samples and spoke with students about the species he has observed recently throughout the region. Jennell used a variety of displays and samples to speak with the students about the links between the local species and the traditional owners of the lands in the Esperance region. Following on from their investigations, students used the technology process to guide them as their designed their own biscuits to meet the ‘Plants and Culture’ theme.
“I used Procreate to animate my hand-drawn illustrations of the wildflowers. I submitted my work to Jane and I think they used them on social media during the festival,” she said. Poppy’s animations included the Tjaltjraak plant with white flowers which has the botanical name Eucalytpus pleurocarpa, and the Christmas tree or Moondjar with orange flowers, which is botanically known as Nuytsia floribundas. Executive Principal Jason Bartell said: “Participating in local events and mentoring through internships are just some of the real-world learning opportunities that students at Esperance Anglican Community School grow and thrive through. “Community partnerships are fundamental to preparing students for life after school.” ASC News 17
