Education | Case Study – Beaconhills College
Beaconhills College is a ‘shining light’ in education
Beaconhills College students travelled to East Timor to share the gift of light.
Students at Beaconhills College, Victoria, are flicking a switch to help make the world a better place. The college has signed up to SolarBuddy’s schools program for the second year, with students assembling and donating solar lights to children in poorer countries. By sharing the gift of light, they are helping change the course of young people’s lives by offering the chance of a brighter future. Beaconhills Head of Citizenship and Service Clare Tuohy says the program educates students on many levels – from the experiences of life in poorer countries to showing that everyone can make a positive difference.
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schoolnews
Term 2 - 2018
“The kids love the program for a number of reasons but what I love most about it is they see they are making a huge difference to somebody’s life doing this small act of kindness – donating a $25 light,” says Clare. The lights not only prevent people who don’t have electricity from dying from burns and smoke inhalation but the night lights enable students to complete their homework and study for a better education.
Beaconhills College students undertake the SolarBuddy program at school. with their philosophies of Learning, Values and Character, Environment, Citizenship and Service, Our World and other Cultures and Wellbeing. It was rolled out last year with Year 8 students building and sending the lights to PNG and Uganda. “As well as making the globes which they loved, the bit they loved even more was writing letters to the children,” says Clare.
Australia’s poorer northern neighbour, showing them how to build 60 lights. “It’s pretty powerful stuff the way they could interact with each other,” says Clare. “The students explained the need to look after the lights and how to power them up from the sun and showed them how to strap them to their backs so they could power them up while walking to school.”
“I often say we live in a bubble of privilege and this is an eyeopener for them,” says Clare.
“The letters they wrote were beautifully written and heartfelt. They made me weep because they came from the heart.”
Clare says she hopes to expand the program even further next year by getting the community on board.
“Our kids are blown away. They just take for granted that everyone else in the world lives the way we do.”
The program was also taken up by Year 10 students who travelled to East Timor and hand delivered the life-changing gifts.
Clare initiated the program at the college because it was compatible
Eight students worked handin-hand with students from
“What I want them to learn is how, as a school community, what a huge difference we can make in the world. Our college can have a huge impact.” By Kat Donaghey, Editor