Regional newspaper The Young Witness has featured Young Public School and their swag of awards at the Kreative Koalas- Design a Bright Future Challenge Awards Day.

We have reprinted the story below

Young Public School, aided by a range of partnerships, took out a raft of awards at the 2018 Kreative Koalas- Design a Bright Future ceremony held in Goulburn on November 27, 2018.

National program director Lynne Strong congratulated Young Public School for forging partnerships with farmers and environmentalists, with sponsors and corporate businesses and with not-for-profit organisations and communities.

“Research has time and time again shown that kids who go to schools that have strong relationships with business and the community have a much greater opportunity to thrive. 

Businesses and communities who engage with schools can enrich and enhance the delivery of education and students can see their learnings have real-world significance. When schools, parents, business and communities partner together great things can happen in the lives of children and young adults.”  she said. 

Kreative Koalas, a program designed to create awareness of Australia’s commitment to the United Nations Sustainability Development Goals (SDG), asks schools to design a community project and call to action, and to display their interpretive artwork on a giant fibreglass koala.  Class 2/3 studied SDG 12: Responsible Production and Consumption, while Class 4D studied SDG 14: Life Below the Water.

Class 2/3 created Koko Kompost Koala, which won the Australian Wind Services Award for Best Kreative Koala Artwork, and instigated a partnership with Cleanway to reduce and recycle waste at the school. As part of their studies they were also visited by Wool Young Farming Champion and Sustainability Ambassador Adele Smith. Adele spoke to the students about how farmers have an important role to play in responsible production and wool as a sustainable fibre.

Class 4D created Chewy the Choking Koala to illustrate the impact of irresponsible  consumption and the damaging effects on life below the water. Under guidance from Finn Martin from Local Land Services students went on an excursion to a local creek. “We have been shocked and saddened by the amount of rubbish going into our waterways and eventually into the ocean,” the school said. The students also participated in the Take 3 movement, which encourages everyone to remove three pieces of rubbish from the environment every time they are out. 4D’s dedicated participation was rewarded when they were named the Holcim Reserve Grand Champion Kreative Koala.

#SDG #ZeroWaste