The focus of the VCAL Main Event this year was environmental sustainability, specifically our oceans and waterways.
The day went very smoothly and was organized effectively. As convener, my job was to organize and run the event as this task contributes to my Senior Project competency.
At Recess we sold jelly, brownies, cupcakes and clam biscuits; making sure that the packaging was environmentally friendly. For lunch-time we sold pizza, hot chips and pasties. All this food was made by the VCAL girls earlier in the week.
We had a raffle with donations from some local small businesses as prizes. These were collected by the VCAL students. Included in the raffle was a bath mat that student Monique made out of plastic bags. Another student Izzy made and sold bees wax wraps.
In Pastoral Group, all Year levels listened to a speaker, Judy Muir from Pol Perro Dolphin Swims, Sorrento. Judy spoke about the marine life in Port Phillip Bay and how using plastics is damaging to habitats.
Later, every Pastoral group was given a big piece of paper to draw on and asked to design a mural based on specific topics such as ‘our seas in 10 years’, or ‘the plastics in our oceans’. The best mural from each Year level won a prize.
Students were also shown a video about the statistics and unfortunate reality of the conditions in our oceans. Our aim was to inform students about how bad the situation really is, and what steps we can do to change our behaviours.
We raised a significant amount of money which was very successful and well-supported by all the VCAL students.
Izzy Philp and Natalie Gerard