CONSTRUCTION at the new Greater Shepparton Secondary College (GSSC) is complete, ahead of its opening to students and their families for the 2022 school year.
Minister for Education, James Merlino visited the site on Thursday, November 25 with Independent Member for Shepparton District, Suzanna Sheed, to unveil key features and to reveal the official names of GSSC’s ‘Neighbourhood’ buildings.
The naming was managed by the Local Aboriginal Education Consultative Group with Yorta Yorta and Bangerang representatives and each building is named after iconic Goulburn Valley trees: Biyala, or the River Red Gum; Dharnya, or the Grey Box; and Bayuna is Yellow Box.
Mr Merlino said, “It’s important that in our schools we celebrate our indigenous heritage in artwork, in landscape, in building and design, but also that we back it up in terms of support on the ground in the classroom.”
GSSC students will benefit from unrivalled amenities, with an Enterprise and Innovation Centre that will deliver specialist technology, performing arts and the sciences, as well as world-class sporting facilities, including a weights room, two-court gym and a full-sized oval.
“Whatever a student passion, it’s going to be met in this school and for the wonderful teachers and education support staff here at Greater Shepparton. There are no better spaces to teach than at this school, and I’m just so excited. I can’t wait to be back here for the official opening and seeing 2,200 students walk around and enjoying.”
“It’s always been the intent from the very beginning to make sure that it’s a big school in terms of opportunity. So, the full suite of VCE vocational opportunities, whatever students’ passion is, can be delivered by this school.”
Suzanna Sheed commented, “We had tired old schools. We’ve now got a state-of-the-art setting for our young people to be educated in and the opportunities of having all the resources in one place will truly be outstanding.”
“The access to subjects, to services, to all sorts of things…. We’ve got our own wellbeing building, a gym, all these things in one place will just create opportunity that this community has never known for its young people.”
“It’s investing in the most important thing that you possibly could in our community, and that is our young people.”
