By CASEY NEILL
NOBLE Park Secondary College has a $5 million upgrade within its grasp.
Opposition Leader and Mulgrave MP Daniel Andrews visited the school to announce the funding commitment last Tuesday.
He said that if Labor was successful at the November election, it would provide the cash to upgrade and modernise teaching and learning spaces.
“This major new investment will give students state-of-the art learning facilities so that the school can continue to provide a first-rate education,” he said.
“Noble Park is a fantastic school but urgently needs to be rebuilt and modernised.”
Principal Pam Dyson said the pledge was “excellent news”.
“As a college we feel we’re doing a really great amount for our teaching and learning,” she said.
“We’re really growing the kids.
“But we also need to upgrade facilities.”
Ms Dyson said the school council had formed a sub-committee to create a masterplan.
“We’re in the process of investigating what would be our priorities,” she said.
She said work with consultants, architects, the community and students would follow.
“Our college hasn’t had any other money spent on it, except for our new science centre,” she said.
“I’ve been principal here since October 2009 and to my knowledge, I don’t think the college has had any other money spent on it, and the college is 50 years old.
“I think the facilities and the surroundings do influence the way students feel about what they’re doing.
“We deserve an upgrade and it would be just wonderful.
“We want to maintain modern facilities and provide the best we can for our students, because they deserve it.”
Ms Dyson has been in touch with the Liberal Party’s Mulgrave candidate Robert Davies, who will visit the school next term.
“At this point he has said that he is not able to pledge any money to the college,” she said.
“It’s not the be all and end all to have state-of-the-art facilities, but it certainly does improve the learning environment.”
