By CASEY NEILL
BERRY Street School started with 20 students in a humble Noble Park factory a decade ago.
Today it’s at the cutting edge of innovation for educating disadvantaged students and has three campuses across the state.
Berry Street, the non-profit support service for children and families that runs the school, celebrated the 10th anniversary at its Tower Court campus on 30 August.
When figures showed that very few young people in Victorian residential care engaged in any kind of education, Berry Street decided to do something about it.
In 2002 it applied for registration as an independent school and with financial support from the Felton Bequest opened its doors on 21 July 2003.
It didn’t look or act like a school – it aimed to keep teens engaged through education by stealth using an activity-based curriculum, and promote pathways into employment.
Rebecca, not her real name, said she would have dropped out short of completing Year 10 if not for the Berry Street School.
“I was a typical teenager and didn’t like going to school,” she said.
“They had more programs I could do that I actually liked.
“It’s giving you something no other school can offer.”
She said she could talk to her teachers if she was feeling stressed and found an outlet for her anxiety in writing and singing.
“I still had to do the boring English and maths stuff, too,” she said.
“With the good stuff comes the hard work, too.”
The 17-year-old finished her Year 10 studies last year and is completing a Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL).
“If I was at another school I probably wouldn’t have succeeded as far as I have,” she said.
“I probably wouldn’t have even tried.”
