By Tanya Faulkner
Brand new buildings, more opportunities, and a sophisticated space – that’s what is on offer for students at Dandenong High School’s technology wing following the opening of their brand new classrooms this month.
Last Monday, the school held an official opening of the school’s Design Centre and Food Technology Wing, marking the end of their five-stage redevelopment, first envisaged in 2007.
This opening marks the completion of all the new learning spaces from when Dandenong High School merged with Cleeland Secondary College and Doveton Secondary College.
Principal Susan Ogden said the students could finally all learn on the same side of the road on the same campus now the buildings were complete.
Dandenong High School’s design centre is home to product design and technology for students years 7 to 12, STEM, wood, metals, and plastic technologies, robotics, systems engineering, software design and the Design and Engineering Academy for students over year 9.
Ms Ogden said the buildings were truly beautiful, and connected famously with the external environment.
“The students and teachers were very much involved throughout the design process through focus groups.
“One thing that was important to the students was that the buildings would be environmentally sustainable. There are lots of opportunities for the outside to come in, and the inside out,” she said.
As it is a technology building, Ms Ogden said it was a priority to have an innovative and practical learning space, to really promote student agency and ownership of learning.
She describes the style of the building as simple and sophisticated, incorporating corporate style into the classroom to prepare the students for future career pathways.
“It gives the classroom much more of an industry-level feel so students understand what it’s like to work in the design industry after leaving school,” she said.
Several special guests attended the opening ceremony, including the Minister of Education, Natalie Hutchins, who officially opened the building, Dandenong MP Gabrielle Williams, school council president Alan Collier and representatives from building designers’ Kirsten Thompson Architects, the Deb Tech project manager and Deb Co Builders.
Representatives from the education department and strategic partners, Swinburne University, RMIT, and the Vernier Foundation were also in attendance.
Ms Ogden said the true highlight of the opening was the presentation put on by the students.
Usually, the school would have a musical type performance, however for this particular opening she invited students from the STEM Innovators Program, who are set to compete in a national technology competition in Brisbane later this term, to get involved in the ceremony.
The classroom, like every government school building, has included a special recognition to the original owners of the land, as a unique idea from the students.
At the entrance to the new Design Centre buildings, under their covered foyer, is a star map of the Seven Sisters embedded into the ground.
“Some of the first technology in Australia was the indigenous people using stars for astronomy and navigation and is widely recognised as one of the first technologies. As the students enter the new buildings, they walk over the constellation in recognition of the original owners of the land,” said Ms Ogden.
She said the official ceremony started outside, with indigenous representative Daniel Weston in attendance for those who have come before.
The new school buildings are now in full use by the students of Dandenong High School, marking the completion of the schools’ renovation project.
