IT has taken more than a year to emerge, but Wodonga Senior Secondary College’s staff and students now have something to boast about.
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The $11 million make-over unveiled yesterday, has delivered 27 new classrooms, a bigger library and a 200-seat lecture theatre.
Work on the new building, the school’s biggest since it was founded in 1964, started in March last year.
Principal Vern Hilditch said one of the aims of the project was to give students greater independence.
“Because we have made the shift to a senior college, we need to cater for that,” he said.
The building was designed to provide classrooms that allow for the same subject to be taught in the one area.
Mr Hilditch said that provided the opportunity for team teaching.
And with the building allowing for group learning, he would encourage greater use of “break-out centres” within the area.
“Students are more successful when they work in groups,” Mr Hilditch said.
“You always learn when you are teaching other people.”
Mr Hilditch said the school’s expansion plans didn’t stop with the opening of the building.
Demolition of the old building will start in September — to be replaced with sporting fields and a stadium.
“Because we’ve built this over the hockey field, we will create another one where the old building is,” he said.
“I also have visions of a tennis court and a double stadium basketball court.”
Students yesterday said they were impressed by their new surroundings and believed it would provide them with motivation.
“We have the best facilities,” school captain Natasa Sojic said.
“You can tell they really had the future in mind when they built this.”
With about 1000 students enrolled, Mr Hilditch said the school could now accommodate another 200.
There also was plenty of room for further expansion.