By Jackson Russell
Kilmore Primary School took home two awards at the Victorian Student Representative Council Student Voice Awards in Melbourne last month.
The school was named a finalist for the Student Voice Primary School of the Year.
Student empowerment co-ordinator Simone Brown was also named a finalist in the Student Voice Ally award.
The school finished second in both categories.
The awards recognise the work the school has done to improve student representation and ensure students are involved in the goings-on of the school.
Kilmore Primary School’s Student Representative Council renamed itself to become the Student Action Team, better representing what the students believe they do.
Ms Brown said the school was nominated for the work the Student Action Team had been doing to show their voice better in the school and representing other students.
The Student Action Team has initiated numerous ideas to improve the school for all students including a tub system to reduce lost property and a birthday party for the school dog Asha.
Student Action Team member Ryan Jenkin said students and parents all liked the idea.
“Say I was the monitor for the tubs in class, I would bring it in and if something has a name, it would be handed out. If it doesn’t, but if people recognise it, they can claim it, and if it doesn’t then it will go to lost property and that should prevent lost property,” he said.
Ryan said his favourite thing about being on the Student Action Team was making the school better for everyone.
“I like getting to work with the other people in different grades. You get to learn a lot about their personalities,” he said.
Ms Brown was named as a finalist for her work helping to amplify student voices throughout the school with initiatives such as an overhaul in student elections, making sure teachers were aware of students’ voice and refreshing class meetings to have more student involvement.
“It’s really just making sure the kids know exactly what’s expected of them and making sure they’re involved in the process,” Ms Brown said.
Ms Brown said it was pretty surreal to finish second in the Student Voice Ally award.
“I do this because I love it, I don’t do it for any kind of recognition and it was really amazing to get nominated and recognised for that,” she said.
“When we placed second in both awards, it was amazing and shows we really are on the right track and we are doing really good things here.”
