ARARAT’S Marian College new learning centre was officially opened today.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The $1.7 million extension to the college’s historic St Mary’s Hall has created four new classrooms for its year seven students.
The construction works were completed over about two years. Students moved into the Brigidine Centre in February this year.
Marian College principal Carmel Barker said the Brigidine Centre offered a new environment that provided students with a more engaging learning experience.
The Brigidine Centre was built around the college’s St Mary’s Hall, which was the first part of the original school when it was built in 1887.
Ms Barker said the project has retained the school’s heritage by keeping the existing structure, but has converted the space into an open learning environment for students.
“We wanted to use that hall, but also have an open learning space,” she said. “So the central hall (that goes back to the very beginning) is surrounded by classrooms.
“We can now open up all the classrooms into one and students can work in groups, travel around the different areas and be more creative.”
The new building also has office spaces, meeting rooms and other amenities.
Ms Barker said keeping the college’s heritage alive while creating a new dimension for space was important during this project.
“We are really excited about it. It came out better than what we envisioned in some ways,” she said.
Related: Marian College building works start
Students moved into the classrooms at the start of this year. Ms Barker said teachers and students are thrilled with the new space.
Member for Wannon Dan Tehan said students and the whole school community will benefit from these new learning spaces.
“These new learning spaces take into account the latest in educational research and will see students learn more effectively,” he said.
“This is part of our commitment to ensuring students have the support they need to succeed in the classroom.”