07 Mar 2017 North Central Review (Kilmore), Melbourne (General News) Upgrade all the go at Waallan MINISTER for Education James Merlino, Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes and Member for Yan Yean Danielle Green joined members of the Wallan Secondary College school community to turn the sod on the start of the colleges $5 million upgrade. The modernisation will expand the schools food technology facilities, convert a courtyard into a caf and provide senior students with a brand new building featuring quiet learning areas, a seminar room and lecture theatre. Wallan Secondary College opened its doors in 2006 with just 110 students and has since grown to more than 620 students. It offers a wide range of VCE and VET subjects, as well as a VCAL program. Enrolments at schools like Wallan Secondary College are growing and we need to invest in new facilities so that students can thrive and learn new skills, Minister Merlino said. This $5 million upgrade will be an exciting new chapter in the schools story and I look forward to visiting again once the work is complete. This addition will provide an excellent teaching and learning space to match the excellent work of principal Sally Haslett and her team and the efforts of the current students here at Wallan. Mr Merlino visited the schools VCAL garden project, an old Melbourne tram which is being fitted out by students in the schools Year eight and nine Aspire program as well as the current Year 12 common room. There are 42 new schools across Victoria now in the construction pipeline including 10 new schools that opened this year and more than 1000 building projects under way after an unprecedented $1.8 billion Government investment in infrastructure. Both Ms Green and Ms Symes acknowledged the importance of upgraded facilities in growth areas such as Wallan. Today I got a sneak peek into the work that will transform Wallan Secondary College. I know students and staff are excited about the upgrade and I look forward to seeing it develop and be completed in the near future, Ms Green said. This building upgrade is about building bright futures for students here in Wallan and ensuring they have access to the best possible facilities, Ms Symes said. Caption Text: Turning of the sod: Wallan Secondary College students Brett Albress (vice captain), Charlotte Earle (captain) and Kyle Broomfield (captain) are joined by Member for Yan Yean Danielle Green, Minister for Education James Merlino and Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes as the $5m upgrade at Wallan Secondary College begins. Read the full story on page 8. Outdated: current Year 12 captains Brett Albress, Kyle Broomfield and Charlotte Earle took the Minister for Education, James Merlino on a tour of the current and well used Year 12 common area at Wallan Secondary College. Licensed by Copyright Agency. You may only copy or communicate this work with a licence.