PAC PINES SCHOOL’S MASSIVE NEW $25M EXPANSION
YEAR 7 and 8 students at Pacific Pines State High School are the lucky users of some remarkable new facilities – and they don’t have to share them with seniors.
Environment Minister and Gaven MP Meaghan Scanlon and Principal Mark Peggrem on Thursday officially opened a $25 million junior learning precinct at the school. The new facility, housed in a three-level block, contains multiple science labs, robotics rooms, kitchens, collaborative learning spaces and its own tuckshop.
Junior school captain Riley Frener said the facilities were “amazing”.
“I’ve got most of my classes up here and it’s really nice. The older buildings are still good but it’s just so much nicer to be in the brand new, fancy buildings,” he said.
“It’s really good to have our own precinct because there’s no seniors in here and generally it seems it’s a lot cleaner, which could be because there’s no seniors. It’s really good that we’ve got our own little area.”
Mr Peggrem said the new building was “future proofed” to handle rising student numbers, with 200 more children expected at the school next year alone. He said parents often worried about the transition to high school, so it was important to create a space where younger students would feel comfortable.
“We’re very mindful that mums and dads are worried about moving to the high school and worried about their children potentially interacting with 17 or 18-year-olds,” he said.
“So what we’re able to do here is create a facility where 12 or 13-yearolds are with each other 24/7.
“This is their tuck shop, this is their play area. These are their science labs, these are their kitchens, these are their collaborative learning spaces.”