Smithton High School is abuzz with activity as students and teachers adjust to thinking outside of the square when it comes to everyday learning.

While the education department have put large scale school events on hold in the face of COVID-19, it has become the task of the teachers and mentors at the school to come up with a new way to engage students in hands on experiences.

Smithton High School’s youth mentor Selina Maguire is all about getting students to learn in the best way suited to them and recognises that not all learning takes place in the standard classroom.

Taking a small group under her wing, Selina has helped to implement many programs throughout the school from the Bee Aware team through to a group of 18 students from across all grades with their sights set on Hobart and the Windeward Bound.

Students are busy fundraising for the trip and will be holding a cake stall outside Woolworths on Thursday August 20 from 9 to 11am.

Taking a tour through the school, there are projects underway in all corners with four months of gardening work shaping up the outdoor bee garden, complete with hand made tiles, recycled bee hives and the sweat and tears of the students involved.

“ All of the materials are recycled, everything in the garden has been bought in and repurposed by the students,” Selina said.

“It’s all been hands on.” 

“It’s maths and science, measuring and calculating,” she said.

With students embracing the idea of sustainability and growing their own produce, the school has really flourished with their veggie garden and their own lambs, also benefiting classes such as the Paddock to Plate students, and with plans to make relish, jams and produce their own honey the students are on their way to being self-sufficient.

In other areas of the school construction of a skate ramp is underway, led by mentor Dudley Billing the group of students are also making their own skateboards as part of their MDT classes.

In the art rooms there is an array of amazing talent being showcased as students from year seven to 12 get creative and don’t mind getting their hands dirty in any medium.

Selina says she is amazed at the diversity of talent throughout the school, and the willingness of the students to get in and have a go.