SCAS News

This week students from the Year 11 senior Geography class journeyed north to Dorrigo to walk with the giants of the Gondwana Rainforests of the Dorrigo plateau. The World Heritage listed rainforest provides a valuable living link to the evolution of Australia, with few places on earth containing so many plants and animals which have remained relatively unchanged from their ancestors in the fossil record.

Students completed a fieldwork booklet that contributed to their knowledge and understanding of their current study area of Biophysical Interactions and fostered a greater appreciation for the fragility and precious nature of the world’s rainforests. The feedback from students was extremely positive and everyone present truly valued this precious experience outside of the classroom and into nature’s time machine.

The class was also joined by practicum teacher Miss Naarah Scholes from the University of New England who participated in the day as part of her teacher training. Perhaps the most valuable lesson was learnt at Hearthfire Bakery at Bellingen, where Isaac, Tom and Jacinta learnt the fine details and overwhelming difference between an $8 organic wood-fired pie and the standard pie out of the warmer. For these three students the sound of a rumbling stomach will serve as a reminder that sometimes you get what you pay for!