Alesco part of international project
Alesco Senior College recently participated in The Manning River Turtle Conservation Project by making 60 craft turtles using paddle pop sticks, wool and a simple weaving technique.聽 Their baby turtles will form part of a large mother turtle, covering 8m x 10m and will be photographed from the air by a drone in late May. The project was mainly driven by the school鈥檚 Visual Design class with some students in years 9 and 10 contributing as well.
The project aims to bring awareness to the local community about our endangered Manning River Helmeted Turtle. The turtle is a 55 million year old reptile found only in the middle and upper catchment areas of the Manning River in NSW. It is a medium short-necked freshwater turtle and was listed as an endangered species in 2017. The project is in collaboration with artist Shona Wilson and the international organisation withNature2020.
withNature2020 is a global initiative that aims to engage more people in the conservation and care of local nature through art and to raise awareness about endangered species in the world.聽 The initiative began last year in Copenhagen and Midcoast Council is one of only two areas in Australia involved in the project.
Other community volunteer work Alesco students have recently participated in is the Forster Tuncurry Community Kitchen where VET Retail students prepared and served healthy meals to local residents. Interacting with the residents at Evermore Retirement Living and helping with their Morning Tea. Alesco also has a long-standing collaboration with Ted Bickford and students regularly volunteer to work with Ted to remove graffiti and apply an anti-graffiti solution to local landmarks.
Alesco Senior College has an interest in connecting and volunteering within the local community so jumped on the opportunity to be a part of this international project. Alesco is always open to looking into other community collaborations.
Some information courtesy of MidCoast Council
For further information on the Manning River Helmeted Turtle project, you can visit: https://www.Midcoast.nsw.gov.au/Part-of-your-every-day/Council-Projects/Manning-River-turtle-Conservation-Art-Project
