In 2022 Mr Hignetts Year 13 Workshop class decided they wanted to renovate the common room as a legacy project for their final year major project.
The students; Alex O’Loughlin, Molli O’Niell and Brock Potter worked for the whole year to develop a design, raise funds and renovate the common room.
This was a huge undertaking; they were required to run the project as a real building project and follow the normal procedures for this.
They initially contacted the council and the BOT to gain permission and funding from the BOT.
Many thanks to the BOT and Principal for their help with the funding of the project.
The student had contact with design, based in Fairlie, who offered to provide the kitchen free of charge. This is an amazing gesture from Ash Jackson and her team at design. Ash and her team were a constant help throughout the project and we really couldn’t have got such a fantastic outcome for our students without their help. Thanks, Ash and team you guys are awesome.
The students had to price, order and prepare the materials and decipher the plans to enable the installation of the kitchen.
Many hours of sanding and painting later, we were able to lift the carpet and install the subfloor for the kitchen. After this, lots of frustration and a few choice words were exchanged before we got to the final installation and finishing of the kitchen.
Thanks to Chris O’Neill for his help and guidance with the plumbing installation. We do have an amazing community.
This project shows the calibre of students we have at Mackenzie College as they will not really benefit from this, but there are many aesthetic improvements and a fabulous kitchen for future Year 13’s to enjoy.
I have had an absolute blast working with these students. They are funny, thoughtful, hard-working, and an asset to any organisation they end up with.
I will sign off with our favourite phrase during the project. Oh, Fairy Cakes!!!!
Mr Hignett