​Box Hill Institute was a proud winner in two categories of the 2012 Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) Achievement Awards held on 10 May at Federation Square.   

The awards recognise the outstanding achievements of both the students who participate in the VCAL, and the contribution and achievement of their teachers and partner organisations, who contribute to the development and delivery of innovative VCAL programs. 

The prestigious awards were presented to the Box Hill Institute students by the State Minister for Education, the Hon. Martin Dixon, MP in the categories of VCAL Student Achievement Award, Intermediate – Team Achievement and VCAL Partner Achievement Award – Workplace Learning. 

John Maddock, Box Hill Institute, CEO said, “These two awards are examples of the excellent work being done by Institute’s VCAL Team, Youth Unit staff and our very active Student Activities Representative Committees.  We are thrilled that they have been recognised for their hard work and community spirit.”  

The VCAL Student Achievement Award – Intermediate – Team Achievement was awarded to a group of the Institute’s VCAL building students who travelled to Charlton in Victoria where they spent four days clearing debris and building fences after the 2011 devastating floods. 

The students organised a fundraising barbeque and sold a coffee table that they had made to raise money to fund their journey.  The Charlton community were extremely grateful for the VCAL students help during their rebuilding stage.  

Box Hill Institute runs a program for VCAL students called Peer Activity Leadership (PAL).  The PAL Program encourages students to focus on improving life skills through recreational activities. The PAL Program participants worked in partnership with staff and teachers of Old Orchard Primary School, in North Blackburn, to run activities for grades one and two over a four week period. 

The Box Hill Institute VCAL students developed, and demonstrated personal development and oracy competencies through an applied experience at the school.  The program succeeded in increasing student engagement, improving leadership, social skills and personal effectiveness in the creation and execution of programs. 

2012 was the first year that Box Hill Institute had entered the awards, and these two award winning projects demonstrate the high level of quality teaching and learning that occurs at the Institute when the service learning method of teaching links to academic outcomes, community service and authentic learning.