The Sustainability Committee has completed the initial planting of a native verge garden at the end of Middleton Street, turning a neglected patch of dirt into a community green space in partnership with the Addison Road Community Centre.
As seen in the photos above, the Year 12s have been working hard transforming the patch of land.
Following site preparation earlier in the term, student volunteers cleared invasive weeds, loosened compacted soil, and introduced drought-tolerant Australian native groundcovers, shrubs, and organic mulch. The project aims to improve local urban biodiversity, creating a small habitat corridor for native birds and pollinators along the residential footpath.
The initiative extended the committee’s practical environmental work into the surrounding Stanmore neighbourhood. Students worked with Addison Road staff to select local tube stock suited to inner-west soil conditions and coordinated deliveries of organic compost. Working in shifts after school, committee members installed low-profile timber borders along the kerb to prevent soil runoff into local stormwater drains during heavy rainfall.
A regular maintenance roster led by junior committee members has been set up to manage weekly watering schedules and weed control as the root systems establish ahead of the cooler winter months.