Eco Sisters Put Justice Into Action At Blackwall Reach Reserve
By mid morning, five Santa Maria girls had already planted 540 native understory plants, and the sun was still shining. There is something very satisfying about looking back across a patch of earth and knowing you have left it better than you found it.
The co-curricular service group, The Eco Sisters participated in a tree planting excursion at Blackwall Reach Reserve on Sunday 14 June. For parents wanting to understand what service co curricular opportunities can teach a girl, this was a very good example. It was practical, local, muddy in places, and full of purpose.
Justice In Action Close To Home
This community tree planting event was part of a long term project Santa Maria College students have supported for the past four years. This year, the focus was on planting native understory species that will help provide greater soil stability and create habitat for birds and animals in the area.
Five students took part in this year’s excursion and planted all 540 plants during the morning session. Two of the girls, Marnie and Vivianne, were returning for their fourth year of planting at the site, which says a lot about their character.
They were joined by Isla, Matilda, and Ayla, who helped continue work that has been building year by year. That long view matters. Environmental care does not happen in one big heroic moment. It happens in small, steady acts repeated over time.
Watching The Banksias Tell The Story
One of the best parts of the morning was seeing the progress of the Banksias planted in previous years. They are now gaining height and beginning to provide shelter and browse for visiting birds and animals.
That kind of visible growth gives students something important. They can see that their effort counts. Not in theory. In actual branches, leaves, and habitat.
What The Eco Sisters Learnt
Excursions like this help girls understand what justice can look like in practice. Sometimes it looks like stewardship, collaboration, and initiative. Sometimes it looks like showing up, working together, and caring for a place that belongs to the wider community.
What stood out most was the students’ excitement about continuing to monitor the site in the years ahead, especially in a place so close to the College. They are not just visiting this project. They are growing with it.
That is the quiet power of service co curricular at Santa Maria. A girl starts by planting a small native seedling. A few years later, she is learning how to notice, care, commit, and act.
- Blackwall Reach Reserve tree planting, Environmental Stewardship, Featured, Girls' Education Perth, habitat restoration, justice in action, Mercy Values In Action, native understory planting, Santa Maria College Eco Sisters, service co curricular, Student service learning
Author: Santa Maria College
Santa Maria College is a vibrant girls school with a growing local presence and reputation. Our Mission is to educate young Mercy women who act with courage and compassion to enrich our world. Santa Maria College is located in Attadale in Western Australia, 16 km from the Perth CBD. We offer a Catholic education for girls in Years 5 – 12 and have 1300 students, including 152 boarders.
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