Lilydale Heights College has been crowned the 2025 ResourceSmart School of the Year for its outstanding environmental achievements at an award ceremony in Melbourne on Thursday 5 June.
The secondary school has successfully integrated sustainability into every aspect of school life, led by its sustainability learning specialist Shannon Sargeant.
Attending the awards ceremony with members of the Sustainability Team, Ms Sargeant said it was an excellent opportunity for them to meet likeminded youths and gain ideas and inspiration.
With host Costa Georgiadis, Ms Sargeant said everyone was “super excited” and that this in itself was a huge moment for the students.
“I can honestly say that I was in no way prepared for us to win. The other two finalists are five-star schools, so when Costa read out our name, it was pure shock and disbelief that were my initial reactions,” she said.
“I loved how our students took it all in their stride, confidently walking up to the stage with pride and smiles bursting from them. What a way to bring a team closer together.
“I am very humbled that we have been chosen as School of the Year 2025. You don’t get many accolades in education so this is one to really cherish.”
The Three Star ResourceSmart School allows students to work together to solve real-world environmental issues through programs such as There is No Planet B and Ocean Plastic Waste, and Zoos Victoria on its Fighting Extinction science project.
Lilydale Heights has done important work in raising awareness about vehicle emissions as a Monash University Idle Off pilot school, while its collaborative town square artwork project deepened understandings of First Nations perspectives on sustainability.
Judges have praised the school’s integration of sustainable practices into everyday school life.
“The way you have embedded sustainability into the school’s curriculum and culture, which, in turn, has provided your students and community with a great suite of practical and easily actionable ways to be sustainable, is commendable,” the judges said.
Lilydale Heights’ Shannon Sargeant was a finalist in the Teacher of the Year (Secondary) category.
This year, there were 31 schools vying for an award in Victoria’s largest celebration for primary and secondary school students, teachers, and school volunteers taking sustainability action, with 10 schools taking an award, including Wandin Yallock Primary School.
“We have worked on embedding sustainability in the curriculum across all faculties as a priority over the past few years so this really is an award for all members of staff,” Ms Sargent said.
“I am hopeful that this award will encourage staff to continue working towards our resource smart goals, that students will see that the small changes we ask them to make every day count and that more may become permanently involved in the team.”
Sustainability Victoria has celebrated the 16th year hosting the ResourceSmart Schools Awards with the theme, ‘Working Together’.
Matt Genever, Sustainability Victoria’s CEO, congratulated Lilydale Heights College on its outstanding achievement.
“Lilydale Heights College has displayed exemplary efforts to integrate sustainability into its school curriculum, undertaking a diverse range of initiatives. I congratulate the students, staff and the wider school community on being bestowed the coveted title of ResourceSmart School of the Year.”
Since 2008, ResourceSmart Schools has reached over 1,600 Victorian schools. Together they have planted more than 5.1 million trees, saved over $63 million through energy, waste and water savings, diverted 170,000 cubic metres of waste from landfill and avoided over 1110,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.
The 2025 ResourceSmart Schools Awards would not be possible without the generous support of sponsors, CDS Vic, Bank First and the Department of Education.
For more information about this year’s winners, please visit www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/rssa-2025- winners
