Classes have got cute for Loreto College students as they moove forward their knowledge of agriculture and horticulture while caring for a pair of dairy calves.
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Three-week-old calves Gertie and Bessie have taken up residence at the school during terms two and three as part of a program to promote careers in the dairy industry.
The excited students have taken on caring for their new classmate, providing regular feeds, a clean, safe home for them and regular excursions to the school oval for the calves to stretch their legs.
During the Cows Create Careers program the students learn from a local dairy farmer how to care for the calves and skills in animal husbandry, feeding and weighting, and a dairy industry member will come to talk about their career in the dairy industry.
"The program provides a hands on experience for students who are not from farms," said Loreto College science teacher Natalie Howard.
"It allows the students to be fully responsible for the care of the calves and involves a research component to enhance their understanding of the dairy industry."
The calves have proved a hit with other students also keen to meet the newest members of the school family.
"While Cows Create Careers increases student awareness of the dairy industry, the benefits of the project extend well-beyond the classroom," said John Hutchison, director of Jaydee Events which runs the program.
"It opens opportunities for students to engage with the dairy industry, creates links to their local community, and allows them to learn new skills."
IN OTHER NEWS
Cows Create Careers began in 2004 with dairy farmers in the Strzelecki Lions Club in South Gippsland and nine local schools.
The project then expanded through the industry, regional development programs, dairy farmers and sponsors to more than 217 schools across Australia. More than 11,680 students took part in 2022.
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