Scouting school of the state

Oskar W, Year 3 out bowling with fellow scouts.

BEACONHILLS College can proudly claim the title of Victoria’s biggest Scouting school.
The college’s two campuses have nearly 100 students from all year levels signed up to Joeys, Cubs, Scouts and Venturers.
The huge popularity of Scouting in the local region is due to a number of factors, according to school and Scouting Victoria representatives.
Peter Hockey, head of the college’s Pakenham Campus Junior School, often attends local Scouting award presentations to his students. He said there was no doubt that Scouts had wide appeal to both students and parents.
“My belief is simple – it is a wonderful activity for children, even more so today because children still love to experiment outdoors,” he said.
“With the increase in organised sport and the use of technology, the Scouts and Guides movements – rather than appearing outdated – meet the needs and interests of the modern child.”
Good citizenship, a core value of Scouting, is also one of Beaconhills’ six key pillars of learning.
Pakenham Scout Group leader Jason Baird said group membership had doubled in the past two years which was “pretty significant”.
He said the exciting range of activities offered at Scouts, from billy-kart racing to camping, canoeing and cycling held wide appeal.
“It is important for kids, because they spend so much time in front of technology,” he said. “It also broadens their social network.”
Mr Baird also attributed the growth in Scouting to initiatives such as La Trobe University’s Aspire Program, where Venturers who have achieved a Queen’s Scout Award can receive university entry recognition.
Immediate past chief commissioner of Scouts Australia (Victoria Branch), Mr Bob Taylor, said students from the college’s Pakenham Campus belonged to 16 different Scouting groups, with 12 groups attracting members from the Berwick Campus.
“The strength of Scouting in the school may reflect our complementary educational aims and programs, which appeal to youth and parents in the Casey and Cardinia shires’ Scout groups,” he said.
Mr Taylor said Scouting was the largest voluntary educational movement in the world with more than 40 million members.