19 March 2020

Students at Our Lady of Mercy College, Heidelberg, are ditching their textbooks and taking up ‘life lessons’ instead.

If you’ve ever felt uncomfortable on a dance floor, been stranded by an unexpected flat tyre or thought your Halloween costume lacked a little pizzazz, maybe you should have attended Our Lady of Mercy College.

The Catholic secondary school has been running a variety of skill sessions for five years, steadily increasing the class options to 26 this year.

Popular classes are how to take care of someone affected by drugs, how to change a flat tyre and cooking while home alone. Other lessons include making aromatherapy playdough, special FX make-up and how to fit in on the dance floor.

College house coordinator Hayley Gamble Curran said more students wanted to learn basic life skills they felt weren’t taught elsewhere.

The school gets outside companies to teach classes, as well as staff, and current and former students.

This article was originally published in the Heidelberg Leader on Tuesday 17 March.