4 September 2019

The Mercy Learning Centre has been opened by Deputy Premier and Minister for Education the Hon. James Merlino MP at Mount Lilydale Mercy College, Lilydale.

The striking new building is the latest development in the college’s master plan to deliver modern, open, light-filled spaces that reflect learning opportunities of the 21st century. The Mercy Learning Centre brings together the library, lounges and seminar areas in a single community gathering place for students in Years 10, 11 and 12. It supports the sharing of student ideas outside the classroom, complementing the shift towards collaborative media and team efforts. The core strength of this approach is in the relationships it supports, including student-to-student, student-to-staff, student-to-faculty, student-to-equipment and student-to-information.

Designed by Cirillo Architects, working in association with Architecture Etcetera Pty Ltd, the college obtained a $2 million capital grant from the state government in October 2018 towards the project, which was completed in June this year.

In his address to the students and stakeholders gathered, Mr Merlino stressed the importance of good facilities as they ‘make it easier for us to teach and to learn’. He explained that the average 15-year-old in 2019 will have 17 different jobs and five different careers, and that schools today need to be providing students with the ‘critical thinking, creativity and collaborative skills to prepare them for the world of work’. As a past student of the college, Mr Merlino said that it had prepared him well for the world beyond the school gate and he was ‘proud to have played a part today, in the next phase of this wonderful school’.

‘We are pleased to be able to launch this exciting project today which brings innumerable benefits for our students, providing the spatial and technological solutions to accommodate students’ needs now and into the future’, said college principal Philip Morison.

The Mercy Learning Centre was blessed by Rev Mgr Anthony J Ireland and the Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony were conducted by Kellie Hunter, a Wurundjeri descendant.