Melissa Gould admits if she was a car the petrol gauge would be getting close to empty, as the 10-month refurbishment program to restore Rochester Secondary College to full operating capacity comes to an end.
The school principal took me on a tour of the school last week, intermittently interacting with contractors who are putting the final jigsaw pieces together so the ‘handover’ of the college will be as smooth as could be expected.
That handover is from Ms Gould to a new incoming principal, yet to be announced, at the start of term four. Ms Gould has resigned as college principal and from term four will take on the vice-principal’s role at Iona College, near Geelong.
And while the Rochester site where she has been the backbone during its difficult period of operation will miss her, no-one is begrudging her decision to make a mid-year sea-change.
This week she will stand at the front of the college community to celebrate what will be as close to a finished restoration program as could be imagined.
Only some landscaping work will remain before students are no longer required to avoid roped off areas of the school that have been almost constantly under construction.
Despite the challenges, trauma and operational nightmares that have confronted Ms Gould — and her staff — since mid-October last year, she will leave the school in better shape than when she found it.
A new food technology facility, the likes of which any metropolitan secondary facility would be proud, a new canteen and a refitted ‘tech’ wing are crowning achievements of the school’s rebuild.
And the project, amazingly, has been delivered — as promised — by term three.
Every building of Rochester Secondary School was damaged by the flood, even the 2019-constructed art and science wing, which was built to new regulations after the 2011 flood event.
“We missed by one brick, water went through the whole building,” Ms Gould said.
“No-one is exactly sure if that is because of the height of the water or just how powerfully it flowed into the school.”
The pride she showed in explaining several of the college improvements that are a legacy of the refurbishment indicate the extent to which the college is “focusing on the positives’’.
Portable buildings, which were part of the temporary facility the school operated from while the rebuild was happening, have been gifted to the school and remain as a part of the new facility.
A wellbeing centre has become an important part of the college, redeveloped classrooms now providing offices for two mental health practitioners and the visiting organisations that are offering ongoing support to staff and teachers.
“The wellbeing centre will provide for headspace visits and other two other agencies who are offering support services,” Ms Gould said.
While the college is almost back to normal, a reminder of just how different life became at the secondary facility remains, as the “temporary’’ Rochester kindergarten building still sits at the site.
“We don’t have a date on when the kinder will move off site just yet,” Ms Gould said, showing the now “vacant lot’’ that was neighbour to the kindergarten and home to the whole school population while the flooded buildings were repaired.
Ms Gould said by the end of last week contractors had ticked off on just about all the classroom, administration, community centre and canteen repairs.
“The grounds have been seeded and we are choosing to put some turf down. There is a bit of work to be done in that area, but we are outsourcing the landscaping,” she said.
A brief interaction with food technology teacher Craig Danswan during the tour was evidence of just how proud the staff are of the ‘’new’’ school.
“This (food technology) is one of the biggest improvements. The facility was from the 1970s, it is a massive upgrade and improvement,” Ms Gould said, explaining that 25 classes a week would benefit from the modernly appointed — almost commercial quality — stainless steel kitchen.
“It will be in use every day. We have based it on another school’s kitchen.”
Ms Gould was quick to point out that while the school wasn’t encouraged to ‘’go shopping’’, she and her staff did make requests for improvement wherever possible.
The kitchen will soon be fitted with a television and camera to enable students at the back of the room to watch the teaching instructions.
Ms Gould said staff were able to contribute their ideas to most rooms, but in several instances only flooring needed to be replaced.
“Where we could, we kept asking for improvements, and while there was the occasional no, we had more yeses,” she said.
Among those was the improved breakfast club building, which is now fully carpeted and “much more welcoming’’ than its predecessor, according to the outgoing principal.
“We have 80 to 100 breakfast club participants now,” she said, the number using the 8.30am service having doubled since the floods.
Major improvements to the canteen, where Linda Belot was glowing in her assessment of her new environment, included the installation of a dishwasher and central bench, along with the replacement of “orange’’ fittings with the shiny new stainless steel theme that runs through the college.
“Stainless has replaced the orange that we used to be surrounded by,” Ms Belot said, pointing to a small reminder of the interior that was next to the service window of the canteen.
Ms Gould said Ms Belot operated out of a shipping container to continue the vital school service after the flood, and students never went without a canteen during the operation of the school from portable buildings.
Ms Belot was busily filling the 80 orders she had on Friday as we continued the march around the college.
Ms Gould said there was still some unpacking to be done, but for the most part new and essential educational tools were all in place at the college.
The enormous price tag to replace and repair the interiors and equipment at the school is no better evidenced by the new machines that are now operational in the technology wing.
“Most of the machines had to be refurbished or replaced. The tech centre lost a lot of tools and a huge amount of money was spent to replace those,” Ms Gould said.
“It has probably been our biggest expense.”
The devastated administration area at the front entrance of the school was the most impacted building during the flood event, being at the lowest point of the college.
Like all other areas of the school, it is now back in business, along with the neighbouring community centre, which has upgraded kitchen and toilet facilities.
Ms Gould does, however, share the concern of the wider community about any future flood event — no change being made to the height of the buildings and, as yet, no news on any enhanced mitigation measures downstream at Lake Eppalock.
“I see kids rushing to their phones to check on weather forecasts if it starts raining. I’m pretty sure that nobody could stomach another flood event,” she said.
Ms Gould said the disruption for students had been extraordinary, but the college numbers had not dropped and the future of the facility looked strong.
“Initially we lost 30, but picked those up again. Staffing-wise there have been a couple who have left, but they’ve been replaced,” she said.
Ms Gould said her staff had changed their approach to teaching, meeting the kids at their point of need amid the continued stress of living life in sheds, caravans and, in some cases, other people’s homes.
“They are keeping pace with the needs of kids, but the staff are exhausted,” she said.
“Everyone has been running on adrenaline for three terms. We have emptied 27 shipping containers, the last of those only two weeks ago, the smell of the flood bringing back all those memories for people.
“There are still several triggers for people.”
Ms Gould said while every one of the college’s 320 students was “important’’, next term would be a particularly crucial time for Year 12 students.
“A large number of those kids are still displaced, and we are supporting them with their university plans and ensuring they are given special consideration,” she said.
After-hours study rooms have been made available at Rochester Community House on Monday, and on Wednesday at the college.
“They are volunteer-manned, we just can’t expect the staff to do any more,” Ms Gould said.
Ms Gould said returning to consistency and routine by the start of a new principal’s “reign’’ in term four was a key goal of her handover.
“Change is not great for people dealing with trauma,” she said.
“I have been incredibly lucky to have this team of staff.
“We will be looking for a new principal and I really wanted to see this through and get the college back to where it needed to be.
“I thought that would be a good starting point for the new principal.”
The Rochester teacher of the past 19 years said she had “held off’’ her shift for a couple of reasons, both for the school and to allow her youngest daughter to complete Year 12.
"Financially and physically the school is in a good spot. We also believe the support mechanisms are in place to restore some emotional health,“ she said.
Ms Gould will start her new role on October 2, in the lead-up to her new school having its first VCE intake.
“It is in the growth corridor and is a rapidly growing school. Next year they will have their first VCE class,” she said.
“And while it is an exciting challenge, it is incredibly sad to be leaving Rochy.
“I will miss it.”
And Rochester Secondary College will miss Melissa Gould even more.