In the 55th anniversary year of the school, Brisbane Adventist College embraced the future with the opening on Tuesday 7 December of eight newly refurbished general-purpose Secondary classrooms. The event celebrated the incredible fruition of three years’ worth of complex grant applications, planning, refining finer details, and the additional planning necessary to future-proof the new classrooms as much as possible.
The expansion effectively doubles the learning area of the old classrooms with larger indoor and covered outdoor learning spaces. Each classroom is designed to stimulate curiosity and creativity, collaboration and reflection, imagination, and experimentation, resulting in an overall increase in mental dexterity. On the ground floor, the expansive undercover areas take into consideration the need for a wet-weather assembly area and the social needs of the student population.
Corinne McMillan State MP, representing the Premier and Minister for Education Grace, opened the buildings. Also attending the ceremony were Mr Rod Morris from the State Block Grant Authority and representatives from the South Queensland Conference of Seventh-day Adventists including President Pr Brett Townend, Education Director Jack Ryan, and Chief Financial Officer Scott Hopkins. Principal Leanne Entermann, Deputy Principal Bruce Dever, members of the College Advisory, the Burling Brown Architects team, representatives from Bedford Built, College alumni, and teachers were also in attendance. The 2021 College captains donned their uniforms for one last time and the 2022 captains and student leaders welcomed guests, took part in the ceremony, and took small groups on tours following the formal proceedings. The opening was the last official duty of outgoing Principal Leanne Entermann.
Speakers reflected on the many advantages of the refurbishment, the importance of a Christian education in the world, and on the memories that have soaked into the bricks and mortar of the original buildings which were constructed in 1976 and still provide a strong foundation for these bright new learning spaces. These reimagined classrooms acknowledge a yet unimagined future for our young people.
Featured on the mesh balustrading within sight of attendees was the verse:
“Act justly
Love mercy
Walk humbly”
These words from Micah 6:8 motivated the 1992 formation of StormCo at BAC, the youth-driven, practical mission program that has spread across the globe. Aptly central in location on the secondary campus, the message contained therein is also central to the overall mission as a College, which gives young people opportunities for developing personal character traits that are morally strong.
In her speech, Mrs Entermann spoke of preparing students for an uncertain future: “I agree with Education writer Stephen Heppell who says that ‘we inevitably need schools unlike the ones that prepared their parents.’” This development contributes to a very bright future for BAC.
