Northern Bay College students are being encouraged to engage in sport through a pilot program developed at their school.
Sports Empowerment Education Development (SEED) was developed by teacher Ben Lowery and fitness and motivation expert Steve Lewry. It is based at the college’s Goldsworthy campus, where new facilities have been developed for soccer, basketball, netball, tennis, volleyball and cricket.
Ben Lowery has been teaching in the northern suburbs for 18 years, while Steve ‘Stoofa’ Lewry is no stranger to the Goldsworthy campus. He attended the former Corio Technical School as a teenager and is now one of Geelong’s best known personal trainers, motivational speakers and coaches.
“Ben and I have experience in lots of sports,” Stoofa said. “We developed this program to engage kids in sport and increase their participation at school and in the community.
“There are so many benefits of being involved in sport and we hope it will help engage kids and keep them at school. The new facilities here are first-class and this program is a natural progression to make the most of them.”
SEED is being conducted for Year 9 students this year and gives them access to specialist coaching in a range of sports. The focus is on participation, engagement, teamwork and creating a sense of belonging. It will be extended to Year 10 next year.
Year 7 and 8 students are also involved in a new sporting program that gives them access to specialist coaches. The students attend Goldsworthy campus for weekly coaching in up to 15 sports of their choice.
“This program is unique to the needs of students at Northern Bay College and the goal is fitness, participation and motivation for sport and school,” Stoofa said. “It’s about giving them new experiences.”