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Bottom Eagles reach out

St Andrew’s Grammar has won the chance to host a VIP tree planting event at their school with special guests from the West Coast Eagles Football Club as part of Planet Ark’s Schools Tree Day.

After entering a competition with Toyota WA, the students will welcome Eagles players such as Sam Butler, Darren Glass, Ashley Hansen, Mark Nicoski, Matt Rosa and Beau Waters for a planting session where shrubs donated by Toyota will be planted.

Volunteers and staff from Conservation Volunteers Australia will also be at the school to assist.

Toyota, the West Coast Eagles and Planet Ark encourage people from all age groups and communities across the country to come together and plant trees to repair, revegetate and restore Australia’s landscape.

Schools have played an important role in the overall success of National Tree Day and Schools Tree Day, with more than two million volunteers having helped to plant 15 million native plants since the initiative began in 1996.

Meanwhile, the final Kicking Goals trip for 2010 took place recently with West Coast skipper Darren Glass and premiership spearhead Quinten Lynch making the trip up to the Pilbara to visit senior high school students from Newman and Hedland.

Participants of the Kicking Goals program focussed on improving life skills, school attendance, academic achievement as well as the health and well-being of young children in the Pilbara region.

Glass and Lynch were on hand to offer advice and reinforce key messages of the program.

It was the first time the captain visited Newman Senior High School for the year, saying the initiative plays an important role in producing some positive outcomes for students.

“It is a great program and the support shown by BHP Billiton Iron Ore for the work we are doing here really does make a difference to these kids,” he said.

“You can see how much they respond to the advice we offer and how excited they are to be a part of it.”

The Kicking Goals program is a unique partnership between the West Coast Eagles, BHP Billiton Iron Ore and the Swan Districts Football Club that uses sports-based initiatives to help Pilbara communities achieve better educational and employment outcomes.

Since its inception in 2005, Kicking Goals continues to deliver impressive academic and social results for both Pilbara towns.

The program involves coaching clinics, videoconference sessions, email and telephone exchanges between players and students as well as various other activities throughout the year and with the positive results the program has been able to achieve, it has ensured the continued support from West Coast and their principal community partner BHP Billiton Iron Ore.