By Justin RouillonFriday 1 May 2020School ExcursionsStation NewsReading Time: 2 minutes
It’s a sign of the times with all students learning remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This morning 96five fired up the laptop and invited the staff and students of Lawnton State School to our first ever Virtual School Excursion.
It was so good to see so many smiling faces join Ken and Nicky via Zoom in the 96five studio. One of the great things was not just connecting with 96five, but the students being able to connect with each other after being isolated from each other since before Easter.
Stuart Hovey is the Principal of Lawnton State School and told 96five that the Virtual School Excursion was just an extension of the family focus of the school.
“We talk about Lawnton State School being a family, even though we’re apart we’re all still one family and it’s great to be able to see everyone join together. We have incredible staff, fantastic parents and amazing students, when you put all of those together, that’s what makes for a great school.”

Listen to the interview with Principal Stuart in the audio player above.
Even with the challenges of remote learning, Principal Stuart said that there have been some positives to come out of the situation.
“Each of our teachers has been connecting with our families through phone calls and also a daily morning show that we’ve been able to run on Facebook. We’ve been able to do that each day as a way to stay connected with all of our families. Even though we might have been dealt lemons, our job is to make lemonade!”
Channel 7 have been a big supporter of the School Excursions since the broadcasts started over a decade ago, and the Virtual School Excursion was no different.
With Jimmy the 7NEWS camerman in the studio, the team was also joined virtually by 7NEWS anchor Sharyn Ghidella who was full of praise for the community spirit of Lawnton State School.
“I think this is fantastic that you’ve been able to connect this way – I know they are very community minded and it’s wonderful to see all these faces on the screen and have an insight into their lives!”