WHEN skate parks closed during coronavirus lockdown Will Larkins was forced to get creative with a packing pallet and spare bricks in the backyard to make a jump.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
But his Warrnambool WAVE campus teachers heard about the sketchy backyard setup and saw an opportunity to engage Will at school.
Six weeks later as part of a hands-on class he's built his own portable skate ramp, thanks to some skillful craftsmanship and materials donated by Bunnings.
Now the scooter rider is the talk of the schoolyard as classmates watch him launch off the kicker, perform a casual maneuver, and glide onto a sloped landing.
"I never really liked school, I never liked going, my mum said I had to go or I won't succeed in life, so I started to build stuff here and I really liked it so I kept on coming," Will said.
"It's not like a normal school where you have to work 24-seven, you do a little bit of school work, then a little bit of fun stuff, then you do more school work."
The 14-year-old, who attended mainstream schools in Hamilton and Heywood in the past and joined the WAVE school this year, said he now saw he could do more building-based classes at school.
The WAVE campus, a school for vulnerable students at-risk of not completing school, enrols about 45 students and moved this year to a Hyland Street education department site.
The campus is hopeful for future investment that will allow it to use more of the site, including areas formerly used as a specialist developmental school, enabling it to expand its VCAL subjects.
Teacher Ben Miller said he'd seen Will become more engaged in school because he could do something he enjoyed.
"In the past he was completely disengaged," Mr Miller said.
"That engagement and interest are starting to come back.
"We asked 'what are Will's passions?' And it's about us using that and blending it into learning."
Have you signed up to The Standard's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in the south-west.