Cobar High School aims to promote Aboriginal culture within the school and recent donations made by Peak Gold Mine, CSA Mine and the Cobar Local Aboriginal Land Council will help to bring their ideas to fruition.
The school’s Aboriginal coordinator Paige Jermyn said the Aboriginal Education Team has a number of ideas that will help to
introduce local Aboriginal culture into the school.
“We would also like to create a yarning circle for the upcoming NAIDOC Week to be located in an area of our school.
“Our vision includes installing a rainwater tank, planting bush tucker trees and an area that is safe for all students to utilise and retreat to if necessary,” Paige said.
“We will also dedicate the exterior of three walls of our school library to be painted to represent contemporary Aboriginal art to help create a cultural environment.”
Part of the initiative is to introduce a ‘focus word’ every fortnight to the whole school using the Ngiyampaa language of the Cobar region.
“This is a community based school project that will utilise the involvement of Aboriginal parents and stakeholders of the community,” Paige said.
“Their time will be used to help our school achieve the implementation of the Aboriginal Garden and Yarning Circle.
“Our proposed completion date is expected to be one year as this will involve teachers writing and employing programs to allow our students to be involved in all subjects at Cobar High School.”
At the school’s NAIDOC Day celebrations next month students will participate in activities to help with the implementation of the Aboriginal Garden and Yarning Circle.
