KARUAH Public School (KPS) has been named a top-three finalist for the national Narragunnawali Reconciliation in Education Awards, having completed the final stage of judging on Thursday 15 August.
The Narragunnawali awards recognise and celebrate outstanding reconciliation initiatives in Australian schools.
“On Thursday, the lovely judges and the Reconciliation Australia team spent the whole day with us, interviewing Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal community, students and staff, and filming and visiting all classrooms,” KPS Principal Toni Lyle explained.
“They acknowledged our Aboriginal students’ pride, cultural knowledge and confidence, and our non-Aboriginal students’ leadership, empathy and vision for reconciliation.
“They listened to truth telling, they witnessed the passion of our whole community, and they took the time to hear their many stories, visiting the calm, happy, safe and inclusive environments in every classroom.
“[They] acknowledged our wonderful whole-school academic growth that comes from happy, harmonious learning environments that respect everyone – no matter who you are.”
Narragunnawali awards judges are currently visiting finalists to learn more about each school’s commitment to reconciliation in education.
“Our school’s key driver for reconciliation is acknowledging the legacy of trauma and mistrust caused by government policies that enabled the removal of Aboriginal students from the school to the Karuah Aboriginal Mission school from 1916-1954,” Principal Lyle explained.
“Their journey of reconciliation has involved consistent dialogue, vulnerability, and respect which has transformed a once-divided community into a more connected and hopeful one.”
The finalists were selected by a judging panel of eminent First Nations educationalists: Sharon Davis, Professor Grace Sarra, and Professor Joe Sambono.
The judging panel acknowledged the finalists for their commitments to building strong and respectful relationships with local Elders and communities, developing a respectful understanding of First Nations’ cultures and histories, and engaging in truth-telling within their educational settings.
The national winner will be announced on 6 November at the Museum of Australian Democracy in Canberra (Old Parliament House).
Two school and community representatives will travel to Canberra for the awards evening, as well as joining a national forum with 200 education leaders to reflect on reconciliation in schools.
Karuah Public School’s specific efforts include thoughtfully addressing the school’s history, dating back to its opening in 1884, and the policy of ‘Clean, Clad and Courteous’, which led to an ‘exclusion-on-demand’ policy that saw many Aboriginal students’ educations unfairly cut short.
Port Stephens MP Kate Washington has previously spoken about the school’s initiatives in NSW Parliament.
Chair of the judging panel and Reconciliation Australia Board Director, Sharon Davis, said education is a powerful tool for building a better society.
“Narragunnawali gives educators a way in,” Davis said.
“It supports them to bring First Nations cultures, languages and histories into their classrooms and early learning services with care and respect.
“When educators approach the work with self-reflection and a willingness to learn, and when relationships with community are at the centre, schools and services start to feel safer and more welcoming for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families,” said Davis.
“Each year I judge these awards, I’m heartened by the growing groundswell of schools and early learning services that are walking the talk – not just knowing better but doing better.
“There is a deep hunger for justice in our communities, and when it comes to education, we cannot carry that work alone. “Most educators in Australia are non-Indigenous, and that makes their role in reconciliation essential.
“Narragunnawali helps educators embed reconciliation into everyday practice, and take up that responsibility with care, commitment and courage.”
Davis said the Narragunnawali Awards are an important showcase of the schools and early learning services doing the work of reconciliation and the positive outcomes and benefits that accrue to their communities.
By Thomas O’KEEFE
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