PETER CARNLEY ANGLICAN COMMUNITY SCHOOL
A CELEBRATION OF CULTURE Peter Carnley Anglican Community School celebrates a rich cultural diversity amongst its students, staff and families.
Principal Felicity House said while eighty percent of the School’s students were Australian born, many had parents who were born overseas. Twenty per cent of students were born overseas and come from 36 different countries of birth. “Rich cultural diversity is celebrated and embraced as part of our School identity,” Ms House said. She said celebrations like Harmony Week provided a wonderful opportunity to share cultural heritage. Staff and students wear traditional clothing that reflects their cultural identity. Classes engage in Harmony Week activities and multicultural cuisines are prepared by the canteen for students to enjoy. We also celebrate our cultural diversity by participating in dance performances, assembly items and assisting local artists with art collaborations. The ‘Welcome Wall’ at the front of the Wellard campus reflects the multicultural make-up of the school, greeting visitors in seven different languages Noongar, English, Hindi, Indonesian, Chinese, Italian and Maori. The colours for each word come from the colours on country flags including the Noongar word Wandju which represents the red earth of our land. 4
Aboriginal cultural engagement is a focus for the School. The classrooms at Calista have been renamed with each classroom proudly displaying an animal with the reciprocal Noongar name. The School is engaged in the ASC RAP, with Principal Felicity House sitting on the ASC RAP working party. Throughout the School, staff and students look for opportunities to learn about the culture of First Australians. Year 12 student, Faith Clowry has been at the forefront of raising awareness, first approaching Ms House last year to share her story at the Principal’s Assembly where the theme was NAIDOC Week. “Faith wanted to share her story to the School community about her culture and growing up as an Aboriginal girl and woman. She lamented the lack of teaching of Aboriginal culture throughout her schooling. This is something we have taken very seriously, as we bring more content and truth telling to our classrooms,” Ms House said. “Faith has shown tremendous leadership in Senior School and has been an advocate within our community to educate others about acceptance and respect, which are two of our School values. She is very proud and passionate about her heritage, and her passion in her discussions has planted the seed for further learning and inclusion of Aboriginal culture and heritage at the School.”
