Rainbow Garden opens today
An incredible mosaic sign for the school’s new ‘rain garden’ project will be unveiled at Hay Public School today with contributions from some outstanding locals and not-for-profit organisation Petaurus.
Hay Public School was successful in receiving a Sustainable Schools Grant with the NSW Government this year. A group of 13 year-six students embarked on an investigation about water conservation at their school and how ill-managed water run-off can negatively impact local water ecosystems. Hay Public School collaborated with Petaurus Education Group, a not-for-profit organisation that has worked in the Hay community for over a decade. Petaurus works to encourage and connect regional schools and communities with their natural environment through the delivery of education programs that promote positive change. They work with hundreds of schools throughout NSW, supporting sustainability projects around water, energy, paddock to plate, waste disposal and biodiversity.
Samantha Davies and Harry McCrabb from Petaurus, supported the implementation of this incredible project with the school. Students began the project by exploring the local Sandy Point wet/dry wetlands and researched the function and threats to local and national wetland ecosystems. With the help of Bill Auldist from Riverina Local Lands Services, students learnt why the conservation and removal of contamination within wetlands and culturally significant sites is critical.
Hay Shire Council supported this program through providing maps of the underground pipe system which the students used to determine the route and distribution of potable and raw water through Hay’s water storage tanks and back to the school. They then conducted a water audit of the school, counting all the bubblers, taps, toilets, and measuring the amount of water used over two weeks.
“The kids had fun with the activity and were surprised by the number of taps at the school and how much water was used over a two-week period,” Mrs Davies said. “Using this knowledge, the students made a series of water-saving action stickers to help change the habits of their school community to save water.
“They also decided to create a ‘Rain Garden’ at their school, made up of native shrubs and vegetation planted on a natural slope towards a waterway.
“Rain gardens stop erosion, filter pollutants and litter out of the rainwater, create habitat for birds and wildlife and increase pollinators.”
A diverse range of native vegetation was planted in the rain garden. Flora species included dog-tooth wattle, one-sided bottlebrush, callistemon, melaleuca, kangaroo paw as well as an abundance of flowering shrubs. Compared to a conventional lawn, rain gardens allow for 30 per cent more water to soak into the ground and are effective in removing up to 80 per cent of sediments from the rainwater before it runs into a creek or river. The garden is situated at the end of the school grounds on Leonard Street, close to the kindergarten classrooms and is visible from the road.
During the planning phase Samantha visited the school’s ex-Grounds Assistant, Martin Jackson, to check if there were any powerlines or pipes under the site of the future garden. Martin’s wife, Heather Jackson, is a mosaicist and a plan evolved for a sign for the garden. Volunteering their time, Heather Jackson, Cheryl Marmont and Marilyn Walter spent most of lockdown creating the magnificent mosaic sign to celebrate the achievements of the students and school.
Initially Mrs Davies wanted the group of students to help with the mosaic, but were restricted with Covid regulations. Finding it a good way to keep connected and get through lockdown together, the mosaic project has taken just over two months to complete. The engaging masterpiece features wetlands, rainbows, wattles, bottlebrush and bees beneath the bold insignia ‘Rain Garden’.
With children who attended Hay Public School, now all grown up, the women expressed pride and joy to reconnect with the school again through their creation.
“It is a wonderful legacy for the students and the school,” Mrs Davies said. “The project was an opportunity for the students to engage in outdoor learning and show leadership, bringing their unique attributes to the project and working together as a team.”
Along with the new garden, Mrs Davies is excited to launch a book written by the students about their learning journey and provide the school with a water-saving campaign based on the students’ stickers. The highly engaging book is jam-packed with visuals and serves as the documentation of the students’ pride and growth along their learning journey. From the student’s own words, the book will describe their perspectives and what they’ve learnt about water conservation and their surrounding environment.
Cheryl Marmont, Marilyn Walter and Heather Jackson with their mosaic creation.
