Clyde Fenton Primary School (Grades 5-6)
In the heart of Katherine, Clyde Fenton Primary School is a small but mighty school community with a strong connection to culture, community and the unique environment that surrounds it.
With just over 100 students, more than 90 per cent of whom are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, the school is one of five primary schools in Katherine. Its diverse community also includes students from Nepalese, Lebanese and Pakistani backgrounds.
Named after pioneering flying doctor Clyde Fenton, the school has developed a reputation for its therapeutic approach to education and for living by the “CFS Way” – a set of values centred around being responsible, safe, kind and proud. Now, those values are being brought to life in a colourful new way as Clyde Fenton Primary School represents the Northern Territory as a finalist in Keep Australia Beautiful’s Paint Australia Beautiful campaign.
Bringing the CFS Way to life
Around 12 Year 5 and 6 students are involved in painting the mural, with the original idea being designed by a group of students – Tobias, Blake, Xavy, Amy, Riley, Kade and Allan F – at the end of Term 2. Preschool teacher Yasmin Morris worked with the students to develop their initial ideas, and despite moving into a new class since the project began, the students have remained excited to see their original concept become a reality. With the support of senior teacher Angela, whose class Yasmin teaches on Fridays, the students now have the opportunity to transform those early ideas into a mural for their school community.
At its centre are four familiar faces: the school’s mascots. Bobby the Responsible Brolga, Jazzy the Safe Jabiru, Kali the Kind Kingfisher and Peppy the Proud Pelican each represent one of the school’s core values – and for Paint Australia Beautiful, they have also been given an environmental mission. Peppy demonstrates how recycling can reduce waste, while Kali encourages students to reuse materials and conserve resources. Bobby represents responsible actions such as saving water, walking to reduce emissions and caring for plants, while Jazzy promotes safe and sustainable habits including switching off lights and picking up litter.
Together, the four mascots show students that looking after the environment doesn’t always require a grand gesture. Small actions, repeated every day, can collectively make a big difference.
A mural designed by students
Student creativity has been central to the mural from the beginning. After being given the theme of showing the school mascots caring for the environment, students developed their own interpretations. Some drew their concepts freehand, while others experimented with AI to help develop their ideas.
Yasmin then used the students’ original drawings as the foundation for bringing the different elements together into a complete mural design. For Yasmin, entering Paint Australia Beautiful was also an opportunity to give something back to the Clyde Fenton community. Having previously been involved with Keep Australia Beautiful at another school in 2023, she was keen to bring the experience to Clyde Fenton.
When the project took on an environmental focus, she saw another opportunity: to give the school’s mascots greater visibility while connecting the values they represent with practical ways students can care for their surroundings. The result is a mural that is distinctly Clyde Fenton – connecting school identity, student creativity and environmental responsibility.
Growing sustainability from the ground up
Environmental learning is already part of life at Clyde Fenton. Every fortnight, students participate in activities with EON, learning how to plant and grow food sustainably before using the school’s onsite kitchen to turn their garden produce into delicious recipes. Compost bins support the school garden, while bottles and juice containers are collected for recycling and refunds.
The school has also found creative ways to explore environmental themes over the years. Its achievements include being runner-up during Australian Soils Week and participating for two years in the Milpa the Trachoma Goanna art competition. In 2020, Clyde Fenton students also won a $10,000 Minecraft competition, learning how local knowledge could be incorporated into 3D augmented reality and animation.
Inspired by Katherine
Beyond the school gates, students are surrounded by one of the Northern Territory’s distinctive natural environments. The Katherine River flows along the southern side of town and near the school, while Nitmiluk (Katherine) Gorge lies around 20 minutes away. Local families also spend time at places such as Low Level Nature Reserve including the Katherine Hot Springs.
The region is home to wildlife ranging from kangaroos and buffalo to barramundi and crocodiles – giving students an extraordinary natural environment in which to learn about biodiversity and caring for Country. The power of that environment is something the community knows well. Earlier this year, Katherine experienced significant flooding, a reminder of just how closely life in the town is connected to its river and surrounding landscape.
For Clyde Fenton students, that connection extends beyond the environment into the wider Katherine community. Students regularly participate in local soccer, AFL, rugby and netball, while the school itself is known for its sportsmanship and community spirit. Through Paint Australia Beautiful, the school is now creating something that brings many of those threads together.
By putting Bobby, Jazzy, Kali and Peppy at the centre of the mural, students are taking the values they already know as the CFS Way and applying them to the environment around them – encouraging their classmates to recycle, reuse, conserve resources, reduce litter and care for local biodiversity. It is a colourful reminder that being responsible, safe, kind and proud can extend beyond how we treat one another to how we treat the places we call home.