Nightcliff Primary School was a finalist in the 2019 NT Natural Resource Management Awards.
The selection as a finalist for the Junior NT National Resource Management (NRM) Award category acknowledges the work of the school’s Eco Warriors.
This group of senior students promotes environmental sustainability through projects such as litter and paper recycling and reuse, the preservation of local flora and fauna, and by educating younger students about conservation and wise resource use.
Teacher Erin Costello said the activists is developing a culture of responsibility and care and “a desire to support and sustain the natural and built school environment”.
“As leaders in the school, the Eco Warriors have been instrumental in restoring understorey plants in Finch’s Forest — the school’s forest ravaged by Cyclone Marcus — and installing camouflage-coloured nesting boxes and mammal refuge boxes,” she said.
“By the end of the year, the Eco Warriors will have planted 30 trees — donated by the City of Darwin — in Finch’s Forest.
“They are also monitoring wildlife in the school surrounds, and engaging with other eco-projects, such as composting and recycling.
“The composting program is almost entirely student-led, with senior students supporting early years’ classes by collecting and emptying their compost bins daily.
“By contributing to these projects, the Eco Warriors are demonstrating a remarkable conservation ethos.”
Nightcliff Primary School would like to congratulate winners Alawa Primary School and fellow finalist Gunbalanya School.
Jill Finch
Assistant Principal
Nightcliff Primary School