Gawa Christian School (a campus of NT Christian Schools Association) provides distinctly Christ-centered Education for Indigenous children living in Elcho Island's northern homelands in Arnhem Land. Gawa Christian School values the education of the whole person. We delight in the gifts and talents that God has given each of us and aim to meet all our students' individual academic, spiritual, emotional, and physical needs.
Christian communities, learning together to live life as God intended, offering hope for the world. The mission of Gawa Christian School is to be a learning community where God is glorified in everything we do. Our aims Students and school:
- To inspire and equip this generation of children to express Christ together at school, home, and abroad.
- To develop each student's intellectual potential and help them reach their full potential using their God-given talents, skills, and abilities.
- To develop self-disciplined, wise, kind, and happy students.
- To value and respect each student as a unique person gifted by God.
- To assist students in appreciating their rich cultural heritage.
- To develop and nurture students' positive attitudes towards themselves and others.
- To provide a supportive and nurturing environment for schooling that translates to enthusiastic students full of hope for their futures.
- To encourage excellence in our students and our teachers.
Parents, grandparents, and community
- To encourage a genuine fellowship between school and community.
- To facilitate positive relationships amongst all school community (staff, students, parents, and community members and elders).
- To develop a school that meets the specific needs of the community and achieves genuine two-way learning.
- To encourage Christian parent direction and involvement in the school.
By the early 1980s, after the official end of the Mission era and the beginning of self-determination, some older people began to talk of returning more permanently to their homelands. One older man Ngulpurray, had a vision for his kin to live in the Gawa/Nanginyburra region. Gawa was chosen as the preferable homeland site. After many years of struggle and limited support, Gotha and Colin's desire to become a Christian School was granted in 2004. Gawa opened under the banner of NT Christian Schools. Now 55 students from three homelands attend Gawa Christian School, and the small community of Gawa is thriving. God has chosen this place for His people.
Mayawati is the younger class of about 20 students, from Transition to Year 6. They are delightful children who enjoy singing, dancing, and playing games. Christa's classroom teacher is assisted by our valuable Yolngu teacher aides Wendy, Sylvia, Daphne, and Ronnita. Mayawati class has been a delight to teach in term 1. They have been learning about the beautiful way God made plants. They planted their bean plants, watering them, and taking care of them in great anticipation of one-day harvesting beans.
They have gone on bush walks with Gäwa elder Waluŋ, learning about Yolngu bush foods and surrounding habitats, collecting nyik (bush currants), and a variety of seeds to sort. They have even been writing a class book 'Nyumukuliny Maŋutji Nyik' (The Itsy-Bitsy Nyik Seed), which has been fun. This term, we have had some younger new students join our class, and it is exciting to see them learning new skills. We have had the joy of a new helper, Ronnita from Ban'thula. Her cute, kinder-aged daughter, Shiloh, joins in with the big kids.
Mayawati students have enjoyed learning praise dances. The older girls in our class taught the rest of the class the hand motions to the songs. They then performed one of their favorite dances for an assembly called 'Victory,' to the delight of Damala class and staff.
