Page 26 - The Song Room 2021 Year in Review

It’s something
special for the
school.”
STUDENT, CLIFTON CREEK PRIMARY SCHOOL VIC
CLIFTON CREEK PRIMARY SCHOOL, VIC
IMAGE: VICHEALTH
CASE STUDY
Recovery through the arts
and uncertainty of the pandemic compounded their grief. Susan Paul, the principal at Clifton Creek Primary School, knew that her close-knit community needed help to heal and reconnect.
Susan signed up the school to take part in a Song Room Community Engagement Project. Thanks to support from a VicHealth Reimaging Health Grant, the community came together through the arts for renewal, hope and rebuilding after shared trauma.
The Song Room’s local Teaching Artist, Alan Soloman, worked with the school to create a sculpture to represent the strength, life and longevity of the community. The new metal sculpture,
placed at the front of the school, welcomes visitors to the re-built school building, represents a tree demonstrating re-growth and resilience.
The students collaborated on the design and personalised the sculpture by designing a leaf to represent themselves and their connection to the school community. There is space on the tree for future students to add their own leaf, creating a growing piece of art for all to enjoy. Through the project, the students and school community at Clifton Creek Primary school improved their wellbeing, personal identity and re-built a thriving school community.
The sculpture was launched with a Smoking Ceremony and Welcome to Country facilitated by Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation (GLaWAC). Parents, families and members of the local community attended the launch to acknowledge the creative process and celebrate the sculpture that will be there for years to come.
The small, rural community of Clifton Creek in East Gippsland Victoria was devastated by drought and then bushfires when COVID-19 struck in early 2020. With the local school destroyed by the fires and families still recovering from the ordeal, the stress
26 The Song Room | 2021 Year in Review