Harvey Senior High School students become ‘language warriors’ after taking part in Noongar language classes

Harvey Senior High School is now teaching its First Nation’s language and its students could soon become Noongar “language warriors”. One of only three schools in the South West to undertake the classes, the HSHS students have picked the language up “really well” according to their teacher, Noongar woman Kristy Jetta. “It’s a different language to teach and learn,” she said. “We use the back of our mouth and the front of our mouth, so it can be tough to adjust to sometimes. “It’s really heartwarming to see (non-Indigenous kids) taking up the language. They will walk past me at school and say ‘kaya’, and it’s wicked. “They’re not afraid to use it and speak it outside of the class.” There were “very little” government resources for Ms Jetta to use and the first-year language teacher had to make her own teaching materials since the classes started earlier in the year. But she said students were already stringing full sentences together. “It’s not like the Education Department where everything is there already,” she said. “Because there aren’t many resources, we have to make our own. It would be awesome if it was embraced a bit more in education. “I’m not a (Noongar language) expert. My mum is a Noongar language teacher — and my auntie — and they are still learning because it’s a rejuvenating language. We didn’t have it before, and now we are trying to revive it, bring it back to life . . . Everyone will become language warriors,” Ms Jetta said. “It’s important that they (students) learn their First Nation’s language. If you go over to France they speak French, if you go to New Zealand, just across the water, they learn Maori.” Praising the “respect” the students gave to Noongar culture and their teacher, engagement program teacher Litza Reed said the students looked forward to the class every week. “I’m really impressed. It has been phenomenal, and the students engage really well with Kristy,” she said. The classes also come after Harvey’s Community Resource Centre introduced its Indigenous cultural awareness workshops in 2020, which has seen a major interest from residents.