When Amanda Kowalczyk started at Koonawarra Public School as the new principal in 2021, she was struck by how the school looked from the outside.
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Set right in the middle of the lake-side suburb, which is one of the Illawarra's most disadvantaged areas, it was surrounded by a high, barbed wire topped fence and the outside walls of most buildings were painted slate grey.
"This is my community and I knew that we could be really sure that, on the inside, great things were happening, but nobody was seeing that," Ms Kowalczyk said.
"This school is 50 years old, and I've lived in this suburb for my whole life, but unfortunately the reputation that's come with the school hasn't been great.
![Kids are invited to write their names on the murals that artist Danny Mulyono is painting on their school walls, to give them ownership over the project. Picture by Adam McLean. Kids are invited to write their names on the murals that artist Danny Mulyono is painting on their school walls, to give them ownership over the project. Picture by Adam McLean.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/HcD9H4nNcktxiWcmkEEpQD/b32e389a-e107-4b58-8e23-5d40b8f0ae81.jpg/r0_438_6157_3913_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"So the first step was getting rid of the horrible fence, and then we wanted to make something that made us stand out, something the kids and parents will be telling people about, and that gives them a beautiful learning space where they feel comfortable, calm and welcome."
At her previous school she worked with street artist Danny Mulyono, known for his bright murals, who she engaged bring Koonawarra's grey bricks to life.
![When Amanda Kowalczyk started at Koonawarra Public School as the new principal in 2021, she was struck by how the school looked from the outside.
When Amanda Kowalczyk started at Koonawarra Public School as the new principal in 2021, she was struck by how the school looked from the outside.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/HcD9H4nNcktxiWcmkEEpQD/fa121b1b-4686-4040-8610-b5aeb1ac06fe.jpg/r0_178_3819_2325_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
One of his many murals is painted on the wall outside the pre-school where the youngest children spend their time and brings to life the school's emblem, the black swan.
"It starts with the baby swan, which is when we get them when they're little tiny babies, and then he's transitioned that into the beautiful black swan," Ms Kowalczyk said.
Mr Mulyono said he wanted his work to help change the perceptions of the school for parents and grandparents, many of whom attended themselves.
"In the last image of the swan, I've put the oldest one with a baby as well, so it's a generational thing," he said.
"I think a lot of the story here is that you're here when you're a kid and then their kids will come back or even some of the staff will come back and teach here, so how they see the school is also important."
One boy, when I was painting the swans, came down the walkway to the top of the steps and looked at the swans. He put his arms out wide and shouted 'I love my school!' as he jumped down every step.
- Street artist Danny Mulyono
Nearly two years into the project, the school is now awash with colour, with huge renditions of Australian native animals and plants the backdrop for its quadrangles and play areas.
"Two years ago I remember standing here, and the first conversation we had was, it's like a jail," Mr Mulyono said.
"The fence looked like it was keeping the kids locked in, rather than trying to deter people from jumping the fence - and the walls were like an institution, big blank walls of grey brick everywhere.
"Kids are not like adults - they don't know why they might be feeling sad or not inspired. Now it's bright, there's movement, there's colour and happiness - and the kids come up and say, 'what's next?'"
"One boy, when I was painting the swans, came down the walkway to the top of the steps and looked at the swans. He put his arms out wide and shouted 'I love my school!' as he jumped down every step."
The art is also visible from the outside, which Ms Kowalczyk says has helped to build pride for the rest of the community.
"This is for the kids here now, but we know that the big scale change won't happen inside, it has to be outside." she said.
"We have 35 per cent of our school population with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds, and their families have had history with the school and that institutionalised feel that it was before.
"This school is physically the centre of this community, and kids would walk in here dragging their feet, it was like a grey cloud. But we knew this had to be a place of celebration, education is so important and we're here to make a difference in this community."
"Last year we helped out first KPS Christmas carol event and we ended up with three or four hundred people - we have a place now where we can have a stage and food trucks and we want it to get bigger every year. We've got big plans."