At 1pm Friday, December 13, Parkes schools will join hundreds of others across the country in one big rain dance.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Bust the Dust began at St John's Parish School in Trangie, and it's gone viral.
Year 5/6 class teacher Emma Wilson said the idea came to her small group of students when they were learning about the drought.
She said lifting the spirits of their tiny town, and indeed all drought-affected communities, was vital.
"It's incredibly important and I think children are often forgotten in the middle of a drought," Ms Wilson said.
"Often people don't ask what they're seeing, what they're noticing and how they're feeling."
Red Bend Catholic College students have already wrapped up classes, so they got things off to a stomping good start by kicking up the dust last Friday.
College principal Stephen Dwyer, emerging from the dance floor coated in dust, said many of the College's 740 students are feeling the impacts of the long drought.
Beyond those in the local community, many of the 140-strong boarding community come from hard-hit central and western NSW regions.
"It has a huge impact on our families," Mr Dwyer said.
"This is an opportunity for us to support these people in our communities, and in our families."
The College has been raising funds and support for charities, but Mr Dwyer saw Bust the Dust as something they could do to raise awareness.
"It's also a lot of fun, because we all need that," he added.
Regional schools who will #bustthedust on Friday
- Holy Family School Parkes
- Middleton Public School Parkes
- Forbes North Public School
- Forbes Public School
- St Laurence's Parish Primary School, Forbes
- Red Bend Catholic College, Forbes
- Eugowra Public School
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Eugowra
- Canowindra Public School
- St Edward's Primary School Canowindra
READ MORE: