World · East Asia & Pacific · 9 hrs ago
Chatswood High students take part in school cleaning roster
At Chatswood High in Sydney, students clean their school grounds in regular shifts led by principal Robin Chand.
Classes sign up for two 45-minute sessions a week, using brooms, buckets and tools to collect litter.
Chand first saw students cleaning at a Japanese high school two years ago, but the Bondi massacre spurred him to act.
The school created its Just Be Kind curriculum to teach manners, respect, gratitude and resilience, and the cleaning roster grew from it.
The routine is meant to build responsibility and respect for a shared environment.
Students say cleaning has made them more aware of litter and helped them feel part of a community.
Chatswood High has introduced a cleaning roster in which students spend 45 minutes picking up litter and cleaning school areas.
Principal Robin Chand says the roster is intended to encourage care for the environment and respect for the school community.
The initiative began about three months before the article was published, with teachers signing up classes for two cleaning sessions a week.
The roster grew out of the school’s Just Be Kind curriculum, which teaches manners, respect, gratitude and resilience.
Students and parents have responded positively, and teachers say the initiative has made students more mindful of their surroundings.
- Who
- Chatswood High students, led by principal Robin Chand, take part in the cleaning roster.
- What
- Students clean school areas and collect litter during 45-minute shifts.
- When
- The roster was introduced about three months before November 8, 2026.
- Where
- Chatswood High in Sydney’s north shore.
- Why
- Chand says it is intended to promote care for the environment, kindness and respect.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Chand visited a Japanese high school where students mopped the floors.
The Bondi massacre spurred Chand to act on kindness and respect at the school.
Chatswood High introduced its cleaning roster.
Students took part in a 45-minute cleaning shift at the school.
- School
- Chatswood High
- Principal
- Robin Chand
- Student population
- 2,287
- Cleaning shift
- 45 minutes
- Class sessions
- Two a week
- Curriculum
- Just Be Kind
What people are saying
I give them a talk about the importance of looking out for our environment, and that the responsibility is on each of us
Only after you start cleaning the school, you realise how much rubbish there is
I’ve tried hard … There’s not much rubbish around here
It’s also pretty calming.