Principal Dan Murtas said encouraging the students to become a part of National Tree Day by planting their own tree on the school grounds was a good way to promote “looking after the environment”.

“Education about carbon footprint and climate change is soon to become a part of the curriculum,” he said.

“Letting them plant a tree on the oval is a way to teach them about the importance of trees for our environment.”

School captain Tuwayn Campbell, 11, said she planted her first tree when she was five years old.

“It’s good to help our environment,” she said.

“And we will see the new tree every Wednesday, when we run two laps around the oval,” the Year-6 student said.

The newly-plated Calophyllum, a tree native to the Northern Territory, was sponsored by Member for Katherine, Willem Westra van Holthe, who helped dig the hole for the plant, which can grow to up to 20m.