Noah Walker-Smith said they wanted to bring recognition to Tree Kangaroos because they are not a well-known species.

"There are 14 species of Tree Kangaroo in the world, and two of them are found in Australia," Noah said.

Isaiah Doughty said it was important for people to have knowledge of animals and their habitats.

"When you don't know about something, you can't care for it. And if we don't care for them we'll lose them forever," he said.

The group set up a treasure hunt with 14 'roo clues' hidden around the school.

Each class had the opportunity to participate, learning information about these shy, aboreal marsupials while raising funds to support conservation. The students raised enough money for every class to proudly sponsor a Tree Kangaroo.

"If we don't protect species like Tree Kangaroos, they are likely to become extinct in the next 30 years. People know about pandas and orangutans, but Australia has a number of threatened and endangered species. It isn't just koalas that are in trouble," Oliver Godson said.

Teacher Shannon Kelly said that the project was originally inspired by the Design for Change Rainforest Challenge.

"The students chose an endangered species from Australia's rainforests. They've learned so much along the way, and they truly understand that they are not too young to make a difference."

As well as learning about the species, she says they've also learned important life skills.

"They've had to overcome many challenges and changed their plans several times thanks to COVID restrictions. I'm so proud that they persisted and were able to successfully run this event for their peers," she said.

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