CONGEWAI Public School principal Melinda Stokes knows it's not every day that "an ARIA Award-winner rings up and says, 'would you like us to play a concert and bring our friends'?"
But the tiny 11-student school, nestled in a picturesque corner of the Hunter Valley near the Watagans, isn't an ordinary learning environment.
Bellbird singer-songwriter William Crighton - who won Best Blues & Roots Album at the ARIAs last year - and his wife Julieanne have been sending their children to the school for the past decade.
Their eldest daughter Olive, 14, did kindergarten to year 6 at Congewai Public before moving to the Hunter School Of Performing Arts in Broadmeadow three years ago, while Abigail, 10, is in year 5.
The Crightons have offered their time in the past to the school, for singing and music lessons, but they wanted to provide a special event to help publicise Congewai Public and drive enrolments.
On December 8 the Crightons will perform a free concert, billed as Twilight In The Valley, on the school's grounds. The community event will also feature acclaimed Kurri Kurri singer-songwriter Melody Pool, Newcastle rocker Ben Leece and Wollombi's Hell West & Crooked.
The alcohol-free show will also include food trucks and markets.
"I think if more people knew that the school existed, and it was on their radar, they'd have more enrolments," Julieanne Crighton said.
"A lot of people are looking for an alternative to the big in-town schools."
Julieanne said Olive initially started kindergarten at a bigger primary school, but "freaked out". The family immediately found Olive's shift to Congewai was beneficial for everyone.
"We've had experiences with bigger schools, and they have their benefits, but as far as the communication you have with the person that is spending so much time with your child every day, it can't really be matched by a larger school," she said.
Congewai Public is celebrating its 135th anniversary this year. In recent times the one-classroom school's population has been steady between 11 and 14 students.
Ms Stokes has been the teaching principal for the past three years and said the school is hoping the Crighton concert will attract more enrolments.
"As we're in a relatively-isolated area, there's not a lot of families in the Congewai valley," Ms Stokes said.
"It's nice to raise the profile of the school and showcase what we have on offer.
"To look at it, it's a beautiful school, and it has real heart and soul. The kids are at the centre of everything we do here and they [the Crightons] were looking at a way to showcase the school."
Beside Ms Stokes, there is another teacher who works three days a week and a casual support teacher.
As part of the NSW Government's Rural Access Gap Program all students have a laptop and iPad and the school's grounds boast a tennis court and a vegetable garden.
There is also a daily school bus from Cessnock.
"Our kids have a very hands-on education," Ms Stokes said. "They get to experience everything for themselves. We do a lot of project-based learning, so they're really delving into problem-solving learning.
"We can bend and stretch things a little bit so they can have that very tailored experience."
