Vision

In Term 1, students looked at a variety of short videos on different topics under the umbrella of climate change and sustainability. Students were very interested in microplastics, as this was a new concept for them, and wanted to do some more in-depth work on this. This is an important issue for Pikangikum, as since it is a remote, fly-in community, there is only the option of using the local landfill to dispose of garbage. But what happens if the garbage doesn’t get into the landfill? Students wanted to know what happens to it then.

We noticed that there was a lot of plastic garbage at the local Pikangikum Lake, and so we made a plan to buy a specialized microplastic camera from Ocean Diagnostics. We would then collect sand from the beach to retrieve some microplastic pieces and analyze them using the camera. We would display our research and findings at a school-wide event for Earth Week. Then we would collect our findings and make recommendations to Chief and Council to inspire greater change in Pikangikum.

Action

In March and part of April, students engaged in group inquiry projects, looking into microplastics and their effects on water, animals, humans, and the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

After our research projects, we used our LSF funds to buy a Saturna Imaging System by Ocean Diagnostics, to analyze microplastics in Lake Pikangikum. Students on weekends would go on their own to collect samples of sand from the beach by the local lake. After a few failed attempts, we were able to get microplastics we could see. We followed the camera procedures, and were able to use the program to analyze. Then we categorized the pieces using the classification chart, and made a discovery.

We found only fragments and foams in our sample, meaning that the plastic was from bottles, toys, cups, packing materials, and construction materials. Students got to have hands-on experience in finding out why putting garbage in its proper place is important, and why littering affects the water, animals, and ultimately ourselves and future generations in the end.

Working together as a class, we put on a school-wide event to celebrate Earth Week and bring attention to microplastics in Pikangikum and beyond. The event included two days of activities, April 22-23. The activities were a research fair, displaying their projects, an Earth Day photo booth, a large original art piece, a school yard clean-up challenge, and prizes designed by our class to give away to each person who came through our event. On Day 1 we had 326 attendees, and Day 2 we had 184 attendees. Our class was running the event, presenting their research, handing out prizes, as well as keeping track of attendees using clickers, and being photographers for the event.

Reflection & Celebration

We debriefed our event together as a class on the 24th, talking about what went well, and what we could change if we were to do it again. We then had a pizza party, to celebrate our hard work over the past two days, and the long term work that had been done throughout the project.

Our microplastic inquiry inspired students in our class to want to learn more about the environment, and then the Grade 5-8 Eco Action Team was created! The team meets every Tuesday and Thursday. Next year there will also be a high school Eco Team!

The response from students, staff, and the community was very positive. Students loved to learn about microplastics, take photos at the photo booth and pick a pin, magnet, or sticker, that was digitally designed by 8A students. Students loved the prizes, especially the younger students. We found that staff were very interested in our work, and were extremely impressed with the high quality of the projects.

For our sustainability impacts, it was about the impact on people. 32 students were directly impacted, and hundreds of students were indirectly impacted and inspired by the work. Other teachers and staff were impacted and inspired as well. 8A and the Eco Action Team were leaders in their sustainability work and research, and have started making changes at the school that will last for years to come. Due to this work, an Eco Team was created this year for grades 5-8, and next year there will be a high school Eco Team. The high school Student Council was also inspired by our work and created a position for Environmental Leader on the council moving forward. The school board also approved the Eco Teams working toward an Eco Schools certification for this year and moving forward.

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