Vision

Our 50 students came up with unique action projects and pitched them to the two classes involved. Stunds voted on which project they wanted to get involved in. The one that was selected is what I am going to share.
Last summer there was a 400 Hectare fire ( the video has the wrong information) in a community called Knutsford which is very close to our school. The students were concerned about the number of trees that were burned and the nesting opportunities lost for the bluebirds. They decided they wanted to help by putting up bird houses and new food sources adjacent to where the fire burned.

Action

We found someone who could build them for us, and we purchased supplies for 15 boxes. We connected with a bluebird expert who helped us plan where to put them . He recommended a road adjacent to the fire, as well as some private ranches. We contacted the ranchers and gained permission to put some boxes on their property. We went to Knutsford (where the fire was) and installed 15 boxes as well as two Saskatoon berries as the bird food source. We partnered with a Professor from Thompson River University who also joined us to explain the value of grasslands and the care we needed to take while putting up the boxes. The day’s bonus was that we got to see some bluebirds while there and the students felt really connected to the goal of helping them. With the remaining money, the students wanted to contribute to a community forest that is being put in close to our school. The goal of the forest is to create a forest that is drought-resistant and provides shade. We planted two trembling aspen trees and helped water the others. We partnered with the local neighborhood association. They presented to the students the value of trees as a way to offset carbon and how they communicate with each other. The students also watered the trees that had been planted there last year and weeded the pollinator garden from a previous action project. We accomplished a lot with the $500.

Reflection & Celebration

We were proud of what we accomplished. The ranchers we connected with were extremely thrilled to be a part of the action project as well. Partnering with so many different people taught the students how interconnected people are that care about climate change. The fire was very worrisome for many of our students and being able to take action to slightly mitigate the destruction was empowering. The trees we planted are in a park close to our school. The student will see them for years to come and know that they did something good.

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