Vision

The grade 8s at Ashley Oaks are part of a group called the “Green Leaders”. Our goal annually, is to make environmentally themed improvements to the local community of the students. This begins with community walks in the falls to survey the needs of the community, followed my a planning phase in the winter which involves reaching out to community partners and applying for grants, and finally the action phase in the spring.

Action

This year, the grade 8s decided that there was a newly planted forest that needed restoration + expansion. Our plan involved a park clean up followed by planting some native trees. In addition to this, we were also able to install some signage beside the new trees. People in the community can scan the QR code on the sign which will take them to a website that was made by the students. This website contains a ton of information such as who we are, as well as what our vision is.

Reflection & Celebration

This project was a huge success! The students learned a lot about how even at their age, they can have positive, lasting impacts on their local community. They learned real world initiatives such as what it takes to apply for a grant, how to properly hold conversations over email with community partners, and how creating a vision can keep everyone on track as we chase our goals. All Green Leader schools are meeting at Western University on June 3rd to share our work and celebrate our successes this year.

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