Vision

The Intermediate student cohort of the school were introduced to the idea of the Climate Change Youth Forum through an information session that connected with our integration of Environmental Stewardship goals. This has been ongoing in periodic classroom discussion in STEM classes to understand what it entails to become a steward of our environment. The Youth Forum became a vehicle for us as a means of gaining more knowledge to help build student capacity. As such we asked that students ‘apply’ for the job as Climate Change Leadership Ambassadors to participate in the Conference. Intermediate staff met to identify students who were motivated to be leaders and bring information back to the school and their classes.

During and after the Forum, our group of 10 were buzzing with ideas of what they could do on the personal level to start a change happening as an action project. We arranged to meet to brainstorm our options and discuss which ideas we could feasible do with the budget grant provided and the time left of the Term. Democratically the group chose to build a school garden that would grow a Three Sisters crop. This incorporated much of our in-class discussion about indigenous connections that we are intentionally making as a routine during STEM instruction.

Action

With this building plan also came the idea of information sharing with the rest of the school, as well a plan to do small lessons for the Primary students on plant care, and life cycle. As such we chose to develop a whole school assembly to connect with Earth Day, and kick off the week with “A Pep Rally for the Earth”. The assembly was totally student group lead, and captured the main ideas for the conference, this group and also highlighted environmental inquiry work being done in many of the classrooms to be shared. It certainly caused a buzz in the school at large as well. We are hoping that the garden will be a point to bring to the community, with involvement in its care during the rest of the Term, throughout the summer, and a jumping off point for the next year. As STEM teachers we are planning to have Intermediate students work next Fall to create leaf mold compost that we saw as part of a breakout workshop through the Halton Environmental Leadership group and HEN.

So we find us here at this point when we are having the materials for the garden delivered, so we can build it. The plan is to do so at breaks and during Science Lab time to actually cover the building process and incorporate a STEM activity to develop a costing plan based on measurement of the structure and its volume. With its creation, all classes are being encouraged to visit and participate in its care in hopes of making connections to curriculum investigations in biodiversity, interactions and cycles in the environment, and sustainability.

Reflection & Celebration

In a reflective conclusion, I have felt that this grant/project has morphed into a greater school initiative. It has been connected with our Outdoor Education investigation as a school motivation combined with SIPSA goal setting and planning to build our Environmental pillar. I was part of a small group to develop PD for our school on getting outside, and explored LSF resources and others to support professional and student learning. Together in divisions we progressed throughout the school year in our reflections, and later showcased students’ work in an Earth Week inquiry as a showcase for their learning and ours. The garden project itself was a motivator and icing on the cake. It was wonderful to see that as the building group got started, so many others wanted to join in and ‘get dirty’. I’m constantly being stopped in the hall to ask if they can join our group to help, and or ask questions about the progress. We’ll be setting up a schedule for care shortly, so we’ll enlist any who are interested regardless if they attended the Forum or not to sign up for a slot to water, weed and harvest – hopefully!

Next up is a plan to deliver our project to our Parent Council as an example of our growth towards our wish to become a Sustainable Futures School next school year.in 2024-25. It is important they see our efforts and join in to spread the ideas that we can make a difference, one small action at a time. I’m excited for this and can’t wait to see how this all plays out in the new school year.

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