Vision

The vision at our school is for staff and students to engage in outdoor education in relation to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs this project will target are quality education, climate change (13) and sustainable life on land (15). Quality education-ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all by allowing all students at our school to access outdoor education which is extended beyond the classroom. This project also aligns with goal 13 and 15 regarding climate change and sustainable environments as it is a piece of a bigger vision we have at the school. We are looking create a sustainable outdoor space that encourages outdoor learning for students of all ages.

Action

Our Eco Team has started this process by building a pollinator garden in one of our two outdoor classroom spaces. We are looking to add more native species to promote a healthy ecosystem for insects and other species native to Oakville. Our pollinator garden will have perennial plant species that are both native to the Oakville region, safe for students and promote pollinator species to thrive. The pollinator garden will be added to our school on June 1, 2023 as we wait for the garden bed to be built and for our soil and plant drop off. As a school, 18 classes this year planted pollinator plant specie flowers that are ready for planting in our existing gardens.

We would love to add native trees such as the sugar maple tree to our outdoor learning space. Not only is the sugar maple a beauty in the fall with the vibrant colours of leaves, the leaf is also on our nation’s flag. As this tree matures, in future years we can tie in learning to indigenous teachings such as the production of maple syrup. Perhaps one day we can even tap our own tree in the winter months! The funding from this grant would be used to purchase either a sugar maple tree, pin oak or bur oak tree. Sugar maple is our first choice dependent on availability.
We are looking to purchase a sugar maple tree from Sheridan Nurseries for $399. The other trees we are looking at are the following:
Pin oak: 199.99
Bur oak: $199

Future extensions of this project will one day include a community garden. We are looking to create a garden space where students plant vegetables and the community takes care of and can access the fruits and vegetables the garden creates. This is in relation to SDG 2-zero hunger.

Reflection & Celebration

Our Eco Team will be helping with the planting of our tree(s). Our students can enjoy and celebrate our sustainable choices as they are outside with their classes learning in our outdoor classroom and using our sugar maple tree for lessons.