Learning doesn’t work well if you are disengaged. Connecting students to things that matter goes a long way toward engaging them and preparing them for learning important skills and concepts. At Horsefly School, one way of engaging students is through an inquiry and problem solving project. Teachers and other adult mentors posed a challenge to the students: How much can we reduce our school’s carbon footprint in one year?
According to Calvin Dubray, principal, “students hope to reduce the school’s carbon footprint over the year and increase student and adult knowledge of recycling and power consumption and then translate into discussions for creating carbon footprint reduction strategies at home.”
Chevy MacLean (gr. 4, left) and Lexi Augustine (gr. 4) are putting recyclables into the appropriate bins in their classroom.
Recycling stations have been set up in each classroom, staff room and kitchen at the school. Students have received training in the use of these stations. The stations include a refundable bin, a plastics bin, a paper bin, a cardboard bin and a composting bin. Helpers in each class weigh the contents and empty the bins in a centralized location which is later brought into town by Dubray. The compost collected will be used in the school’s ‘Spuds in Tubs’ program later in the spring.
Ashley Wilson (gr. K, left front), Chloe Veitch (gr. K) and Keagan Wilkins Scott (gr. 2) deposit their compost into 1 of 2 compost bins at the back of the school.
To reduce electricity consumption, students monitor electricity use and look for ways to save electricity. Simple steps, like turning off lights in areas of the school not being used, checking that thermostats are set correctly, and turning off computers when they are not being used, help students reach their goal.
In order to be able to find out if the students’ strategies are successful, tracking data about recycling and electricity usage is a must. Students in each class weigh recyclable materials and track how much is being diverted from the local landfill. Electricity usage is being tracked and compared to month by month energy consumption reports from the previous year.
Jesse Way (gr. 3, left), Josh Sumner (gr. 5), Kyler Irving (gr. 5) and Evan Way (gr. 5) are coming back from weighing and dropping their classroom recycling off at the central collection station in the school to be transported to town.
The results so far have been excellent. Over 60,000 returnable containers have been diverted from the landfill. Garbage bags have been reduced from three per day to just one. Power consumption has been reduced each month compared to last year according to the monthly energy report obtained from the SD27 Manager of Facilities and Transportation. Numbers collected this year will help students set targets for next year.
Maintaining enthusiasm for a year long project can be tough, but sharing results with students allows them to see that their hard work is earning results. The Student Leadership Group at Horsefly School also provides incentives and organizes contest to keep things interesting. The senior class at the school even produced a video, “The Green Team Strikes Again!” to highlight examples of recycling bin misuse. They entered this video into “Science World’s BC Green Games, an annual contest designed to encourage K-12 students to document and share their environmental action stories,” according to Dubray.
More information about the Horsefly School’s carbon footprint reduction project can be found by reading the Green Gazette online.
Great schools are the center of their communities, especially in rural areas. Horsefly School students connect inside and outside of school hours. Check out this video by the local Horsefly 4H Club, one of four national winners in a contest promoting 4H across Canada. All but one of the students featured attends Horsefly School.
SD27 Showcase 