Peace and Environment News* April 1996
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Peace and Environment News * April 1996 |
by Julie Archambault
On Valentine's Day, students met at De La Salle secondary school to figure out how to green schoolyards and use them as an outdoor classroom. We, the students, left the workshop inspired by the ideas and support we received from teachers and our principal, Mme. Santerre.
We talked about what we could do to change the landscape, like building ponds or planting a vegetable patch. We also examined how we could change the man-made scenery, by designing a gazebo for musical and theatrical presentations, painting a giant chess board for math or painting wall murals for art. We tried to think of a half dozen projects that could help us with each course we take, from computer science to language arts.
Other students came from high schools where greening has already been successful. They came from Gloucester, Brookfield and West Carleton. Steen Esbenson, a professor from the University of Quebec in Hull, presented slides showing one school's journey through the transformation of their school.
Where will this lead? With the support of our teachers and principal, we are planning an exciting Earth Week in April. We are planning an opinion poll on the quality of our outdoor grounds in order to get everyone involved in the process of change. Already, we have received donations of seeds to plant in flats. We are also organizing a "funky" mural painting while student musicians jam together, and we are setting up information kiosks and inviting speakers. Throughout Earth Week we will promote a "car-free" week and plot on a thermometer the amount of pollution avoided.
All this positive energy is creating the waves of change...Go enviro's!!
Si vous voulez en savoir plus, contactez-moi à l'école secondaire De La Salle au 789-0053.
Julie Archambault is an OAC student at De La Salle secondary school in the school's enviro-club.
Converted April 11, 2000 - Lg
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