From April 17 to 21, the Macaulay Public School Eco Team organized a variety of events to encourage the school community to celebrate Earth Week.
The Eco Team was composed of one student from each Grade 1 to 8 class who was interested in leading “eco learning.” These students also supported the Kindergarten classrooms by visiting our youngest learners and leading rich conversations about the environment.
To kick off the week, classroom teachers discussed the weeks’ initiatives and what it means with their students, taking on one “mindful action” to use as the classroom’s Earth Day pledge.
“Trashless Tuesday” was a day when students were encouraged to not make garbage, raising awareness about garbage vs. recycling, and how classrooms would improve the proper use of the bins in their classrooms.
On Wednesday, or “Wear earth tones Wednesday,” students and staff wore earth tones (brown for soil, green for plants, and blue for water) to show spirit, and teachers were encouraged to take some learning outside.
Classrooms were then encouraged to power down as much as possible on “Turn down Technology Thursday.”
And finally, on Friday, students celebrated Earth Week in assembly, and also completed a community clean up. The younger students cleaned up the school yard and nearby trails, while older students went a bit further into the neighbourhood to pick up garbage that was revealed with the snow melt.
All in all, it was a wonderful week of celebration of the Earth with good reminders of how to continue to make wise choices to take care of it on an ongoing basis. As Grade 6 student Trey reflected, “We have to acknowledge what we are doing to the earth, and make sure we leave it at least as good and sustainable as it is now. As the most intelligent species on the planet, it is our job to protect the earth. We need to remind people that the world is so fragile, and it needs to be thought about more than just now and then.”
