The Green Team
The green team was formed in 2015 with the mandate to make the school environmentally aware and to begin initiatives that reduced the amount of wastage in our school. The programs we started and plan on running in the future are all meant to teach our students how they can help the environment. It is hoped that what they learn in school about the environment will be taken home and shared with family. Often, it's the little things in life that make the biggest difference.
In our first year we started a recycling program that introduced the staff and students to the idea of recycling many of the items they would normally throw away. We educated the students on why we recycle and how important the process is to the continued health of the environment. We held several contests that promoted recycling, reusing, and reducing. The winners won class prizes and had their projects displayed for all to see in front of the office.
Another Green Team project we started was a vegetable garden. Students started growing the plants from seeds in the classroom and a month later they were transplanted into larger growing containers. The seeds were then planted in the Elders Court of the school where they continued to grow until late September when they were harvested.
With the success of the small garden we have hopes of getting a grant to create a much larger garden located on or near school grounds. We have plans of partnering with the Norway House Band and community members to ensure the success of this project. With the support of the community we hope to have dedicated volunteers who will work the garden during the summer months when the school is closed and staff are off on holidays. In return for their help they will be able to take most of the vegetables to share with their families. The school will take enough for our harvest feast that we hope will become an annual occurrence.
We also are looking to do some beekeeping near the school. Other northern communities have already started beekeeping and are showing a lot of success. Some are getting enough honey to sell and the money goes back into the program. We hope to do the same in our school. We plan on using the beekeeping as an educational resource for the students. We feel that it is critical for our students to learn about bees and how important they are to the welfare of our environment.