Environmentally-conscious students educated their peers while learning a lot themselves during Earth Week at Stratford District Secondary School.
Guest speakers stopped by the local high school to chat with students about a variety of environmental topics, part of activities held throughout the Avon Maitland District School Board.
Students from the school’s Eco Club organized some fun activities, including a ‘Where’s Bruno’ game. Similar to ‘Where’s Waldo’, students had to find Bruno and then answer questions about the environment, such as what can be recycled in Stratford, to win a prize.
Trustee Bruce Whittaker stopped in to talk about the city’s skate park and new outdoor gym and how it helps the environment.
The Eco Club have appeared in delegations before city council and have worked on a produce bag initiative with the Local Community Food Centre. They have planted trees with other local organizations and try to raise awareness in their school.
Student Lucy Chung said students have also worked on an urban farm project, learning about soil best practices in the process.
“One of our goals for Earth Week is to show people that talking about the Earth and caring for the environment isn’t just specific to biology and science programs…we had something about robotic farming so it can apply to engineering and apply to Indigenous studies and English classes, even math classes and physics classes.”
Students said they learned new insights into how city processes work through their Eco Club involvement, and ideas on how to connect with the community and inspire changes.
Some may pursue careers that intersect with the environment.
“What I am personally going to take away from Earth Week, it was really interesting to see, you can do things for the environment from any career. You can always make a change, make an impact,” said Elliana Morrison.
Christine Ritsma teaches a Green Industries course at the school, and is staff advisor for the Eco Club.
“They are a robust group of kids and it’s not just this group. We have been so lucky at this school to have such great kids in leadership. This is a group that sees an idea and then they go for it…they work so well together, they are amazing.”
Ritsma said there is so much motivation to go around that her only concern is keeping everyone focused and narrowing in on ideas.
“They want to make changes, here in the community, so it’s just about what is our goal, what do you want to do, how do you want to do it. And that is fun right, that is so much fun.”
