Heather Latter
The Rainy River District School Board presented its monthly “Recognition of Excellence” award to Angela Petsnick, of the Environmental Education Committee, at its regular meeting last Tuesday night.
“The Environmental Education Committee has initiated several projects to engage students in their learning, especially in creating healthy, environmentally-conscious schools while developing leadership in students,” a board report noted.
These include worm composting, the “Great Canadian Shoreline Clean-up” and school-based Environmental Film Festivals, as well as canoe route mapping, tree planting, and the urban forestry inventory, in partnership with the Rainy River District Stewardship Council.
Promoting the development of a stewardship ethic in local youth, Petsnick said the board, in partnership with the stewardship council, planted 3,372 trees across the district.
She noted Atikokan High School planted 1,000 seedlings at Quetico Provincial Park, Riverview School in Rainy River planted 500 seedlings along the Pinewood River, J.W. Walker School planted 500 seedlings on Oakwood Road in Fort Frances, and Crossroads School in Devlin planted 700 seedlings on Crown land.
Another project saw 72 maple trees (10-16 feet tall) and 100 rescue trees (one-two feet tall) planted at the Fort Frances High School field.
Petsnick noted Fort High student will continue monitoring the 72 trees, using technology to assist them.
“The tree-planting was documented by groups naming each tree, and keeping a list and photo of the students who planted the tree,” she explained.
“Smart codes will be placed on each tree, making it possible for someone to scan the code with a smartphone to see who and when the tree was planted.”
There are future plans to integrate the growth of these trees into data management classes by tracking the growth and health of the trees over the years, Petsnick added.
The Fort High tree-planting partnership with the Rainy River District Stewardship Council was so successful, in fact, that plans are in the works for this partnership to expand to Robert Moore School here.
In another partnership with the stewardship council, Fort High teacher Robroy Donaldson and his Geomatics class will be creating a canoe route map on Google Maps, which eventually will be available in hard copy—as well as on the Internet—for community members to use.
Petsnick said another popular project has been worm composting. She even brought a worm compost box to show members of the board at last week’s and explain how it works.
She noted Crossroads School, Donald Young School, Fort Frances High School, Nestor Falls School, North Star School, Rainy River High School, and Riverview School currently are worm composting, or have received funding to start bins in their schools.
“Both Riverview and Crossroads were awarded World Wildlife Fund awards in 2012 to purchase equipment to start worm composting,” said Petsnick, adding Crossroads students in Grade 2 are in the process of creating a presentation to share with Riverview via Adobe Connect.
Meanwhile, the “Great Canadian Shoreline Clean-up” is an event J.W. Walker School has participated in for the past eight years, and last year received additional help from several Fort High classes.
“Over the last eight years, the school had noticed a gradual decrease in garbage along the Rainy River,” Petsnick said.
In 2005, for instance, students collected 17 full bags of garbage. But this year they only collected eight.
“In 2008, students collected a whopping 2,093 cigarette butts along the riverfront yet this year, the school has noticed a drastic decrease to only 540,” she added. “Students are motivated by the fact that they are making a difference.”
This year, the Environmental Education Committee hopes to have Donald Young School start cleaning the shoreline and will be inviting other schools to participate, as well.
Petsnick said they also are hoping to have more participation with school-based Environmental Film Festivals this coming year.
Last year, Donald Young, Nestor Falls, and Crossroads each held their own to celebrate Earth Day.
She noted the Environmental Education Committee provided funding for a local filmmaker to provide stock footage for the students use to create their own environmental videos.
“This winter, Grade 8 students will be given the opportunity to learn how to edit film to create their own video to be played at other schools in our district,” Petsnick said.
Petsnick also reminded the board the committee has an environmental blog to keep people up-to-date on their projects, which can be viewed at http://apetsnick.edublogs.org
