Champions for change

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/03/2020 (2292 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Championing environmental change has long been in the hearts and minds of many in J. H. Bruns Collegiate’s school community.  

Last year, the Southdale-based school was named one of the winners of the 2019 Superpower Your School contest chosen by Earth Day Canada, which further served to acknowledge the school’s emphasis on focusing on the environment in the classroom and beyond.  

Almost a year on, key players at the school have started spending some of the contest prize money — which totals $20,000 worth of new technology products from Staples Canada — and working on a number of initiatives and projects that will lead to a more sustainable tomorrow.

“The first thing we had to consider is what equipment are we going to need to help us with ongoing and future projects,” said Lisa Burton, an English teacher and key organizer, noting the school has had an interest in environmental stewardship issues in her 18 years at the school.

“As a team, we got together and made a wish list of things we might need, and we had to do a lot of critical thinking and ask ourselves, ‘what are the most important things we need?’”

This team includes Scott Cowley and Shaun Volkart, teachers of an innovation and design course at the school, and Charlotte Turenne, who works with SHOW (Students Helping Our World), which has been working with students from St. Theresa Point on a number of initiatives.

“We looked around the Staples store a few times and asked what our possibilities? We had one person dedicated to walking around with me and working with me after we made a list and chose some products,” Burton said.

This list included a digital printer for the school’s innovation lab, which has helped provide the students with “hands-on learning.”

“We knew we wanted to focus on innovation and design. We want our students to have real-life opportunities, and we also wanted to make sure the equipment is available to the other students,” Burton said.

The list of past, present and future environmental initiatives at Bruns is varied one, and it includes transitioning to stainless steel cutlery in the cafeteria.

“It’s as much about the little things as the big ones,” Burton said.

There’s also a team of Grade 10 students that’s involved with composting at the school, and the goal is to prevent as much as possible going into the landfill. As well, students have also conducted waste audits, where waste is sorted and examined.

“We’ve also had a student develop a machine to recycle plastics. He began the project as a result of an environmental program here. As teachers, it’s our job to put things in the path of students.”

“There’s so much potential out there, and the innovation and design program runs all afternoon, and it’s about providing an opportunity for the kids to do these things,” she added.

   
Burton pointed to a pivotal moment in 2005, when a group of female students came knocking at her door and said they wanted to start an environmental program.

“Those seven young women wanted to start an environmental program, and what’s great for me is the legacy of those young women continues today,” she said.

The winners of this year’s contest will be announced in April.