LiveSmart BC Community Hero
LiveSmart BC Community Hero: Gordon Terrace Elementary School
“Environmental stewardship is one of the pillars of our school,” says principal David Standing.
Students are encouraged every day to take little steps to lessen their impact. They are power-smart and turn off lights at the school when not needed. They recycle – not only paper, cardboard, cans as well as glass and plastic containers, but also the many containers left every week from the milk program at school.
Students have also planted and are looking after a native garden in the school grounds and Gordon Terrace was the first school in the area to establish idle-free zones, equipped with the proper signage, around the school.
The students' work, however, does not end at the school gates, Standing emphasizes. They have gone out to replant the riparian zone around Joseph Creek, painted yellow fish on storm sewers to indicate the water from there would flow right into the creek and have taken numerous field trips to Elizabeth Lake.
For several years now, students have even developed a kid’s guide for the sanctuary so other children can discover the area as well.
In addition to the environmental projects, students are also involved in programs around the globe, such as building wells in developing countries or collecting money for UNICEF’s Halloween campaign. Most of the time, the teacher behind all these projects is none other than Stewart Wilson.
“Stewart is our champion,” beams Standing. “He weaves the environment through the entire course subject area.”
“Any opportunity he gets to teach his students about the environment, he takes it,” Standing continues.
And Wilson has the absolute blessing from the school’s administration.
“The environment is a good way to develop social responsibility in students and that’s our goal here,” the principal emphasizes.
Standing also knows that it is tough for any student to forget about a year in Stewart Wilson’s class. In fact, he adds, parents have asked for their children to be in his class, because they know of his commitment to environmental stewardship.
