White Pines students who take what they learn in the classroom and put that knowledge to work in the community are up for a national environmental award.
A Grade 12 environmental geography class at the Algoma District School Board school is one of 100 finalists for the 2019 Superpower Your School contest. The finalists are split between elementary and high schools.
Ten schools, five high school, five elementary, will each win $20,000 of technology products from Staples Canada. The winners will be announced before Earth Day on April 22.
White Pines was also a finalist in 2016.
The 12 students in Kevin Magilll’s class held tutorials on how to grow microgreens, do composting, demonstrate how to make natural cleaning products, plant trees and maintain a section of the Voyageur Trail at Robertson Cliffs in Goulais River. The activities were done between September and December of last year.
“It gets them out of the classroom and into the world to see what we’re learning about in the classroom in the broader community,” Magill said of student involvement outside of White Pines. “That was really beneficial from a teacher’s standpoint of seeing them engage so actively.”
His students chose what they wanted to do. Magill worked to make those priorities happen.
“I was a facilitator,” he said. “They were the leads, for sure.”
Students fromWhite Pines are also helping with the creation of a nature preserve with Lake Superior Watershed Conservancy. Signage highlighting biological information and traditional Indigenous use of flora and fauna and a boardwalk were created by students at the high school.
Six groups, including Wilfrid Laurier University, TerraCycle Canada and Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, are Ontario judges for Superpower Your School.
Criteria schools will be judged on include incorporating environmentally responsible behaviour into daily school life, demonstrating a long-term commitment to backing a healthier environment and giving the school community, including parents and staff, and the wider community a chance to get involved.
For White Pines to be nominated a second time in less than five years is “awesome” for Magill, who teaches geography at the high school.
“I think that it shows a great interest in the kids,” he said. “They have an interest in these issues.”
His environmental geography class brings together students who have past experience in green projects and others who are new to helping the Earth.
“At the end of the day, everyone’s working together and learning,” said Magill, who has taught at White Pines for 15 years. “That experiential learning really is the way to go. That’s what I’ve always preached as a teacher.”
Technology White Pines identifies as priorities for the possible $20,000 prize includes colour printers, cameras and MacBook laptops.