2015 Staples
Superpower your
School Contest
Congratulations
to our 10 winning schools!
Atlantic:
Immaculate Heart of Mary School, Corner Brook, NL
Immaculate Heart of Mary School’s most important environmental project is the IMHS Keen on Green-Sustainable Model
Greenhouse Project, a model of sustainable agriculture for other schools and greenhouses in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Using the technology of heat pumps, their greenhouse enables students to be leaders in agri-food innovation all year round
while complementing their current green initiatives (recycling, composting, schoolyard naturalization and outdoor education).
With the tremendous support of their community, staff, students, parents and local businesses, students proudly harvested
their first crop in 2013 and donated it to the less fortunate. As a result of this leadership, IHMS was chosen to participate in the
Little Green Thumbs Project sponsored by the provincial Department of Agriculture.
The $25,000 awarded will go a long way in assisting Immaculate Heart of Mary School in upgrading their school network and
Wi-Fi hardware, as well as purchasing a set of classroom tablets for alternative methods of learning. With these new tools,
students will work toward creating podcasts, computer animations, virtual tours, an “Eco-Friends” blog, graphics, videos and
many more products to bring environmental awareness and learning to the province and worldwide.
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Atlantic: (continued)
Sussex Regional High School, Sussex, NB
Sussex Regional High School has worked year after year toward improving their environmental footprint by implementing
new initiatives and improving upon previously applied ones. Their school garden is a major showcase of their sustainability
initiatives with a greenhouse addition and deer-proofing endeavors. The plants and produce are organic and are maintained
by students and community members throughout the summer. During the school year, science classes and environmental
science classes monitor the sustainability of the wetlands ecosystems surrounding their school, and are active with local
environmental groups in the area by putting forth recommendations to the principal and school district on lowering energy
consumption.
The $25,000 awarded will go a long way in assisting Sussex Regional High School to purchase two class sets of tablets
to support new and old projects by linking to data loggers and sensors. The technology will also assist them with drafting
models and visually collecting data to be shared with the community and environmental partners.
Ontario:
St. Agatha Catholic School, Scarborough, ON
Over the last eight years, St. Agatha’s ‘Stewards of the Earth’ Committee have built a positive environmental impact through
the contributions of teachers, parents and a 35-student team. Looking to inspire change in their community, the Stewards of
the Earth organized and hosted their first Scarborough Green Fair, celebrating the biodiversity of the community and sharing
resources. The fair attracted over 500 visitors, 50 green exhibits and many eco-activities for the community to partake in. This
year, they partnered with the Toronto Community Garden Network and Seeds of Diversity to host the 4th Annual Scarborough
Green Fair on Saturday, March 28, 2015.
The $25,000 awarded will go a long way in assisting St. Agatha Catholic School to purchase a new computer lab to replace
their 41 outdated laptops currently servicing 475 of their students. The lab will provide access to a global network that taps
into other schools and communities, such as ‘Journey North’, ‘Slooh’, or ‘International Alliances’ to virtually connect and
share environmental efforts and better understand the inequality of resources throughout the world.
Saunders Secondary School, London, ON
Behind Saunders Secondary School is one of the parks they’ve adopted, which is in frequent use by students of the school,
as well as the two elementary schools next door. Saunders Secondary School’s construction students are working with a
local scout troop to build a wheelchair accessible dock, and their Green Industry students are working with the City of London
to design planting areas for growing the native plants selected in their greenhouse and more in several areas of the
park, including the butterfly garden and bird area. Lastly, Saunders Secondary School is working with the City of London
to create four educational garden plots using native plants for their Growing Naturally program in Storybook Gardens
(Springbank Park); these gardens will be replete with vegetation and be used to educate the public and students about
eco initiatives, as well as provide them with a green space.
The $25,000 awarded will go a long way in assisting Saunders Secondary School to invest in sets of tablets for their
classrooms for students studying the environment in their Technology, Geography and Science departments. This
new technology will provide access to many citizen science programs and identification apps to teach students
about environmental initiatives that can applied to their day-to-day for localized sustainability solutions.
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Western:
Beaverlodge School, Winnipeg, MB
Beaverlodge School makes taking care of the earth a top priority. While learning about the importance of clean water, air and
soil and recognizing that some people don’t have access to it, Beaverlodge raised $5,000 for a well in Kenya. One of the
major 2015 initiatives they’re tackling is support of the Blue Dot movement – a grassroots movement that advocates the right
of Canadians to a healthy environment protected by law--as is currently in more than 110 nations around the world.
The $25,000 awarded will go a long way in assisting Beaverlodge School to establish learning commons in their school as per
their school division – an educational space infused with information technology. This technology will provide students with a
voice for environmental stewardship through access to video editing programs, social media and inquiry based learning.
Argyle Alternative High School, Winnipeg, MB
Argyle Alternative High School has an award-winning video integration program where students pick an environmentally
relevant topic and create educational videos and documentaries that are shown to audiences as large as 900 people. Their
videos have been recognized by the Manitoba Water Conservation contest, Manitoba Crazy Composting Video contest
and both the Manitoba and the Canadian Councils for International Cooperation. Some past video topics include numerous
habitat restoration projects throughout North America, rainforests of South America and B.C., the integration of the Aboriginal
seven teachings into environmental work, and new approaches to eco-responsibility.
The $25,000 awarded will go a long way in assisting Argyle Alternative High School to purchase technology to replace their
decade-old computers. With this new technology, students will be able to accelerate their ability to produce high-quality
videos, make video conferencing calls to other environmental experts from around the world, and mentor a new generation
of students to expand and promote sustainable practices in their community.
British Columbia:
Kinnaird Elementary School, Castlegar, BC
Six years ago, Kinnaird Elementary School’s school district cut down all of the mature trees on the grounds to build a
parent’s parking lot, leaving only grass fields behind. A year later, Kinnaird established a “School Yard Greening Committee”
with students, staff and parents banding together to establish a five-year plan to green the school grounds. Via successive
grant applications, Kinnaird Elementary has:
• Planted 40 mature trees on the grounds
• Built five large shrub gardens
• Built an enclosed vegetable garden with 10 large garden beds
• Purchased indoor grow-lite stations
• Acquired funds to support curriculum writing for the gardens and pond
• Established a school-wide composting and recycling program
• Acquired a statue through Columbia Basin Trust for their shrub garden
The $25,000 awarded will go a long way in outfitting Kinnaird Elementary School’s outdated computer lab with 30 modern
laptops to give students better access to information and online lesson plans that support their eco-initiative projects.
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British Columbia: (continued)
Smithers Secondary School, Smithers, BC
Smithers Secondary School’s main environmental project was the creation of their geodome and biomeiler. Their geodome
is a geodesic green house that is heated year-round by a biomeiler, a giant pile (120 cubic meters) of compost containing
1,200 feet of coiled, one-foot waterline. Their geodome has been growing produce since May 2014, and the fruits of their
labour is shared with the community at the local farmer’s market and after-school camps. This project has allowed Smithers
Secondary School to learn about nutrition, increased environmental awareness in their community, and inspired them to
make a difference in the world.
The $25,000 awarded will go a long way in assisting Smithers Secondary School to invest in more tools for researching the
nutritional value of food and for purchasing tablets for individualized education.
Quebec:
École Notre-Dame-des-Rapides, Lasalle, QC
Following a third-party garbage analysis in their school, students at Notre-Dame-des-Rapides High School learned that a
big part of what was thrown away could have been recycled or even composted. This led to the creation of the school’s
Escouade verte (Green Brigade), a committee of 24 engaged students who educate their schoolmates about consuming
less, composting and recycling. This committee takes care of the educational garden, the school composting program,
updates the environmental communication board and coordinates a variety of programs about the three Rs. The student
committee produced a video about the environment and segment intercom and created a jumping rope prototype made
of pen caps.
The $25,000 prize will be used toward technology products that will allow Notre-Dame-des-Rapides to open a computer
lab with 20 laptops and furniture, which will also be used as a library that will provide students with a place to conduct
research, work in teams and find inspiration for future green projects.
École Arthur Pigeon, Huntingdon, QC
Thanks to the project “J’adopte un cours d’eau” (I adopt a stream), Arthur Pigeon High School joined the community and
worked with various professionals to help improve the health of the nearby Schryer stream. The entire student body
participates in the program, including grade 9 students who keep an inventory of macro invertebrates living in the stream,
and grade 10 students who take physicochemical measurements. They performed a reforestation to help stabilize river
banks, and endangered indigenous plants were reintroduced around the stream as well as on school property. Part of the
bank has been reworked into a nature path where one can find educational signs about the different species existing in the
area. Students take care of the maintenance, the cleaning and the development of the path and, as citizens of the village,
they can enjoy it season after season.
The $25,000 prize will allow Arthur Pigeon High School to promote sciences to grade 11 students, and encourage students
to participate in educational and environmental projects, including the development of a birdhouse park, and to equip a
computer lab with laptops to facilitate on-site studies.
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