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Going ‘green’ pays off for Saanich elementary Campus View awarded $25,000 leading into community EarthFest Edward Hill News staff
Two years ago, an ambitious gang of eight-year-olds walked into David Hovis’ office and kindly suggested their school needed an environmental club. The Campus View elementary principal is glad he said yes, for plenty of reasons. Today, the school is launching its second annual EarthFest community festival, and for its overall environmental efforts, last week Staples Canada awarded Campus View $25,000 worth of computer equipment. The festival and the award are in a large part thanks to the efforts of Reina GirvanRandall, one of the kids who helped launch the school “Green Team” club in 2011. The 10-year-old Grade 5 student penned an essay in February outlining what the school has done to boost its environmental participation and recycling program, and submitted it for the Staples Canada’s “Recycle for Education” contest. “I wrote (the essay) in one night, on the night before it was due,” Reina said. “I just wrote about the things we do to be Earth friendly.” “Twenty five thousand dollars for one evening’s work is a high return,” Hovis quipped. On Thursday at the school, corporate and local Staples representatives unveiled a poster announcing Campus View had won the $25,000 prize, one of 10 in Canada and selected from 600 entries. “It was shocking. I didn’t expect it. I was really happy and surprised,” Reina said laughing. She’d expected Staples Canada to tout its own environmental programs. “When they said you won $25,000 worth of computer equipment, I thought it was going to be a different thing. I kind of thought the chart would show how Earth-
friendly Staples had been over the year.” The school itself doesn’t have a computer lab, and Hovis said staff and students will give input on how to best improve technology at the school. “We want to look at different options, like the opportunity for a mobile cart of laptops or iPads,” he said. “This is well needed at the school and it’s very exciting.” Over the past two years, the Campus View school Green Team has grown from a few kids to 32, plus staff and parent volunteers. This year it helped push the school toward a full recycling program, including food scraps. Team members collect classroom recycling bins every Friday. “I don’t enjoy (picking up) composting, but I always remind myself it helps the environment by doing it,” said Reina, who, besides being an impassioned environmentalist, enjoys choir, gymnastics and piano. “Overall, EarthFest is my favourite event because all the stations are really fun. The stations are run by the Green Team, all Grade 4s and 5s. It’s nice to be part of that.” Reina herself had proposed EarthFest at an ecological summer camp called Friends Uniting for Nature, which granted her $400 for the initial 2012 event, and backed the festival with another $500 this year. Like last year, the school’s EarthFest will feature student-created environmental displays, and has expanded to include a bike rally. Last year Reina helped run “guess how long it takes to biodegrade.” Today she and a friend will host a station on endangered animal species. “Even if (the subject) isn’t fun, we try to make a game of it and give out prizes,” she said. Organizations like the Capital Regional District, the Victoria Natural History Society and Habitat for Humanity will set up booths. One time Campus View school parent and prolific climate scientist (and B.C. Green Party candidate) Andrew Weaver will give a talk. PlEASE SEE: First Nations, climate scientist, Page A7
Edward Hill/News staff
Campus View elementary student Reina Girvan-Randall, 10, with her mom Anita Girvan, a parent volunteer, is one of the driving forces behind the school’s environmental Green Team and the EarthFest community event. Reina also played a key role behind the school securing a $25,000 award from Staples Canada for computer equipment.
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