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BC Daily Buzz - Nanaimo School To Become Eco Ac...
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TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2015
VOL. 25, NO. 91
Elementary school goes green
I
BOARD GIVES approval for eco programming.
Snuneymuxw clarifies Colliery dam position BY TAMARA CUNNINGHAM THE NEWS BULLETIN
BY KARL YU THE NEWS BULLETIN
The Nanaimo school board has given Departure Bay Elementary School the green light to become a green school. Trustees gave unanimous approval Wednesday night, and the aim is to have an ecological-centric school that will yield students with knowledge of their place in the environment. According to Lisa Frey, principal, the eco-school has been running as a pilot project since September. The curriculum adheres to the new B.C. Education Plan and many activities are project based, said Frey. They are multi-disciplinary, incorporating many subject areas into the activity. Frey pointed to Grade 6 students working with Vancouver Island Univeristy students at the beginning of the school year to study varnish clams, an invasive species, at Departure Bay beach. “They had to do some measurements. They had to measure all the varnish clams, they had to help organize that data, so they were working with data, and of course then, that meets what we are looking to do with the curriculum at that particular level. “Collecting data, how to organize and display that data in a way that com-
For a video on the school’s http://kaywa.me/j4CYK projects, please scan the code with your smartphone.
the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation. “Certainly every year, we’ll be looking to complete grants, but I have to say, as far as in the environmental area, there’s not a shortage of groups and grant opportunities that support the kinds of initiatives that we have at our school. “There have been many grants that have come to our attention, that we haven’t applied for, so I feel confident that there are lots of opportunities in the future,” said Frey. Steve Rae, school board chairman, said he is hoping enrolment benefits. “We’re hoping this kind of thing draws kids back from the private system. Long term, this is something that we should be offering in all our schools, that’s the goal of this district, is to be able to do that,” said Rae. Frey said information on public meetings and registration deadlines will be forthcoming. The school will change its name to Departure Bay Eco-School.
KARL YU/THE NEWS BULLETIN
municates information ... in each of these projects there’s opportunity to cover many subject areas,” said Frey. She said the school wants to continue to provide this type of program year after year, without having people pay fees, and to that end,
it has applied for numerous grants. While there are none from the province, Frey said approximately $19,000 has been secured from a variety of organizations that support environmental initiatives, including Wild B.C., an environmental education program from
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Departure Bay Elementary School has been given the go-ahead to officially become an eco academy by the Nanaimo school board. According to Lisa Frey, principal, the school has secured $19,000 in grant money and fundraising for programming. Frey is pictured at a worm compost box located in the school.
The Snuneymuxw has never dictated to the city what it must do to remediate the Colliery dams, according to Chief John Wesley, who says the whole process has become highly politicized. The Snuneymuxw released a statement and letters from its chief Friday, outlining its position on the dams. Misinformation about its stance has become a concern for the First Nation, which states its decision was communicated ‘very clearly’ to the city and province and its position hasn’t changed. Last year Snuneymuxw representatives on Nanaimo’s technical committee and city Snuneymuxw will s t a f f j o i n t l y recommended not impede the city remediation of lower dam in fulfilling its legal the by enlarging the spillway with a responsibilities. labyrinth design. The Snuneymuxw council unanimously adopted a motion to support the measure if the city decides to go ahead with it, and agreed the city, as operator of the dam, is ultimately responsible to comply with dam safety standards. As long as its key interests are met around public safety, environmental protection and protection of Douglas Treaty rights, Snuneymuxw “will not impede the city in fulfilling its legal responsibilities,” statements say. Documents also show Snuneymuxw retained its own independent firm of dam safety engineers in 2013 to review the dams, including options for remediation, and it confirmed a problem exists and cannot be ignored. Ken Cossey, executive director for the First Nation, said as long as its three interests are met “that’s all we’re concerned about.” Wesley says the First Nation intends to follow a principled and reasonable approach to the file “that reflects SFN’s actual concerns and interests, not petty politics.”
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