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project exemplifies not just conservation thinking but also ownership of the project in its entirety. “We always planned to have a garden for the student’s to plant but we planned to let it grow organically, and it has,” notes Aparna Verma, Clarion CEO and designer. This is a school where participation is valued, nurtured and supported. As the plan progressed, in a culture where gardening know-how is not widely known, issues of how to make it child driven were deeply discussed. This couldn’t be a project taken over by a caretaker or maintenance staff. It had to be school run and maintained with parents, students, staff and teachers all pitching in. And, since the school is currently enrolled PreK to Grade 3, there would have to be adult guidance in the picture. To provide support, a botanist services was obtained with the purchase of the boxes – to teach the teachers first. Dr. Kandace Williams, Superintendent at Clarion, says: “As a key part of our school ethos, we share the concept of being ecofriendly with our entire school community. The garden extends our learning out of the classroom, thereby connecting our students with the natural world. It's a great way to integrate concepts and skills. Through the garden, students learn the true source of their food and are delighted by eating salad grown there.” Every Wednesday, when the Dubai Ripe Organic market brings produce to sell after school, students and ECO Committee parents harvest a bit of the garden and sell it as well. We haven’t yet had a zucchini come to the market – but the vines look promising. Clarion School is just finished its first year. One of 14 new schools to open in September 2017, it doesn’t take much to see that it is different from anything else in Dubai. From the beginning the school’s
green sensibilities were drawn into its DNA. Clarion’s CEO and school designer, Aparna Verma, travelled twice to Bali to visit the famous Green School to learn all she could about what they were doing and why it was important. “I went there to look at how they used bamboo in making the school ‘natural’. We were trying to incorporate the feeling of the school being real and authentic. We bought the bamboo used at Clarion from the green school architects, as we wanted to use the product that was tried and tested by them. Bamboo is a hard wood that does not damage the environment.” From those learning trips, plans were formulated to ABOVE use bamboo indoors Children gardening BELOW and outdoors at Collecting water the school, use plants requiring
minimal amount of water and minimise the amount of real grass, due to its high carbon footprint. At the same time ways to incorporate the fun and exploration present at the Green School in a completely different desert environment were sought. The building design itself was also a source for finding ways to make a conservation a priority at the school - a solar water heater is installed on the roof, the primary swimming pool is a low-flow water usage model, motion sensor lights are used throughout. The outdoor “Street” has three wind tunnels incorporated down the middle to keep the air moving. We also wanted to minimise the amount of plastic used in the school. The playground equipment is all wooden, as are the play house, stage and outdoor furniture. Following the Green School model, wooden ramps and climbers dot the junior play area. Teak and bamboo bring natural materials to the glass and cast concrete building. Following up with the ECO Committee, a full recycling plan has been put into place, student lead recycling takes place weekly. It’s hard to feel lush and green in the desert climate of the UAE, however, conservation and sustainability guidelines are equally as important here as anywhere. This is especially true in a school teaching for the next century. A small organic farm box can go a long way toward teaching this.
SUSAN SIMMONS WHISTLER Communications Director Scholars International Group, parent company to Clarion School
Clarion School is a Progressive American Curriculum school now enrolling PreK to Grade 4, expanding to Grade 12. www.clarionschool.com 2017
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