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Sustainable Action Projects: 2007-2008 - Locally
Rationale:
It has been said that "the Earth is not something we inherit from our parents but rather something we have on loan from our children." This quote reinforces the importance the Middle School has placed on educating students about sustainable development.
Because of its complex and constantly evolving nature, sustainable development can be challenging to define and often difficult to understand. For the purpose of a common understanding, I have chosen to use the original definition created by the Brundtland Commission:
“Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their own needs.” (World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987).
Sustainable development has three components: environment, society and economy. The inter-connectedness and degree of overlap of these components indicates the well-being of our society. A lack of understanding of the connectedness of things has been partially responsible for adverse environmental impacts, economic problems and social programmes that do not work, all of which create obstacles to achieving a worldwide sustainable society
By providing students in the Middle School with the opportunity to participate in locally relevant sustainable action projects, we will foster a new generation of global citizens engaged in responsible individual and cooperative actions. This in turn will promote the development of ecologically sensitive, socially just and economically secure societies for present and future generations.
This initiative has a two-fold purpose:
- to engage students in experiential learning via action projects on Wednesdays;
- to provide a viable connection between the curriculum, our local community and the world at large.
This interactive experiential approach will give students the opportunity to develop critical thinking, problem-solving and decision-making skills through a trans-disciplinary framework that replicates real world situations.
"The student who can begin early in life to think of things as connected, even if he revises his view with every succeeding year, has begun the life of learning" (Mark Van Doren, Pulitzer prize-winner and teacher at Columbia University, 1943).
This year, Crescent School students will put their effort towards the following projects:
1. Environmental Stewardship – Tree Planting (2005 – ongoing)
In partnership with the City of Toronto (Toronto Regional Conservation Authority) and their “The Living City” initiative, Crescent students will be doing their part to ensure that Toronto watersheds continue to have a supply of trees for that beautiful scenery we love, and of course for clean air and water. The Crescent Environmental Stewardship programme takes students on a tree planting adventure through the many parks and watershed areas in Toronto. Planting takes place at the following locations: along the East Don River, Humbermeed near Sheppard and Jane, Sunnybrook Park and Morningside Creek
2. Monthly Middle School Magazine (2005 – ongoing)
The Monthly Middle School Magazine will feature articles written by students about the Wednesday afternoon Sustainable Action Projects. Students get the chance to interview fellow peers, teachers and guest speakers, as well as take pictures to supplement their articles. This newsletter helps raise awareness throughout the Crescent community about sustainability and the positive contributions our students are making through their actions
3. Firgrove and Willow Park Tutoring Programme
Firgrove Public School (2004 – present)
Crescent has partnered with Firgrove Public School, an elementary school in the Jane-Finch area, to tutor students in grade 3 and 4. Firgrove PS serves approximately 600 students whose families speak more than 20 different languages. For a majority of the students, the language spoken at home is a language other than English: a significant percentage have lived in the Canada for five years or less. Crescent students travel to Firgrove Public School on Wednesdays. Occasionally, the Firgrove students come to Crescent for special activities and fun events.
Willow Park Public School (2006 – present)
Due to the overwhelming success of our partnership with Firgrove PS (as part of the Youth to Youth coalition) and the tutoring programme over the past three years, we have been asked to partner with another Toronto District School Board (TDSB) model inner-city school to replicate the Firgrove tutoring model.
The successes experienced in our inaugural year with Willow Park last year will continue to develop and strengthen through our partnership this year between Willow Park Jr. Public School and Crescent. Willow Park Jr. Public School serves approximately 500 students. The situation at Willow Park is very similar to Firgrove, where a majority of the students speak a language other than English – a significant percentage have lived in Canada for five years or less. I am also very excited to inform you that Willow Park Jr. Public School and Firgrove Public School have been selected by the TDSB as model inner-city schools.
4. Sunnyview School (2005 – present)
Sunnyview School is a local school that provides education for students with physical disabilities. Over the past two years, the Middle School at Crescent has worked hard to build excellent relationships with the staff and students. The boys have been involved in class projects with students, and have visited the Sunnyview students on a weekly basis to maintain our partnership.
5. Food Drive (2007 – 08)
During the Fall term students will be spearheading a food drive for the Daily Bread Food Bank. Through this initiative students will learn and appreciate the organization and effort required to run a successful food drive, they will be raising awareness of poverty in Toronto via presentations to their peers in an attempt to motivate the Crescent community to bring in food and finally volunteering at the Daily Bread Food Bank
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