MAKING AN IMPACT
School hosting World Oceans Day event
Rankin students really thinking green this year.
Year-long efforts to become a green school at Rankin School of Narrows will continue when the school hosts a World Oceans Day event on June 1.
A highlight of that event will be a papier mache creation of a whale and a similar one of an ocean turtle that will each do their part in demonstrating the damage plastics and other garbage can have on sea creatures.
Inspired by a February news report about a leatherback turtle found dead in the Bras d’Or Lake, the educational displays will show how much discarded plastic these creatures can ingest and the dangers of that unintentionally harmful practice.
“When you talk to them at a young age you are getting into their minds so when they are out there picking up garbage for the day and near the water they know that a fish could be chewing on this,” said Susan Fraser, a teacher at the school.
“It’s good for them to have that conversation at a young age.”
Learning more about the impacts plastic can have on the environment has been a common theme from the school’s newly formed green team.
“That’s always in the media and we were talking about plastic bags and what to do with them. We should really care about what is happening in the world and in the future.”
Last month, the school also eliminated disposable plastic cutlery, cups and bowls from the school cafeteria and replaced them with metal cutlery and washable cups and bowls.
Academic support students now wash the dishes after the breakfast program and after lunch. The school has seen its garbage amounts shrink significantly as a result.
Rankin students also participated in the Plastic Bag Grab Challenge and collected more than 900 plastic bags for the purpose of recycling. They are also creating an alternative to plastic
shopping bags they hope to unveil by World Oceans Day.
“We want to make bags from the T-shirts with the Rankin logo and get it out to people that we have to think about all this plastic and where it is going.”
A variety of other green initiatives are underway at the school.
A nearby walking trail allows students to get some fresh before the start of school, creative stickers remind them to always turn out the lights to save energy, and planting will soon get underway at the Rankin green house.
Their ongoing efforts have earned the respect of Shandel Brown, Efficiency Nova Scotia’s school engagement officer for the Cape Breton region.
“They are just a small school but they are doing things that a lot of the big schools haven’t been able to tackle, like getting rid of plastic in the cafeteria,” said Brown, who has held virtual presentations for the students and visited the school several weeks ago.
“They have great leadership there and that makes a difference, too.
Learning to save energy and respect the environment, she said, are great habits to learn at an early age.
“Our goal is to expose children to education around the environment
and encourage habits at home and at school. Turn a light off when you leave a room or unplug stuff when you go to bed because you know it’s drawing power all night. There’s been a lot
of learning and a lot of ah-ha moments for the kids when it comes to realizing the impact everyday decisions have on the earth.”