Cookshire Elementary enjoys busy start to the year
Cookshire Elementary School (CES) enjoyed a very different start to the school year as we were joined by CBC Radio to welcome our students on the very first day. The reporter captured the emotions and excitement of students and parents as CES welcomed 88 students, a healthy increase in enrollment over last year’s 72. Although it was fun to have such an entourage at school, before long it was business as usual with all the teachers back in action. We rounded out our first week with a hotdog and corn lunch for the students, staff, and some of our dedicated parents. Another school year at CES has begun!
Since our partnership with Dawson College and our dedication in following the Living School model, CES is always looking for ways to interact with nature, using the living world as a teacher, and increase our involvement in our community. September 15 was World Cleanup Day, so we decided to take the CES students into Cookshire and
cleanup our community. We were part of a movement of more than 100 other countries who picked up garbage and debris in their neighborhood in an effort to help clean up our planet.
Our incredible students and parents were remarkable fundraisers as we took pledges before our Terry Fox Run on September 27. As a school, we raised more than $1000 this year and we enjoyed amazing weather for our run around our school.
Most recently, the soccer team travelled to Sawyerville Elementary for the soccer tournament between Pope Memorial, Sawyerville, and Cookshire. Our team had practiced and performed well in their games. Ultimately, it was our very own Cookshire Cougars who came away with the victory.
As we look to the future, CES will be very busy as we journey into our first full year as a Living School. We have many prospective garden projects in partnership with our neighbouring MRC and we are currently looking into revamping our school playground thanks to a grant, which will look at transforming our space into a learning and discovery playground with sensory paths, a fruiting hedge, outdoor work space, and much more. Students are continuing their efforts to increase recycling and composting and teachers are helping to cultivate an understanding of environmental issues surrounding us. Our first excursion was a hike up Mont Mégantic, which will lead to nature writing, science projects and art activities. This will definitely not be the last as more people become interested in our Living School initiative.
Lastly, we are currently creating The Oasis, which is an ongoing attempt to create an ideal classroom suited for our ever-changing student population. Our goal is to actively address an increasing problem of frustration and anxiety in our students while maintaining some traditional classroom features. The Oasis will be a place of learning and discovery while also being a place for feeling safe where students can decompress and relax. It is a continuing process with many ideas coming together, but we are confident that the efforts will be vital to our students’ education.