Pupils fly the flag and keep it clean
Wallace Primary picks up its fifth eco award
Youngsters have been rewarded for their efforts to keep the planet clean.
Renfrewshire is a whole lot greener thanks to pupils at Wallace Primary, who were recently awarded their fifth green flag as part of Eco-Schools.
The flag, which will take pride of place in the Elderslie school grounds, is presented to institutions that actively work to improve the environment by incorporating eco-friendly tasks into the school curriculum.
Wallace Primary has its very own eco-committee consisting of 14 pupils, with two representatives nominated from each class.
The pupil- led group ensures that the school’s eco-ethos filters through to every classroom by drawing up ideas and assigning tasks.
Depute headteacher Lynne Docherty said the pupils have done the school proud.
She revealed: “The ecocommittee has been working very hard over the past two years towards attaining another green flag.
“The pupils come up with all their own ideas for the school at meetings and put them into place.
“We have a wormery in the atrium and food waste from lunch time is used to make compost, so primary five are in charge of overseeing the composting.
“We also have fruity Fridays, when primary seven class monitors are responsible for making sure kids in other classes eat some free fruit at play time.
“There’s a lot of good work going on and the pupils should be very proud of their achievements.”
Eco- Schools is a global environmental programme which engages pupils to make positive change.
To become an eco-school, the institution needs to cover nine topics - including litter, transport and healthy eating.
Covering any one of the nine topics earns the school a green flag.
With five flags under its belt, Wallace Primary is well on its way to becoming a fully fledged ecoschool.
Mrs Docherty said that despite the award, the hard work doesn’t stop, and pupils are already working towards the next flag.
She added: “The kids are currently looking to improve the playground. They want an allweather pitch, more nets and more games.
“We will also now start working towards global goals.
“This will see pupils learning about the ways they can help the environment in class, locally and also on a global scale.”