Gaspereau Valley Elementary, one of our first Green Schools!

Located in the beautiful Gaspereau Valley is one of the first Green Schools, Gaspereau Valley Elementary School. Green Team leader, Cathy Townsend, has an energetic group of students from grades 1 to 4 who make up the school’s Green Team. In the past years they have focussed on waste and making sure it is properly sorted. This year the Green Team noticed some recurring behaviours when they checked the classroom bins. The students were proactive and they now include a Green Team Tip of the Day in daily announcements to remind students about proper sorting of their waste. The students also enjoy outside cleanups as they like the fact that they are helping nature directly. The Green Team is also very active during school assemblies, allowing the whole school to continue to learn new ways to be sustainable.

In February, Engagement Officer Natalie McMaster stopped in and spent the day at Gaspereau Valley Elementary introducing the kids to energy. Natalie and the students discussed where we get our energy in Nova Scotia, and how we can save energy both at home and at school. Natalie the sat down with the Green Team to plan some energy initiatives that they could do at their school to reduce their demand for energy. They were excited that each class already had a good understanding of why they need to see energy so they could focus on what projects they want to do with the entire school.

Last month the Green Team put on two skits to emphasize the importance of cutting down on their power usage. They introduced the idea of Power Down Friday and Lights Off Monday to their school and during Earth Month kicked off these two initiatives. Great work Gaspereau Valley Elementary School!