At Venta Preparatory School, we have the privilege of being surrounded by nature each day. Our 50-acre forested property is our playground, athletic arena, scientific observatory and, most importantly, our responsibility. It is a constant and important reminder to us that we must be active care-takers of our environment, both inside and outside our grounds. On April 22nd, Earth Day, Venta staff and students took part in a variety of activities to promote conservation and environmental awareness. Recognizing we are stewards of our earth is one of the most important lessons one can both teach and learn!
Throughout the school day on April 22nd, we, as a school community, experienced what life was like without electricity! All devices, except those deemed essential for service, were switched off to conserve power. The Grade 6 classes, in conjunction with the rest of the students, also worked together to plant sixty Silver Maple trees on our property. We want to continue to reduce our carbon footprint.
Individual classes in our school community took part in a variety of activities in honour of Earth Day. The Grade 7 students have already started work on an interactive instillation sculpture entitled “Caring Hands.” Once completed, people will be encouraged to add their reflections about the environmental challenges facing our planet. As well, the Grade 8 class has already been learning about how to design a sustainable community, and the Grade 9/10 class has been investigating the environmental impacts of war. On Earth Day itself, the younger classes, Junior 1 to Junior 4, held a “Power-out Party,” taking part in a variety of indoor and outdoor activities that do not require pushing a power button or flipping a switch. They played board games, skipped rope, made origami art and much more. Some of the classes joined in Tim Horton’s Clean the Capital Campaign. The Junior 4 class tidied our school grounds, while the J2 and J5 classes cleaned the local Carp Fair Grounds. Through awareness and working together, we can make change happen.
As Margaret Mead once said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” At Venta Preparatory School, we truly believe that.
