Dwight School Canada’s focus on the environmental sciences was a big draw for Shayda Swann, whose activism in this arena began in elementary school with her efforts to protect the endangered koala population.
“We were able to adopt a koala named Rocky who was rescued off the streets of Australia,” the Montana native recalled.
Since coming to the school, Shayda has been a steadfast supporter of all the school’s sustainability projects, which are interwoven with Dwight’s natural and social science IB curriculum programs.
She participated in the round-table discussion with Elizabeth May, the first Green Party legislator to be elected to national office in North America, when she visited the school.
Shayda also took part in the Run for One Planet with Canadian cartoon voice-over artist, marathon runner, and environmental activist Matt Hill.
Shayda reinforced her classroom biology lessons through the Great Canadian Shoreline Clean-Up, in which the entire school participated in cleaning up garbage while simultaneously analyzing the effects of pollutants on the ecosystem.
“Shayda is a natural leader, not only because she’s smart, but because she’s friendly and compassionate,” said Jerry Salvador, head of Dwight Canada. “These qualities make her the perfect Dwight ambassador.”
