Manitoba's school boards have one purpose: to provide our students with the best schools possible.
School boards help students prepare for full and rich futures by providing expanded programming in cultural and life-skills areas such as music, physical education and art.
What does it mean to “think globally and act locally?” Students in Winnipeg’s St. James-Assiniboia School Division are finding answers to that question, thanks to a division-wide commitment to incorporating the theme of sustainable development into daily studies and activities.
In 2007, the division developed a research-based Sustainable Development Education resource package to encourage classroom teachers to explore the concept, implement it in lesson plans, and incorporate global citizenship into the daily lives of students.
In 2008, the division held a Youth Forum on Sustainable Living. Students explored topics such as the role of Canadians in international development, climate change and consumerism. Together, students and staff developed school-based plans that acknowledged, through every day actions, their responsibilities to the planet and to each other. These plans are now being implemented in divisional schools.
One such school is Collège Sturgeon Heights Collegiate. Students in the welding program are building a wind turbine that will provide a supplementary source of energy for the school, while at the same time reducing the schools carbon footprint. Students are learning about alternatives to fossil fuels, while at the same time gaining employment skills.
In electronics class, students are learning about the energy’s limited supply, how much is expended on different tasks, and how much effort it takes to generate more. It’s sustainability in action.
To learn more about sustainable development education initiatives in The St. James-Assiniboia School Division, contact Pat Elsworth, Information Officer, at 204.888.7951. To learn more about the wind turbine project at Collège Sturgeon Heights Collegiate, contact Garry Yakimoski, teacher, at 204.888.0684.
