Lively students participate in international Climate Change videoconference

Lively District Secondary School students will gather in Toronto on World Environmental Day on Tuesday, June 9th, 2009 to take part in an international videoconference on Climate Change. They will engage in a one-hour dialogue with students from Ahmedabad in India, Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, and Johannesburg in South Africa. Facilitated by Dearness Conservation, the videoconference will begin at 10 am to accommodate the vast time zone difference in India.

“This is the first of what is hoped to be a series of videoconferences to acquaint young adults in different regions of the world with the various sustainable development issues that are emerging,” says Charles Hopkins, UNESCO Chair on Reorienting Teacher Education to Address Sustainability. “Dearness Conservation is producing a video to share with other schools in Greater Sudbury and beyond. Exchanging the realities and perceptions of the anticipated environmental, social and economic changes will bring enhanced meaning to future classroom discussions and research projects.”

The students from Lively District Secondary School, members of the school’s Roots and Shoots Club, are well prepared for this international event.  “Our students recently visited the eDome at Cambrian College to connect with Environment Canada’s BioDome in Montreal for a one-hour live discussion,” says Principal Judy Noble. Assisting the students were Franco Mariotti, staff scientist at Science North; René Brunet, meteorologist and Videoconference Coordinator at Cambrian College; and Robert Bentzen, Manager of the eDome.

“The new Ministry of Education Policy Framework for Environmental Education is currently being introduced in schools,” says Rainbow District School Board Director of Education Jean Hanson. “Education for sustainable development continues to be a priority. Schools are preparing education plans to promote environmentally responsible practices and foster the development of environmental knowledge, skills and attitudes.”

Lively District Secondary School received the Rainbow District School Board Go Green Globe Award in 2009 for its focus on sustainability. The school achieved a 12.7 per cent reduction in their electrical consumption last year.

Lively District Secondary School is also a leader in social change through the Light Up Costa Rica project under the leadership of Vice-Principal David Wiwchar. A total of 17 students from Rainbow Schools (Lively District Secondary School, Lasalle Secondary School, Lockerby Composite School and Manitoulin Secondary School) traveled to rural indigenous communities in Central America during the March Break, bringing 100 more LED lighting systems to some of the poorest and most remote areas of the world. To date, some 350 homes have been lit serving approximately 2,000 people, a remarkable achievement for the enthusiastic students who have participated in this project over the past six years.

The Lively District Secondary School Roots and Shoots Club ran a successful battery drive this year with a total of 1,588 batteries collected for the Hazardous Waste Depot, raised money for the Wild At Heart Refuge Centre in Lively, and set up vermicomposters in two science classrooms.

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Media Contact:

Judy Noble, Principal, Lively District Secondary School,
Rainbow District School Board, 692-3671.