Watch your step, Invasive-Wise Education in Action! ISCBC’s Stephanie Weinstein and Grade 4/5 teacher Camille McRae present the school’s stewardship sign alongside proud student habitat stewards.
Students from Hans Helgesen Elementary School, located on the traditional territory of the Scia’new Nation on southern Vancouver Island, proudly showcased their climate resilience action projects to each other and the community during a “Wild School Showcase” on World Biodiversity Day, Thursday, May 22.
Every student across the school’s nine divisions participated in hands-on projects designed by teachers to build climate resilience and protect biodiversity, all while meeting curriculum goals. Projects included reducing classroom waste, making native plant ‘seed bombs’, running biodiversity inquiry projects, building birdhouses for native birds, removing invasive species from the schoolyard, creating a native plant garden, and more!
Students presented their projects through creative displays, videos, and a self-guided forest walk featuring signs and audio recordings of students sharing information about the forest.
From pledges to paper towel art, students take action for the planet. One project, one promise at a time.
These projects were collaboratively developed by the team of teachers and staff during professional development workshops supported by the Wild School Program through the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation Education, and facilitated by biologist Michelle Paleczny. The Wild School Program is a three-year grant initiative that supports professional development in environmental education.
WILD School Showcase Inspires Hands-On Action
Thanks to the creativity and teamwork of Hans Helgesen staff, the school delivered an impactful showcase of hands-on environmental learning, full of Wondering, Inquiring, Learning and Doing: being WILD!
“Hans Helgesen teachers and staff rose to the challenge of school-wide and curriculum-linked climate resilience action! Their creative and collaborative efforts promise to have real and lasting impacts on students, community, and biodiversity! They have developed a framework that can be repeated and adapted in future years and/or by additional schools.”, said Paleczny.
From Learning to Leading: Students Tackle Invasive Species
Grade 4/5 teachers, Camille McRae, Joanne Dubé, and Keiro Blyth, wanted their students to learn about invasive species. Michelle connected them with Stephanie Weinstein, Senior Lead of Education at ISCBC. Following the “Invasive Species 101” virtual presentations for both Grade 4 and 5 classes, the students were eager to take action.
Together, staff worked with Stephanie, Michelle, Hans Helgesen’s garden expert and Education Assistant Jennifer Kivari, and teacher Keiro Blyth to plan a schoolyard weed pull, including a large patch of Scotch broom.
Ironically, Scotch broom was first introduced to British Columbia near this school. Around 1850, British army officer and colonist Captain Walter Calhoun Grant planted three Scotch broom shrubs on his farm in nearby Sooke. The plants spread quickly from there and were later promoted by the government for use as a bank stabilizer during road construction. Today, Scotch broom is one of B.C.’s most impactful invasive species. It increases wildfire risk and threatens native biodiversity, including species at risk. It is especially harmful to the endangered Garry Oak ecosystems, which are found only in a small part of southern Vancouver Island and the southern Gulf Islands.
A Lasting Commitment to Stewardship
Thankfully, there are many people today, like the staff and students at Hans Helgesen Elementary School, working hard to correct past actions. To celebrate student efforts, Stephanie presented the school with a Habitat Stewardship sign, which will be proudly displayed on the school grounds. Staff and students plan to continue removing invasive plants and restoring native biodiversity.
To explore ISCBC’s suite of curriculum-based lessons and action projects, visit our Invasive-wise Educators page.
As the Senior Lead of Education at ISCBC, Stephanie supports educators and youth by developing resources and delivering programs that inspire environmental learning and protection. You may find Stephanie peering through binoculars among the Garry oaks or crouched over a tide pool near her home in Victoria. You can reach her at sweinstein@bcinvasives.ca
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