25 June, 2012

18 schools share $20,000 NRC awards

Projects from a mobile henhouse to creating a heritage garden are among 19 school initiatives to share this year’s $20,000 Northland Regional Council Environmental Curriculum Awards (ECAs).

The annual awards aim to foster excellence in environmental education, with schools eligible for up to $2000 each for their efforts to educate children ‘in, about and for’ the region’s environment.

This year’s 18 recipients will receive between $350 and $2000 each for their 19 projects*. (*SUBS: Horeke School is being funded for two projects)

Regional councillors Bill Rossiter and Bronwyn Hunt - who selected this year’s winners - say they are once again impressed at the increasing breadth and quality of projects and enthusiastic involvement across entire school communities.

Councillor Rossiter says the ECAs recognise and support the environmental education efforts put in by more than 4000 Northland students (aged five to 18) in more than 100 classes and/or school student environmental groups.

“It’s also great to see a good geographic spread with five of our winning schools based in the Far North, 11 in the Whangarei district and two in Kaipara,” Cr Hunt says.

The winning schools and GST exclusive funding for their projects are:

Dargaville Intermediate

Project: School nursery and vegetable garden

Funding: $1400

Funding towards school’s native plant nursery programme and vegetable gardens. Funds will help fence the area where the school grows hundreds of trees annually to contribute to major Kaipara Harbour community catchment care plantings.

The whole school’s involved through speciality environmental classes with 170 plus students aged 11-13 across 10 classes.

Horeke School

Project: Toi Whenua and Kai Ora, Hauora

Funding: $1500

Funding towards two planting-themed projects - Toi Whenua and Kai Ora, Hauora. Toi Whenua involves planting natives on the school's hillside entrance and will include student designed tekoteko (individual carved human-like poles). Kai Ora, Hauora is designed to boost existing vegetable gardening which encourages kaitiakitanga among pupils. Twenty-five students aged five to 12 are involved in these projects.

Kamo Intermediate

Project: Islands of Life 2012

Funding: $400

Funding to help replenish school’s long term Islands of Life project. This year's focus is water as a natural resource and planting to increase schoolground and neighbourhood native bird populations. One class of 32 students aged 11-13 (years seven and eight) is driving this project extension.

Kaurihohore School

Project: Greenhouse and gardens development

Funding: $1100
Funds to help build a greenhouse and boost school gardens. The whole school is involved in with 170 students aged five to 11 across nine classes.

Mangakahia Area School

Project: Eggs with Legs

Funding: $1400

Funding towards a henhouse, where chickens will be used as part of a multi-pronged system encompassing sustainable business through exchanging eggs for various surplus goods in the community. Chickens will also eat scraps, adding another dimension to school food waste management. The whole school will be involved, with 130 students aged five to 18 participating across 10 classes.

Morningside School

Project: Garden to Table

Funding: $600

Funding towards a garden shed and gardening equipment to boost the school's established gardens. The garden programme encourages the school towards economic and environmental sustainability through food production. Almost 200 students aged five to 11 are involved across seven classes.

Ngunguru School

Project: Regeneration

Funding: $1900

Funding to help build a learning platform/weedbusting in the school's large native bush area, which it is working to regenerate. Eighty students aged five to 12 involved.

Okaihau College

Project: Sensory Garden

Funding: $1400

Funding to help establish a sensory garden path to be used by the school’s special needs students.

Okaihau Primary School

Project: Mana-te-Ora, Garden of Wellbeing

Funding: $900

Funds to help develop an edible garden, learning about propagation, plant identification, soil health and nutrition. Whole school involved (140 students aged five to 11 across seven classes.)

Opua School

Project: Sustainability

Funding: $1400

Funds towards a greenhouse for native plant propagation/planting. This whole-school project will see natives planted in the school grounds/ neighbouring community to boost food for bees and native birds, manage erosion and increase knowledge about native plants. There are 110 students involved aged five to 13 across five classes.

Otaika Valley School

Project: Edible Gardens

Funding: $1400

Funds towards boosting existing gardens for expanded school vegetable production. Whole school involved (120 students aged five to 11 involved across five classes).

Parua Bay School

Project: Shadehouse

Funding: $900

Funding towards a shadehouse to grow seedlings to dramatically increase plantings along the school wildlife pathway. About 1300 natives have been planted along this walkway – which links the school with the Whangarei Harbour foreshore - in the past three years. Whole school project with 200 students aged five to 13 involved across 10 classes.

Ruakaka School

Project: Let our Environment SHINE

Funding: $1000

Funding towards Environmental Education-themed schoolground artworks. The murals, vegetable garden gateway arch and pou will highlight the school's environmental care code values. Whole school project involving 150 students aged five to 11 involved across seven classes.

Ruawai Primary School

Project: Chooks for School

Funding: $350

Funding to help purchase a mobile henhouse that can be moved around the school's new orchard area to clean and fertilise. Expected project outcomes include sustainable business learning with eggs harvested by students being sold to teachers via the school staffroom. The six chickens in residence will also be used to eat school food scraps. The whole school’s involved with 120 students aged five to 11 years across five classes.

St Francis Xavier School

Project: School Vegetable Gardens

Funding: $2000

Funding towards a water tank to collect rainwater from classroom roofs for the vegetable garden. Core group of about 12 students involved, with more than 200 aged seven to 11 from eight classes in wider gardening project.

Te Kura o Otangarei

Project: Fruit and Native Forest

Funding: $1000

Funds to help set up a fruit forest, plant native trees and raise seedlings to boost mixed classroom vegetable and flower gardens. The whole school's involved with 130 students aged five to 13 across seven classes.

Te Tii School

Project: Chook House and Egg Production

Funding: $350

Funds to help pay for a chicken coop to kick start a new option focussed on sustainable business (eggs for the community), rubbish recycling and nutrition. Nine students aged five to 12 involved.

Waipu School

Project: Creating a Heritage Garden

Funding: $1000

Funding to help create a heritage garden with students responsible for garden design, planting and maintenance. Twenty one students aged five to eight are involved across five junior classes.

ENDS

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