Reed Ranch School, the smallest school in the Chinook’s Edge School Division, has been recognized for its outstanding contribution to long-term environmental stewardship.
Located east of Olds on Highway 27, the school has been given the Earth 2 designation by the Seeds Canada Foundation for completing 2,000 environmental projects over the past 20 years.
In 2016 the school reached Emerald level for 1,500 projects.
In recognition of the latest achievement, on June 6 students released butterflies they had raised from the caterpillar stage, planted dozens of trees on school grounds, and helped construct protective barriers around a plot of previously planted trees.
An assembly was also held on June 6, with students playing music and singing songs about environmental protection. Students also painted nature scenes on school walls and heard talks about bee activities and tree growth.
Chinook’s Edge School Division board trustee Trudy James commended students and staff for their efforts in protecting the environment.
“Keep up the good work and congratulations from the board," said James.
Grade 5-6 teacher Terry Seidel has been involved with the program since 1999.
He explained that there have been many different projects conducted over the years, including studying nearby wetlands, looking at weather patterns, recycling initiatives, composting of school waste, highway cleanups, tree planting, making of works of art, and visits to Olds College.
“For a small school it is incredible that we have reached this level,” he said. “I think we are one of the smallest schools in Canada to have reached the Earth 2 level.”
Over the years the school’s students have always been enthusiastic about participating in environmental stewardship, he said.
For example, every year for two decades a "graduation" tree has been planted by Grade 6 graduates on the school grounds.
Many of the students who have taken part in environmental projects at Reed Ranch over the years have also gone on to champion environmentalism at the higher school levels, he said.
The school recently received a plaque from Ducks Unlimited for its efforts.
The Chinook’s Edge School Division has 11,000 students in 43 schools.
