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ABOUT
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PROJECT
ABOUT THE PROJECT
DREAMACRES GIFT IDEAS
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ABOUT THE PROJECT
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The Sunningdale
Naturalization Committee, has been busy since its inception
in the Fall of 1996.
SITE INVENTORY
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Before deciding what the final project would look like,
we had to determine where we were. The first activity was the development
of the existing, a site inventory. This involved all the grade 5 students
identifying the various plant life and ground cover of the school property.
(Fall 1997)
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VISIONING
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by Amy, Sunningdale student 1997/8
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Next, all the students were involved in a visioning
project which basically required students to visually depict their ideal school
yard. (Fall/Winter 1997/8)
To bring some of these ideas to life, the school ground was converted by
grade 1 & 2 students into a 3 dimensional display of paper maché frogs
in a lily pond made from corrugated cardboard.
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Many key elements were consistent across much of the visioning designs. Two
obvious elements: more trees and flowers. Hence we embarked on the building
and planting of a sunflower garden, a true school
community project.
THE SUNFLOWER PROJECT
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A number of teachers, students and parents combined
their efforts over several evenings and weekends to physically build the
garden. Hydro poles, generously donated by Oakville Hydro, were cut to
form-fit as border for our garden. The garden was filled with fresh soil
and made ready for planting. (June 1997)
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With the assistance of parent volunteers, each student
was then given the opportunity to contribute to the project by planting their
own individual seed. Mackenzie Seed of Manitoba generously donated all
sunflower seeds. (June 1997)
A water and maintenance program was established to ensure the health of the
garden over the summer of 1997.
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CURRICULUM
Concurrently, teachers took
advantage of these ongoing activities to enhance the existing curriculum by
exposing the children to hands on mathematics and science challenges relating
to the sunflower garden. Examples of this included non-standard
measurement, estimating activities, studying the effects of the garden for
birds, animals, insects, etc. In the spring, a flurry of activity took place
as we mulched trees and shrubs and spread wood chips over all the damaged
ground areas in the yard.
1997 CORN ROAST
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Over the summer of 1997 the sunflower
garden was nurtured and we celebrated its success at our Corn Roast and
Natures Way Rally in September. This was an evening of celebrating the
rewards of our work to date as well as a school community get together. At
this event, we also planted two Tulip trees Liriodendron
tulipifera which were purchased with the proceeds of a student musical
production called Assignment Earth.
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FALL/WINTER 1997/8 Though
many smaller activities have taken place our latest one of note is the school
wide estimating challenge. A sunflower was harvested and placed in the front
foyer. Students were invited to submit their estimate of the number of seeds
(Fall 1997). Together with Sunningdale’s Ministry of the Environment
(naturalization project club), the seed count was completed in March 1998 and
the winner announced shortly thereafter.
CONCEPTUAL MASTER PLAN
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In February 1998 Marius F.M. de Bruyn, landscape
architect and professional advisor to the project, gathered all the site
information and the student’s visioning ideas and created a conceptual
master plan which was presented to the Committee on
February 24, 1998. The Committee then presented the plan
to the public at a special presentation on March 10, 1998. Representatives from the School Board,
Town Council, Town Staff and The Evergreen Foundation were on hand
including parents, teachers and school neighbours.
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The printing for the master plan was donated by Oakville Blueprinting (on Kerr
Street - 905-842-2432) and the mounting was
donated by Framing & Art Centre (on Speers Road
- 905-338-8064).
APRIL 1998: SUNNINGDALE PROJECT RECEIVES AWARD
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On April 23, 1998 Ontario Deputy Minister of the
Environment, Mr. John Fleming, on behalf of the Region of Halton, presented
the Sunningdale School Naturalization Project with an award for
environmental leadership! More information and pictures to follow.
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INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL GROUNDS DAY
was Friday May 1, 1998. Many
students, parents, teachers and area residents volunteered their time to
plant 11 large caliper trees, to build a split cedar rail fence and to carve
logs for seating. This was the initiation of PHASE I of the school's 10 year
naturalization project. Soon pictures become available on a special project
web page for this very successful event. A big THANK YOU to all.
MAY 1998: SUNNINGDALE PROJECT RECEIVES PROMISE OF $4000.00
On May
12, 1998 teacher and committee co-chair Maggie Linton presented
the Sunningdale School Naturalization Project to the CANADA
TRUST Friends
of the Environment Committee. They were so impressed after seeing our
project master plan, that they promised $4000.00 to the project, which was
subsequently received in June 1998. The money was used to pay for the trees
planted during the May 1, 1998
International School Grounds Day. More information to follow.
SEPTEMBER 1998: SUNNINGDALE PROJECT RECEIVES PROMISE OF $800.00
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We have received a promise of $800.00 from THE
EVERGREEN FOUNDATION in partnership with the TD
Bank to be used exclusively for a FALL PLANTING. The committee decided
that this money should be spend on the creation of the PRIMARY FOREST,
following the project's conceptual master plan.
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80 holes were dug and about 60% of the birch
trees, 120cm in height, were planted, all after school Wednesday October 14
1998. The students planted the remainder of the trees in the days following.
The money was received and used to purchase the birch whips. Update to
follow.
Thanks to those who helped, including employees from TD Bank.
SEPTEMBER 1998: SUNNINGDALE APPLIES FOR SHELL CANADA
ENVIRONMENT FUNDING
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In September 1998 the committee applied for $5000 in SHELL
Canada Environment funding. The intent is to apply for the maximum,
$5000.00, in order to pay for all the woodland understory plants of the
Maple-Beech forest created on May
1, 1998, International School Grounds Day.
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Later in 1998 the project received
approval for $5000 in SHELL Canada Environment funding.
Subsequently the following work was undertaken:
DECEMBER 1998: SUNNINGDALE PREPARES FOR SPRING 1999 PLANTING
During the week of November 30, 1998 the Town of
Oakville
stripped the sod at the climax forest area front of school, where the
maples and beeches were planted in Spring 1998) to make way for the forest
floor. GRO-BARK (on Brittania, just West of Trafalgar Road; 875-4844)
donated 50m3 of compost and the Town about 30m3
of leaves, which were put in place by students, teachers, parents and
committee members. This material was then mixed with a rototiller.
From December 07 to 18, 1998
the school children then moved 30m3 of shredded mulch to cover
the entire area.
More information to follow.
APRIL 1999: SUNNINGDALE PROJECT RECEIVES ANOTHER AWARD
On April 21, 1999 the Halton District School Board
presented the Sunningdale School Naturalization Project Dreamacres
with the AWARD OF DISTINCTION (for a project of provincial importance). More
information and pictures to follow.
APRIL 30, 1999:
PUBLIC WORK EVENING
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