More than 100 Grade 6 students from across Border Land School Division (BLSD) spent the day outdoors at Altona Park last week for the division’s second annual Eco Expo, a hands-on learning event focused on sustainability, ecosystems, and environmental awareness.
Border Land School Division’s annual Eco Expo brought 100 Gr. 6 students from across the division to Altona Park last week to learn about sustainable practices, ecosystems, and environmentalism
“We have representatives from multiple schools here, 117 students,” said Krista Curry, BLSD superintendent and chair of the division’s Education for Sustainable Development Priority Committee.
The event brought students together to rotate through a series of interactive stations led by organizations and facilitators from across Manitoba.
“We’re trying to touch on different grades across our system to introduce them to sustainable practices, get them to know their environment, what’s around them, the ecosystems that are around them, have some fun, and get outside,” said Curry.
Students were divided into groups and rotated through four of seven available sessions throughout the day. Activities included bird interactions with Prairie Ojibwe Environmental, gardening sessions with the Woodmore Women’s Institute, water and soil exploration through a “Dipping and Digging” activity led by the Lake Winnipeg Foundation and Pembina Valley Watershed District, and a scavenger hunt hosted by the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society.
Other sessions included sewing with students and seniors and Banana Webs, a workshop presented by the Manitoba Council for International Cooperation that explored the global journey of bananas and food sustainability.
The Eco Expo is part of the division’s broader focus on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), which aims to help students better understand environmental responsibility and the world around them. In February, the division hosted a separate sustainability-focused conference for students in Grades 7-10. Curry said the Eco Expo helps introduce younger students to similar ideas and experiences.
“We hope they learn something about their environment and the ecosystem,” she said. “We hope that it piques some curiosity in them about whatever topic they may have an interest in, and that they’ll continue to ask questions.”
She added that the hope is students may continue exploring sustainability topics as they move into higher grades and future ESD programming.
The Eco Expo first launched last year and returned this year after receiving positive feedback from students and presenters alike.
“We took the feedback we heard and made a few changes,” said Curry. “All of our presenters this year are repeats, and we have one new one. We’re hoping that it’s something we can continue to do on a yearly basis.”
