We are never too small to make a difference
Posted on October 12, 2022
By Emily Keeling (Year 4 Teacher)
This year, the primary school has established the Morris Environment Council. This representative body provides students with an avenue for taking a leading role as stewards within our school. Each term, passionate student representatives from years 2 to 6 have met with me weekly to discuss their interests and ideas for sustaining and improving our environment in the primary school.
At the start of each term, a new student group shares their values and interests with each other, while building on the work of the previous groups. Our actions this year have seen students: organising several Clean Up Morris events; communicating key initiatives with their class; landscaping the gardens; as well as working on a number of other ideas for future implementation. Through action and discussions our students have developed a shared appreciation for maintaining a calm, safe and peaceful environment here at Morris.
Our students are keenly aware that ‘we are never too small to make a difference.’ This phrase, inspired by Greta Thunberg, has become a key message that we have shared throughout our communications with the wider school community. The students often come to our meetings with grand ideas. In addition to these discussions, we will also come back to the importance of how we can make a difference on a regular basis. Simple actions such as: turning off lights; making an effort to pick up litter and encouraging their peers to dispose of waste responsibly. By taking on these responsibilities, it is visible to others and each action adds up to make a positive impact.
With one term left for 2022, the Environment Council will continue to investigate their interest in bringing more pot plants into classrooms and how we can better manage our soft plastics waste. It has been such a highlight to listen to the ideas that these young stewards bring to our meetings each week and to assist them in navigating a plan of action. We thank these students for their ongoing dedication to and appreciation of our natural and physical environment.
