EDUCATION

Community Commitment

Dwight Ross Elementary
Greenwood, NS 240 students (K–5)

Why nominated: “I feel it’s only fair I let you in on the best kept secret in Canada,” wrote one parent about Dwight Ross. A strong parent volunteer base of about 120, and dedicated staff have helped students make regular contributions to the local food bank and complete more than 100 environment-friendly projects, including an annual spring beach sweep on the Bay of Fundy and garbageless lunch days. Furthermore, the school has raised enough money for a freshwater well in India.

Every Friday is Casual Day, when staff dress casually for a loonie or two and donate all the funds to the province’s children’s hospital. Like many, the school also supports the Terry Fox Run and the Jump Rope for Heart. Already recognized as a “green school” by Canada’s SEEDS Foundation, Dwight Ross’s recycling efforts earned it school-of-the-year honours from Nova Scotia’s Resource Recovery Fund Board.

What makes it special: To raise the $650 needed for the well, students not only drained their piggy banks, they also went to work. A half-dozen of them served the staff lunch and raised about $100. Two boys in grade one even shovelled snow-plugged driveways. The school also ensured the project was fun for the kids — one teacher’s husband built a large see-through faucet out of plastic piping. Students dumped their change into the top and watched it fall into an old-fashioned milk can at the other end. The school exceeded its goal, with the extra money going to the local food bank, for which students had already collected hundreds of kilograms of food.

Testimonial: “Hugs are still allowed in this school and I think that’s wonderful. It’s a very warm school. It’s not like an institution, it’s like home.” (Kim Smith, co-president of the parent-teacher association)
– Rick Conrad

Also shone:
Stewart Valley
Stewart Valley, Sask. 55 students (K–8)

The school’s gym doubles as a community centre. Students have formed a unique bond with a local seniors’ group. They bring the annual Christmas concert to the seniors’ centre and, in return, members of the 55+ art group teach art classes in the school.

Lower Coverdale School
Lower Coverdale, NB 66 Students (K–5)

For such a small school, its many community initiatives are impressive. We especially liked the school-wide spellathon where students were sponsored for each word spelled correctly. Lower Coverdale is described by one parent as a small school with huge heart.

École Tuxedo Park
Winnipeg 159 students (K–6)

Community efforts have resulted in murals and tile art on school walls. Some parents spent their entire summer painting walls, cupboards and shelves to ensure the students and teachers returned in September to spruced-up classrooms. The school’s integration wtih its community has already been awarded with the Premier’s Volunteer Service Award.

Originally published in Today's Parent, September 2004