TREEMENDOUS 2022 IN STORE FOR FIVE KIWI SCHOOLS
TREEmendous start to the school year for five schools from around the country who are delighted to learn they have won a TREEmendous Education Programme, an initiative from the Mazda Foundation focused on environmental education.
The winning schools – Glendowie Primary School in Auckland, Rhode Street School in Hamilton, Riverdale School in Palmerston North, Southbridge School in Canterbury and Strath Taieri School in Middlemarch – were chosen from 150 schools to receive a visit from the TREEmendous team.
There are a wide range of projects being undertaken by the schools including conservation work by Strath Taieri School in Middlemarch to support the endangered giant Otago skink and Hamilton’s Rhode Street School creating a medicinal garden with native plants.
Mazda ambassadors Ruud “The Bugman” Kleinpaste and Shark Scientist, Dr Riley Elliott will talk to each school about sustainability and the importance of looking after our environment.
Additionally, Ruud Kleinpaste will help the schools identify ways to enhance and utilise their current outdoor spaces and incorporate the environment as an immersive part of the curriculum based on their chosen project.
Each school will also receive $1,000 to go towards their environmental project as well as 200 native trees from Trees That Count for the school grounds.
Strath Taieri principal, Jim McArthur, says supporting the critically endangered giant Otago Skink is a key goal of the school’s local conservation efforts.
“The Otago Skink is a very special animal to our community and is both the school symbol and mascot. We are looking forward to working with the TREEmendous team to study the Otago Skink and develop a school habitat which is skink friendly.
“We are also excited for our students to learn more about the local skinks – from their impact on the environment to their significance in te ao Māori,” he says.
Canterbury’s Southbridge School is passionate about encouraging students to explore the natural environment and become more inquisitive about the world around them.
“The TREEmendous Education Programme will provide students with the opportunity to interact with nature, allowing them to learn more about native biodiversity and the importance of sustainability for future generations,” says principal Ian Quilter.
Glendowie Primary School in Auckland is creating a nature trail through a section of land which includes a wetland area.
Enviro Coordinator Rose Phillips says they will be planting native trees and grasses to attract birds and insects to support the food chain.
“We will also create a more usable space for students and it will be linked to the wider community. Our students will benefit greatly from learning about the natural environment with the TREEmendous team encouraging them to engage with native trees, plants, and birds.”
In Palmerston North, Riverdale School will work with the TREEmendous Education Programme to continue working with our tamariki to develop their scientific literacy through a range of environmental projects.
“We believe providing an outdoor learning space is important for children to explore and make connections to the natural world,” says the school’s Science Lead Teacher, Janine McIntyre. “A key focus of these projects will be to increase the biodiversity in our local area, protecting native insects and birds from predators.”
Rhode Street School principal, Shane Ngatai, says the Ki te Ronga Mauri Ora Mara project is part of strengthening the school’s local curriculum and providing a living resource within the school grounds to support akonga matauranga.
“With the help of the TREEmendous Education Programme we will be embarking on this environmental education project by creating a tamariki led medicinal garden. Growing and caring for these native plants will allow students to develop their knowledge of how medicinal plants can improve our wairua and well-being, whilst also providing health benefits for our school whanau and local community,” he says.
David Hodge, Managing Director of Mazda New Zealand and Chairman of the Mazda Foundation says he is delighted to see how many schools applied to win a TREEmendous Education Programme for 2022.
“It’s great to be able to inspire young New Zealanders to be passionate about our environment and encourage learning outside of the standard classrooms. We are looking forward to seeing the results each of these schools achieve with the help of Ruud and Riley.”
Applications are open for Primary and Intermediate Schools to apply for a TREEmendous Education Programme for 2022.
Please visit: http://treemendous.org.nz/ for more information or to enter