By Vanessa Broadbent
Oliver Chronicle
“Give a hoot, don’t pollute.”
That was the message students from SenPokChin Elementary School were chanting during their march against pollution on Tuesday afternoon.
Armed with colourful posters and empty garbage and recycling bags, the students marched from the school to the Oliver Community Centre and back, chanting and picking up garbage along the way.
The march was organized by two students in Grade 5/6 teacher Kim Moffat’s class.
Moffat said that the class just finished an “inquiry unit,” which included learning about protesting.
“Our essential idea was that people take action when rights and freedoms are challenged.”
The unit project was broad; students were asked to take action on a cause that was important to them.
For Katlyn Aubin and Maya Faugno, both in Grade 5, that was pollution.
“We were learning about pollution last year and we learned that it was a really big problem going on,” Aubin said.
“We were talking about taking action when it popped into our heads — we thought we should do a march.”
Faugno added that a march seemed like the perfect option because it would “notify (people) what’s going on around the world.”
The planning and preparation took about week, Augin said.
“We spent most of our lunch time doing it.”
The time spent inside making posters instead of outside in the sunshine payed off for the girls; Grade 5, 6, 7 and 8 students from the school decided to participate as well.
Moffat shared her pride for the students, in both their work ethic and empathy.
“They did it independently and I think that’s wonderful.”
(Vanessa Broadbent photo)
(Vanessa Broadbent photo)
(Vanessa Broadbent photo)
