Kew Beach students incorporate eco theme into fence project

Hundreds of students, parents, teachers and community members gathered at Kew Beach Junior Public School last month to celebrate the launch of the School of Fish Project.

The initiative involved the local school's 450 students decorating "fish" fabricated out of wood, while learning about the need to promote awareness about water habitat and water conservation.

The multi-coloured fish were then mounted on the fence that surrounds the school.

For several months, parents and teachers at the gold certified 'eco school' worked hard on the eco-awareness project, which is inspired by a similar initiative called Stream of Dreams in British Columbia, explained parent Kate Truong.

"It was a passing idea that really flourished into something," said Truong, part of a five-member committee at the school that coordinated the initiative.

"The kids had a fabulous time doing it. They were really gung ho."

Truong, who has a son in senior kindergarten at the local school, said various local groups were contacted to help fund the project.

The Beach Business Improvement Area (BIA) was one of those organizations and signed on as the project's major sponsor.

Charles Cameron, the BIA's chair, said the local business association talked about revitalizing that area for some time and was happy to support the neighbourhood beautification project.

"We loved (the concept) from the moment they suggested it. ...Over the last couple of years we have put together a street plan that included that Queen Street-facing wall," he said, adding the BIA considered a "living wall" concept as well as painting waves on the wall.

"It fits right in with our streetscaping plans. It's colourful and there's community involvement," said Cameron, whose son is a Grade 2 pupil at Kew Beach Jr. PS.

His daughter also attended the school from kindergarten to the third grade.

Cameron said the Beach BIA made every effort to purchase materials for the project from local retailers. It also took care of the installation of the fish.

AXYZ Automation inc. of Burlington, which laser cut all of the fish at no cost, and Wanderosa Wood Products of Bolton, which sold the wood to the school at cost, also sponsored the project.

Representatives from Lake Ontario Waterkeeper were invited to the school in recent months to educate students about the importance of water preservation, where water comes from and how to protect streams of water and fish habitat from pollution.

The charitable organization works for a watershed that is safe to swim, drink, and fish in and engages in legal processes to enforce environmental laws and to help inform wise decision-making.

Its members also educate and mentor people who want to learn more about water quality challenges and environmental law as well as work to identify threats to water quality and natural habitat and monitor trends in environmental law.

Because of its gold eco-school certification, the students, staff and parents at Kew Beach Junior Public School always look for ways to reduce the school's impact on the environment by undertaking various energy conservation and water reduction efforts as well as the creation of schoolyard habitats and the fostering of ecological literacy.