200 Trees Bicentennial Project with Kettle Creek Public School by Peri Hayes The 200 Trees Bicentennial Project is led by the Environmental Impact Committee of the Port Stanley Village Association Inc., in collaboration with students and staff of Kettle Creek Public School (KCPS) and Central Elgin, as well as Mayor Sloan, Councilor Graham and Deputy Mayor Noble. In July of last year, the Municipal Council of Central Elgin approved the 200th Bicentennial Project in support of planting 200 trees on the eastern side of the Berm in Port Stanley. Jayna Basson’s Environmental Collaborative Opportunities class (ECO) has been an integral component of the 200 Trees Project. Jayna’s ECO class has been involved with this project for the previous six years. Grade 8 students, Cadence Baitz and Creed Green, discuss their ongoing efforts. Along with their classmates, they have been working on this project for the 2023–2024 school year. The vision for this project is to celebrate the community and the history of Port Stanley, while providing a small Carolinian vegetation zone to sustain the natural environment. Asked what their contributions to this project personally mean to them, Cadence replies, “It feels really good. We get to try new stuff, and learn more about nature. We get to be involved with the community and the people involved with this project.” Creed shares that he is excited about the shrubs which they have begun growing on an off-site farmland property. He has thoroughly enjoyed spending time outdoors, which includes their frequent walks in nature. He declares, “Going to the Berm and exploring is fun!” While detailing what their collaborations entail, the pair share that they had a wonderful time hosting an Earth Day celebration on the Berm in April. During this event, the class spoke about the project and are continuing to raise awareness of this incredible initiative. The ECO class has been raising funds, and has even prepared grants on an immensely rewarding level. Says Cadence, “We’ve raised a lot of money in our school. I liked when we wrote grants, because we got them approved and it helped out a lot.” ECO students submitted an application, receiving a $5,000 McLean Foundation Grant and a $1,000 Jane Goodall Foundation Grant toward this project. Jayna reveals that for the trees which they recently potted at the school, the class purchased their materials with the money provided by the Jane Goodall Foundation.
Kettle Creek Public School has also facilitated Toonie Tree Tuesday, during which students are welcome to bring a Toonie for their classroom’s collection, with an online resource previously made available by the committee for families to place donations from home. This month, the class that has raised the most amount of money will travel to the Berm for a field trip, while primary students will alternatively spend time outside on the school property with the ECO class. It is evident that these two ECO representatives are passionate about caring for the ecosystem, as Cadence delightedly states: “I like that we get lots of trees on the Berm. The trees are definitely better for the environment than buildings.” Creed adds, “When I am older, I can see the trees and say that I was a part of that.” Those interested in learning more about this project are
Port Stanley Villager June 2024 cover New Bakery in Port Stanley, U.CAKE (21 Main St) offers these beautiful and delicious macarons. Photo by Geoff Rae
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Page 6 Port Stanley Villager • June 2024
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