Submitted by Emily Cameron, BPDS Teacher
At the end of September, staff and students at BPDS rolled out their Eco-Schools goals for the 2022-2023 school year. Each month there will be a theme related to the five UNESCO pillars, and activities that will focus on specific United Nations Sustainability Goals related to that theme.
September was our kick-off month. Every class held a discussion about the many ways we already meet the UN Goals in our daily lives. From conserving water to recycling, and using clean energy to compost, many of us meet the goals each day without doing anything arduous or extra. Students recorded their ideas on post-its and then we documented the ideas in the front foyer. Be sure to take a look the next time you are in the school.
October was our “Purple People Proponents” month. Purple is the colour of October and helps to bring awareness about issues such as families in need, poverty, and domestic violence. Purple is also a creative colour, and we encouraged students to think outside the box this month and ask questions (aka proponents). Furthermore, “Purple People Eaters” is a fun Halloween song. An example of how this all came together is when Secondary Students Council planned Halloween Escape room activities for all secondary classes.
On October 31, students were challenged to solve difficult curriculum-based puzzles in order to unlock a cupboard and reveal tasty treats. It was a blast! Thank you Secondary Students council and Mrs. Stanton for all your work in creating these escape room activities and encouraging students to make learning fun.
Emily Cameron’s grade 11 Math class also asked UN based questions when students researched how Functions and Graphs are used to record important information about medicine, poverty, and climate change.
With all these learning activities, it is hard to imagine we were able to cram in sports and more theme days, but we sure did!
On October 19, the grade 10 Civics class held a mock vote for students in grades 7-12. The votes reflected the actual results of the real municipal election. We are proud of our students for being engaged citizens.
On Friday October 21, the Secondary BPDS Tennis Team competed at the BAA tournament at the Southampton Tennis Club. Coach Jen Cameron noted, “All of our players were excellent ambassadors of our school.”
The Girls Doubles team, Kenzi Hawke and Sydney McArthur, placed second in their division and qualified for CWOSSA. Coach Cameron said, “Congratulations to all of our athletes.”
The Elementary Cross-Country team travelled to Saugeen to participate in the annual Cross-Country run. Coaches Terri McIver and Trish Preston have lots of exciting news to share and will be submitting their own spotlight article to highlight the event.
The Secondary Cross-Country team travelled to the CWOSSA event held near Kincardine on October 27. All athletes had a great run. Grace Wheeler placed third and will head to OFSAA on November 5.
The secondary Jr. Girls basketball team finished their season. The girls worked hard to develop their defensive zone and learned a lot about the value of teamwork.
Elementary Soccer players went to Sauble Thursday, October 27 to compete in the annual North Tournament. Players represented their school well. Coach Sarah Peacock said, “I am so proud of the players who demonstrated respect and sportsmanship.”
Back in September, secondary Biology students went to Killarney to study water organisms. Teachers are still sorting through pictures and will be posting to the Outers Facebook page soon.
In St. Edmund’s news, Jackie Ralph from CMHA joined students for a puppet presentation on mental health and friendship.
On October 31, Elementary students held a Halloween dance, as well as a bake sale to support our friend Morgan.
We are so proud of all our students for continuing to ask questions, demonstrate creativity, and show respect for others.
