Kortright Hills ‘Water Rockers’ teaching fellow students about water
March 5, 2018
GUELPH, Ontario – A group of budding environmentalists at Kortright Hills Public School are educating their fellow students about the importance of water in our lives.
On Monday March 5, the grade 6 ‘Water Rockers’ held a water celebration assembly for students in grades 1 to 5.
The student-led assembly is part of the Waterlution Great Waters Challenge that the class has been working on since September. The national challenge encourages young Canadians in grades 4 to 12 to uncover and celebrate water stories in their communities and share them with the wider community.
With the help of weekly visits from a Water Resources Engineering professor from the University of Guelph, the students have been learning about the Grand River watershed, and have been researching the Speed and Eramosa Rivers, learning about their water levels, native and invasive species, water issues, and the First Nations peoples whose land the river runs through.
At the assembly, students gave presentations to teach their schoolmates about the importance of water. One group presented on the Speed River, including what areas it flows through, native animals to the river, invasive species, and plant life (both native and invasive). Another group gave a presentation on the Eramosa River and its native and invasive species. Other presentations included a closer look at how much water is required to produce certain foods, tips on conserving water and information on watersheds.
Students composed and performed an original song about Guelph’s rivers with musician James Gordon.
To wrap up the assembly, the Water Rockers showed a video of staff and students sharing their favourite water stories or moments, like fishing with their grandfather, taking hikes along a river, or playing in the Great Lakes in the summer months.
Local water experts from Wellington Water Watchers, the university, the school board and the local community were also present.