From parking lot to paradise

Holy Spirit CES joins the depave movement

October 19, 2017

Windfall Centre teamed up with staff, students and parents at Holy Spirit Catholic Elementary School on Thursday October 19, 2017 to transform the paved Kindergarten area into a greener piece of paradise.

The Holy Spirit Depave Event was a huge collaborative effort, with approximately 80 volunteers and community partners of all ages eagerly working together to green their school's Kindergarten yard. Using hand tools and shovels, volunteers got their hands dirty and removed approximately 150m² of pavement by hand!

Removing the pavement meant that four native trees and five native shrubs could be planted within the Kindergarten yard. In addition to the increased green space in the schoolyard, this project will also benefit our local bodies of water by letting rainwater absorb naturally into the ground.

In May 2018 the area was planted with native plants. The Green Team pitched in and taught younger students all about the benefits of depaving and greening their schoolyard. Each plant was labelled allowing children to learn about the different species growing in place of concrete. Mulch was added to the depaved areas and outdoor wooden classroom furniture, like planter benches and wooden tables with stump seating, were added on June 8 2018 making the space a natural outdoor classroom space for students. Students love that they now have a beautiful place to play instead of a concrete jungle

Thank you to the Great Lakes Guardian Fund and the Government of Ontario for providing funding for this project.

This Depave project is a partnership of Windfall Ecology Centre, Holy Spirit CES, the York Catholic District Schoolboard, the Town of Aurora, Evergreen, GWF Construction, the Aurora Lions Club, Rent Source Aurora, Gro-Bark, Treasure Mills, Green Communities Canada, and Depave Paradise.