Staff, students and parents of St. Nicholas Catholic Elementary School teamed up with Windfall Ecology Centre and the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority on Friday September 23, 2016 to transform the paved Kindergarten area into a piece of paradise.
The St. Nicholas Depave Event was a huge collaborative effort, with close to 80 volunteers and community partners of all ages eagerly working together to green their school yard. Using hand tools and shovels, volunteers got their hands dirty and removed approximately 150m² of pavement by hand.
Once completed, the rejuvenated kindergarten area will feature native plants, shrubs and trees, as well as a natural outdoor classroom space for students. A rain garden will be added to the area in Spring 2017. In addition to the increased green space in the schoolyard, this project will also benefit our local bodies of water by letting water naturally absorb and filter into the ground.
Thank you to RBC Blue Water Project, Green Communities Foundation, Environment and Climate Change Canada, the Lake Simcoe Conservation Foundation, TD Friends of the Environment, St. Nicholas Catholic School Council, and the St. Nicholas Green Team for providing funding for this project!
This Depave project is a partnership of Windfall Ecology Centre, the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority, St. Nicholas Catholic Elementary School, the York Catholic District School Board, the Town of Newmarket, Green Communities Canada, and Depave Paradise.
Before the Depave event...Thank you to GWF Construction for making the pavement cuts! Going over some Health & Safety rules. Group warm up and stretch! Speeches from Deirdre Vance, St. Nicholas CES Principal and other VIPs. Showing proper depaving techniques. This pavement is thick! Thank you to our VIP Guests and project partners! Having fun before the depaving begins (from left to right): Brady, student | Noelle Mikkelsen, St. Nicholas CES | Brent Kopperson, Windfall Ecology Centre | Ben Longstaff, LSRCA | Amelia, student. Project partners: (from left to right) Kevin Kennedy, LSRCA | Lori McLean, LSRCA | Jen Atkinson, Windfall Ecology Centre | Andrea Fallone, Windfall Ecology Centre | Noelle Mikkelsen, St. Nicholas CES | Jen Slykhuis, Town of Newmarket Amazing student volunteers! Working as a team to pry up all the pavement. That's a full wheelbarrow - thanks Larry! Thank you to the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority for the amazing kids' activities, like face painting, wildflower planting, and button making! Students of all ages helped at this school-wide event! Safety first with gloves, steel-toe caps and glasses. Working together to lift the heavy pieces. Smiles all around as we depaved the Kindergarten area! A huge THANK YOU to the North Newmarket Lions Club who showed their support by providing a free community BBQ! Adding more pieces to the huge pile! Thanks Lori! Removing the pavement by hand. Working together as a team to lift those heavy pieces.It's done! Amazing work everyone! We did it! Thank you to everyone who helped out! Pile of pavement. After! Mulch has been added, trees have been planted and outdoor classroom features have been put in place. The rain garden will be added Spring 2017. What an amazing space to play in! Benches and planters. A nice shady space for students to sit. The perfect outdoor classroom space to learn, have fun, and be active and outdoors!
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