Schools for a Living Planet
Canadian Kids Make a Difference!

Every year all across Canada, students are working hard to protect wildlife and wild places! Read about what some of them are doing below, or use the map to find stellar schools in your province! If your class has a story to tell, please send it (along with photos if you have them) to schools@wwfcanada.org and you might be the next to be featured on our website!


2005-2006 Projects
(Past projects: 2006-2007, 2005-2006, 2004-2005, 2003-2004, 2002-2003, 2001-2002, 2000-2001, 1999-2000)

Alberta
Recycling for wildlife

After studying about deforestation and habitat destruction in Canada and Asia, the students in Ms. Gusdal-Calkins' grade 3 class couldn't wait to take action for the environment! Armed with endless enthusiasm, they formed the Grade 3 Global Citizen Group and created posters and commercials for Brookside School’s television network to promote their "Go Wild for Cupcakes" sale. It worked wonders because they sold 500 cupcakes and they used the funds to symbolically adopt an Asian elephant, a tiger, a polar bear, a sea turtle and two wild spaces from WWF-Canada!

Fundraising galore

At Rosalind School in Rosalind, Alberta, Ms. MacDonalds’ class organized several fundraisers to raise money for WWF-Canada’s conservation work. Between an ice cream sale, a bottle drive, a raffle and a silent auction of their artwork and poetry, there was a little something for everyone! Many rounds of applause for this new generation of WWF-Canada supporters!

"Sticking" up for endangered species

Courtesy David Paul / The Lac La Biche Post

After watching a television documentary on endangered species, a kindergarten student at Vera M. Welsh Elementary School in Lac La Biche, Alberta, was not going to sit idly by while many species and their habitats are rapidly disappearing. Using his own birthday money and a donation from his principal, Eric bought stickers and sold them to his schoolmates. His efforts resulted in 12 symbolic adoptions - three sea turtles, three Asian elephants, three polar bears and three pandas - from WWF-Canada! Thank you Eric – you are an inspiration!

Read the article.

British Columbia

Local celebrities

The Environmental Club at Port Moody Secondary School in Port Moody, British Columbia, hosted a Wildlife Awareness Week. This week-long event included an educational display and wildlife trivia with a daily prize draw. The group got their community involved and was even featured in their local newspaper!

Global citizens unite

Ms. Prior’s grade 6 class from Captain James Cook Elementary School in Vancouver, British Columbia, spent a very busy year learning about their role in the world as global citizens. The students were eager to make a difference for endangered species and held a coin drive and a skip-a-thon to raise funds.



It didn't stop there - they also taught others the importance of thinking how their actions affect the whole world. Thanks for going the extra mile!

Sending a message of conservation

The grade 4 students at Redfish Elementary School in Nelson, British Columbia, became very concerned after learning about endangered species and their vanishing habitats. Wanting to support WWF-Canada’s conservation work, they held a “Send a Message” fundraiser where their schoolmates sent messages and candies to each other using these fourth graders as personal messengers!

Manitoba
Eco-stewards in training

At Inkster Elementary in Winnipeg, Manitoba, students from Mr. Yanofsky's grade 3 class had their hands full with action projects this year! They participated in a schoolyard cleanup, initiated vermicomposting in their classroom and implemented a school-wide blue bin recycling program. They even found time to participate in the Monarch Butterfly Project to raise and tag monarch butterflies before releasing them for their long migration to Mexico. What an environmentally productive year!

Nova Scotia
Rising to the challenge

Challenged to make a positive change in the world, Ms. Morin’s grade 2 students at East Stewiacke Elementary School in East Stewiacke, Nova Scotia, knew exactly what they wanted to do. Touched by the plight of the giant panda, they held a bake sale to raise money in support of this endangered animal.

Ontario
Wanted: Alive!

Having learned about Ontario’s endangered species, the Green Club at Rivercrest Junior School in Etobicoke made “Wanted: Alive” posters to raise awareness for each animal. What’s more, the students combined their baking skills and artistic talents to create cookies in the likeness of the animals and sold these yummy treats to raise money to help save their habitats!

Guardians of the Earth

Students of the Gaia Club at Branksome Hall in Toronto, Ontario, spent the year working with their schoolmates to promote environmentally friendly lifestyles and sustainable practices within their school and in the community. They sold “Gaia” water bottles to raise funds and to spread the word on reducing and reusing.

Promoting a living planet

Members of Monsignor Clancy's very own Clean Green Team in Thorold, Ontario, met after school every week to discuss ways in which they could promote environmental stewardship among their schoolmates. They covered a wide range of topics from endangered species and their habitats to recycling, reducing schoolyard litter and putting together a recycling art show! They even planned an Earth Day celebration for the school to enjoy!

S.A.F.E.

The grade 6 students at St. Edmund Catholic Elementary School in Mississauga, Ontario, worked very hard to create a S.A.F.E. (Saving Animals From Extinction) Marketplace. First, they researched and learned about endangered species from different continents. Then they prepared business plans for the products they would make and sell. To make it all happen, seed money was raised through a Go Wild Play Day organized by the Endangered Species Club. It was truly a community effort with parents, teachers and local businesses donating items and pitching in! The S.A.F.E. Marketplace was unveiled during Earth Week where there was a raffle, and food and homemade products that represented the values and resources of all seven continents were sold. The project was a smashing success, raising over $1,000 for WWF-Canada. Gold stars all around!

Welcome to the rainforest

When Ms. Binmore’s grade 3 students couldn’t travel to the Amazon in person, they decided to bring the rainforest into their classroom instead! After transforming their classroom into a mini rainforest, they held tours and question and answer sessions for their schoolmates and teachers at Pleasant Corners Public School in Vankleek Hill, Ontario. They also raised enough funds to protect four and a half acres of rainforest through the Rainforest Alliance!

© WWF-Canada / Sophia Chum

Ms. Hall and her grade 3/4 class at Eglinton Public School in Toronto, Ontario, also caught a case of jungle fever. As part of their rainforest unit, the students produced research posters on different animals and created paper-mâché replicas for their in-class rainforest that came complete with vines, jungle sounds and a mist machine! It was a hit and the class even invited a group of WWF-Canada staff on a special tour and to a round of discussion. They later held an adopt-a-stuffed-animal campaign and an ice cream sale to benefit WWF-Canada’s conservation work.

Thank you to both classes for bringing the rainforest to life!

Brain F-R-E-E-Z-E

In Manitouwadge, Ontario, Mlle. Paradis’ class at Our Lady of Lourdes School shifted into action mode upon learning about the threats to panda bears. The students settled on a freezie sale to raise funds and got busy with making poster ads. They gave up their lunch hour for a week to sell these delicious frozen treats to all the eager students and teachers at the school.

Going nuts for nature

Courtesy Graham Paine / Canadian Champion Newspaper

The Nature Nuts Environmental Club at J.M. Denyes Public School in Milton, Ontario, held their annual “Animals for Animals” fundraiser. The students donated gently used stuffed animals to the sale and raised over $400 for the Club’s environmental projects. In addition to symbolically adopting several animals and wild spaces from WWF-Canada, the Mountsberg Bird of Prey Rehabilitation Centre and the Vancouver Island marmot rehabilitation project were also chosen to receive donations from the group. Of course, no good deed goes unnoticed! The Canadian Champion, Milton’s community newspaper, photographed the event and it made front-page news!

Making a tradition out of conservation

Mr. Hodgson and a small group of students founded the Global Outreach Club over eight years ago at Parry Sound High School in Parry Sound, Ontario. Since then, members of the group have built incredible momentum behind raising student and community awareness around social and environmental issues. Organizing Earth Day activities at the school and in the community is an annual tradition for the club. This year, the students hosted a litterless lunch day, conducted a schoolyard clean up and helped clean up a part of the Georgian Bay shoreline! Throughout the year, they kept busy with tree planting and various fundraising activities to support endangered animals and protect several acres of rainforest.

Breakfast with a side of conservation please

Two grade 12 students at Michael Power Catholic School in Toronto, Ontario, decided to fundraise for WWF-Canada as their project for theology class. For an entire week, Kelly and Jane worked tirelessly selling pancakes in the mornings to their teachers and fellow students! You girls did a flippin’ good job – thank you!

Environmentally fashionable

The Thornlea Environment Club spent Earth Week promoting environmental awareness and selling Earth bracelets at Thornlea Secondary School in Thornhill, Ontario. Their fundraising efforts allowed them to symbolically adopt a polar bear, a sea turtle and a panda bear from WWF-Canada and help save threatened habitats.

Ditching class... for a good cause

The Environment and Resource Management class at Erin District High School in Erin, Ontario, held a “buy-out” event where students could buy out from their last period class to watch their school’s hockey team play. The money raised was put towards a symbolic sea turtle adoption and to support WWF-Canada in its mission to save wildlife and wild places. Who knew skipping class could help save the environment? Go Raiders! (Please note: WWF-Canada does not endorse ditching classes)

Ambassador for a living planet

Aynsley, a ten-year-old student, treated Trinity School in Woodstock, Ontario, to a very special presentation on species and habitat conservation. She researched and put together a wonderful talk on WWF’s conservation work throughout Canada and around the world. She also organized a raffle for a panda beanie baby. Thanks Aynsley – you can be an ambassador for WWF-Canada anytime!

Quebec
A roaring success

A fourth grader from Greendale School in Pierrefonds, Quebec, undertook a year-long project to raise awareness and money to help save tigers from extinction. With the help of her two friends, Or and Raghad, Teneille worked extremely hard and led the way by donating money from her own pocket! Together with funds raised from the school run-a-thon, Greendale presented WWF-Canada with a cheque for over $1,000 to be used in a TRAFFIC project in Canada. Kudos to Teneille, Or, Raghad and the entire Greendale community for your dedication to tiger conservation!

Saskatchewan
Pop and save

Ms. Muirhead’s and Ms. Klassen’s grade 3 students at Silverspring School in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, held their annual popcorn sale to benefit endangered animals this year. Especially concerned about Canada’s northern icons, they directed their money towards a symbolic polar bear adoption and to further WWF-Canada’s efforts to protect endangered species.

Pick a Province!
Pick a province to see how kids are making a difference!
Alberta
British Columbia
Manitoba
Nova Scotia
Ontario
Quebec
Saskatchewan