Surrey elementary classes celebrated by city for environmental learning

A student from Mary Jane Shannon Elementary completing an assignment outdoors. (Image: Surrey Schools)
A trio of Surrey elementary classes were recently honoured by the City of Surrey for their unique approaches to learning about environmental care.

As part of the third-annual Stewardship Stories program, the following three classes were recognized during the city’s Party for the Planet Earth Day celebration: 

• Steve Brugger’s Grade 5/6 class – Green Timbers Elementary
• Michelle Anderson’s Grade 4/5 class – Mary Jane Shannon Elementary
• Lynn Chuback’s Grade 2/3 class – East Kensington Elementary

The Stewardship Stories program was founded by the city in 2022 to encourage teachers to explore environmental stewardship with their students in a way that fosters care and awareness of the world around them.

“Green Timbers is a special place for us,” said Steve Brugger in his school’s submission to the program. “Our class likes to go for walks in the Green Timbers Urban Forest Park for different activities like silent walks, species identification and enhancing our connection to the place.”

For Michelle Anderson at Mary Jane Shannon Elementary, she wrote that her class uses the Indigenous concept of the Medicine Wheel as a basis for their outdoor learning, focusing on body and mind quadrants.

Having only started teaching at East Kensington Elementary last September, Chuback said the school’s unique EKOlogy program has allowed her to provide students an outdoor learning experience unlike anything she’s done previously in her 25-year teaching career.East Kensington students explore the nearby forest. (Image: Surrey Schools)

“We go outside every day, rain or shine,” she said. “Depending on the weather, we might spend the whole day outside but either way, our day starts by heading out into nature.”

Incorporating nature into various lesson plans, Chuback has found the natural classroom setting has helped students connect to certain themes and ideas more quickly than if they were in a traditional classroom.

“Symmetry was something that was really fun to explore, and we did that during the winter, so we were able to look at things like snowflakes and ice formations,” she explained. “Some our students are neurodiverse and having those real-world examples right in front of them has been tremendously helpful.”

Even lessons on writing, poetry and other creative arts are done in an outdoor setting, oftentimes using the world around them.

“We’ll do writing outside using chalk or, if it’s a little chilly, we’ll practice our letters in the frost, keeping it all in a natural environment,” she said.

Because of the time spent outdoors, Chuback said her students have developed a deep sense of appreciation for the environment.

“They’ve become protective of the world around them and able to recognize the impact that we have on the environment,” she said. “They know not to pull plants out of the ground or snap branches off trees and are simply a lot more aware of nature than others their age.”

For being recognized in this year’s Stewardship Stories, the three winning classes received a kit with equipment for outdoor learning, as well as a gift certification for an outdoor learning store.

To explore what various schools in Surrey are doing for their outdoor learning, visit the Stewardship Stories virtual tour map here.

The three winning classes were honoured by Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke at this year's Party for the Planet event. (Image: City of Surrey)