Depaving Light of Christ Catholic Elementary School
May 23, 2017
Staff, students and parents of Light of Christ Catholic Elementary School partnered with Windfall Ecology Centre on Tuesday May 23rd, 2017 to transform their schoolyard into green space.
About 40 volunteers and community partners of all ages eagerly worked together to green the schoolyard at the Light of Christ Depave Event. Using hand tools and shovels, volunteers got their hands dirty and removed approximately 100m² of pavement by hand. Following the event, another 350m² of pavement was removed with heavy machinery, for a total of 450m²!
Once completed, the rejuvenated schoolyard will feature mulch, native trees, a large native plant garden, as well as outdoor classroom space for students to enjoy. In addition to the additional green space in the school yard, this project will also benefit our local bodies of water by letting water naturally absorb and filter into the ground, rather than runoff the hard pavement.
The Depave project was completed in partnership with Light of Christ CES, the York Catholic District School Board, YorkWay Paving, Gro-Bark, Evergreen, Green Communities Canada, and Depave Paradise.
Thank you to the RBC Blue Water Project, the Green Communities Foundation, School Trustee Elizabeth Crowe, School Superintendent Opiyo Oloya, the Light of Christ CES Catholic School Council, and YorkWay Paving for generously providing funding for this project.
Excited and ready for the Depave Event at Light of Christ CES! A variety of steel-toe caps for our volunteers! Going over some Health & Safety rules. Group stretch and warm up! A few words from our VIPs - Travis MacDonald (Principal), Opiyo Oloya (School Superintendent), Elizabeth Crowe (School Trustee), Larry Tadman (Controller of Environmental Services with the York Catholic District School Board), and Brent Kopperson (Windfall Centre Executive Director). Opiyo Oloya (School Superintendent) and Andrew (student) kick off the depave event for us! The first pieces of pavement are removed! Thanks Rob Alpinelli (YorkWay Paving), Andrew (student), Opiyo Oloya (School Superintendent), Larry Tadman (Controller of Environmental Services with the York Catholic District School Board), Elizabeth Crowe (School Trustee), and Jen Atkinson (Windfall Ecology Centre Managing Director). Thank you to our VIP guests and project partners! Geared up and ready to depave! Geared up and ready to depave! Showing proper depaving techniques. Amazing student volunteers! Amazing student volunteers! Students of all ages helping out. Thank you to YorkWay Paving for all their help with this project! Working as a team to pry up all the pavement. These students were amazing! Piece by piece...Almost there! Working together for those heavier pieces. That's a huge mulch pile! Prying up some of the last pieces. Working together to get those final pieces removed.Our pile of pavement. We did it! Thank you to everyone who helped out! We did it! Thank you to everyone who helped out! Up next - machines will remove an additional 350m² of pavement to make way for green space! Thanks everyone!
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