Creating green space at St. John Chrysostom CES in Newmarket
June 6, 2019
On Thursday June 6, 2019, Windfall Ecology Centre teamed up with the York Catholic District School Board and Evergreen to depave and transform the Kindergarten yard at St. John Chrysostom CES in Newmarket.
Over 150 staff, students, parents, and project partners attended the Depave event and eagerly worked together to green their school's Kindergarten yard. Using pry bars and wheelbarrows, enthusiastic volunteers got their hands dirty and removed over 70 square meters of pavement to make way for green space for the students.
The new Kindergarten yard will feature native trees, mulch, natural log seating areas, and vertical log stepping posts. The seating areas can be used by teachers as a gathering place for lessons, stories, sharing and play. Two raised garden beds will be added to the Kindergarten yard for students to grow native plants, flowers and edible plants in the hopes of encouraging butterflies and insects.
By removing pavement and replacing it with mulch and native trees, we are working to help our local bodies of water by allowing excess stormwater to absorb naturally into the ground rather than runoff into storm drains and local streams and rivers. By planting native trees, we have increased the urban tree canopy within York Region and reduced heat island effect within the schoolyard by providing shade for students.
This project has been made possible with generous funding from TD Friends of the Environment Foundation and the Ontario Trillium Foundation. This project was a collaborative project between Windfall Ecology Centre, the York Catholic District School Board, and Evergreen, in partnership with Depave Paradise, Green Communities Canada, The Regional Municipality of York, the North Newmarket Lions Club, Made Good, and Earthbound Trees.
Before the Depave Event...Lifting the first pieces of pavement! From left to right, Jen Atkinson (Windfall Ecology Centre), Kent Shadwick (York Catholic District School Board), Sulinda Cerqueti (Principal St. John Chrysostom CES), Mayor John Taylor (Town of Newmarket), Kelly Broome (Ward 6 Councillor Town of Newmarket), Deputy Mayor Tom Vegh (Town of Newmarket). From left to right, Jen Atkinson (Windfall Ecology Centre), Sulinda Cerqueti (Principal St. John Chrysostom CES), Shelby Totten (Teacher-Librarian St. John Chrysostom CES), Deputy Mayor Tom Vegh (Town of Newmarket). Mayor John Taylor getting his hands dirty! Sulinda, Shelby, Kelly, and other volunteers lifting the pavement. Depaving activities are underway! It's a dusty job!Teamwork and smiles all around. The students of St. John Chrysostom CES helping to make their schoolyard greener. From left to right, Deputy Mayor Tom Vegh (Town of Newmarket), Barkley the Tree, Sulinda Cerqueti (Principal St. John Chrysostom CES). A huge thank you to Clara from Face-to-Face Painting for painting so many smiling faces! A huge thank you to the North Newmarket Lions Club for providing a delicious BBQ for our hard-working volunteers! Yum! Thank you to the staff and teachers from St. John Chrysostom CES for your help with the Depave Event and getting everyone signed in and registered. Thank you for The Regional Municipality of York for your support with this important greening project! Kyle was handing out York Region Trail Guides and speaking with attendees about trees and forests within the region. Students planted over 70 native pollinator plants and flowers at the front of the school. Safety first - protect those toes! A group of smiling volunteers! Many hands make for light work. Everyone working as a team to pry up the pavement. Our volunteers were amazing! Almost done this section. Windfall Ecology Centre's Jen Atkinson and Andrea Fallone. Some of the hard-working students who helped depave the Kindergarten area! Teachers and staff from St. John Chrysostom CES! We did it! Our hard-working volunteers depaved 70m2 of pavement in record time!
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