Otama School and Limehills School are Southland’s first and second Green-Gold schools respectively. Otama and Limehills Schools were the 21^st and 35^th schools (respectively) in the country to receive this honour in 2010.  Both schools reflected with students, staff, Board of Trustees, family and community members, the Enviroschools facilitator, regional coordinator and Jan Cox (representative from The Enviroschools Foundation) to identify with the Green Gold paragraph below:

We have a living, evolving school vision - progress is celebrated and new ideas added.  The Guiding Principles are woven into all aspects of our school life.  Environmental sustainability is part of all our decisions and everything we do.  Students at our school have a strong sense of connection to the environment - we know we can effect change for a sustainable world.  The enquiry and action is mainly led by students.  We have been able to measure many changes from our actions, and show that we are making a difference.  The environment is more vibrant and healthy; it feels like a living ecosystem that can support our community towards sustainability. Māori perspectives are enriching our journey.  The school is involved with our community, honouring the diversity of people within it.

Read more and see photos from Otama School here and Limehills School here!

Knapdale School

Students from Southland’s Knapdale School have won a national science prize by submitting an entry to the Environmental Monitoring and Action Project (EMAP) Koura (fresh-water crayfish) Kraze competition which runs annually during March-April.

Students went on field trips to catch koura and compared two different waterways, Dolamore Park and Gold Creek. They made comparisons between them and drew conclusions about why they found many healthy koura at Dolamore Park. Students took several photos on the field trips, then made the models of koura, power point displays and posters.

They were named top primary school, winning $500 worth of water monitoring equipment as a reward. Rebecca Goffin, the National Coordinator for the EMAP, said “The children put in an enormous effort, and while we suggested schools might like to make models of koura, we thought that making them out of marshmallows and carrots showed incredible creativity.”