Three Surrey elementary classes recognized by city for stewardship initiatives

Classes at three Surrey schools have been recognized by the City of Surrey as winners of this year’s Stewardship Stories.

 Now in its second year, the Stewardship Stories initiative was created to showcase the many ways Surrey teachers are building connections between students and their local parks. It recognizes classes for their stewardship programs and initiatives throughout the school year. 

Three classes were recognized as the 2022-23 winners:

• Lora Sarchet’s Grade 2 Class, Sullivan Elementary
• Murray Henderson’s Grade 1-3 class, Mountainview Montessori Elementary
• Stephanie Sagmoen Siqueira’s kindergarten class, Lena Shaw Elementary

Each of the winning classes was given a wagon to transport work supplies used for their outings, a class set of magnifiers, as well as a variety of outdoor resources and guides. They were also invited to meet Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke and have their stories recognized on stage at Party for the Planet, the City’s Earth Day celebration. Every class that entered also received a class set of the Skelkelosen pollinator seed packs for students to plant at home.

“We were looking for a way to highlight the value of these everyday visits,” said Bree Greve, stewardship programs coordinator for the City of Surrey.

While students may take field trips to beaches and other destination parks, Greve explained that the goal of Stewardship Stories is to encourage teachers and students to explore the natural world around them, be it the small park across the street or even just a  row of trees adjacent to the school. The program aims to develop a relationship between students and the environment that’s local to them.

“We hope that Stewardship Stories inspires others to think beyond tree planting when looking for ways to steward our parks. Making regular visits a part of the school year will help students connect deeper with these spaces, become more familiar with them and allow them to see how they change throughout the seasons. As their relationships with these spaces grow, so will the way students value and care for them.”

As part of the education element around Stewardship Stories, the city encourages teachers to approach the outdoor time through a stewardship lens. This includes creating awareness of park traversal, knowing how to interact with animals and their habitats responsibly and safely, as well as recognizing and understanding the ecological impact of certain actions.

“For example, classes wandering off trail can result in unintended negative consequences such as trampling, soil erosion and loss of biodiversity,” noted Greve. “So before they head out, we encourage teachers to review our Know Before You Go checklist.”

For teacher Murray Henderson, the decision to incorporate the outdoors into his weekly lesson plan stemmed from this year’s theme in the Montessori teaching method.

“Each year we try and have a different theme, and so this year we were looking at life,” explained Henderson. “Exploring and learning about life involves discovering your senses and the environment, and so I decided to make going outside a regular part of our week.”

The weekly excursion involved walking the class down to nearby Briarwood Park, picking up litter along the way or discussing observations made during the walk, such as moss growth patterns.

“When we get to the park, we explore and then find a place to spend two minutes of silence just observing and communing with the space and the park, just noticing, listening, observing,” said Henderson.

As a result of the walks, Henderson noted his students have become more environmentally aware and have even taken their learnings and experiences home with them.

“One of our parents told me that her child is now taking the family out for walks. So that student has made that deeper connection with their environment and is making it a part of their everyday life,” he said.

“That’s true education, when something sticks with you and changes the way you see and interact with the world.”

To learn more about the Stewardship Stories program, click here. To see all of this year’s Stewardship Stories, click here.

Explore the City of Surrey’s resource guide for outdoor learning here, and the Know Before You Go Checklist here.