As the year comes to a close and we have had our final Eco Schools service session, I would like to reflect on the amazing things my team has accomplished this year and highlight them whilst also bringing up the best memories I may have kept from everyone 😉
Our eco schools green flag meeting
This was a stressful moment in time for everyone. Not only were we aiming for the green flag accreditation, we were presenting in front of not 1, not 2, but 3 representatives from the Federation for Environmental Education, a major cooperation in environmental care and responsibility.
There was one moment where one of the younger speakers paused, nervous. In this moment they were probably scared, wondering what to say next, but everyone in that room looked upon them and smiled. Giving thumbs ups as encouragement, signaling that they can continue to talk and when they finished everyone gave a quiet round of applause to show they did well. It showed to me how even in moments where stress runs high and we can’t afford mistakes, people don’t let that control them and are able to support us all. I couldn’t be prouder of my team for making everyone feel included in this.
The baton relay
I have a whole CAS post dedicated to this, but I briefly want to mention one moment that captured my heart. After Senaya and Chathil had spoken, they posed a question to get people to answer to. At first everyone was quiet as I passed round the mic, but then a grade 1 student piped up and gave their idea on how to reduce energy intake. Suddenly, more and more students were bringing up their ideas. There’s a theory about people being either independent wolves, or following sheep but I want to put my twist on it and say that once someone shows you its okay to stand up and say something others will feel more comfortable doing so too.
The fact that it was the youngest grade in the school being the first to say something puts hope into the future of the world. That the young children will want to do something.
Planting tea
One thing not many people know that we do, is our effort into self sustainability and being able to use everything from our gardens in our café and canteen. One of the things we have planted is tea! A Sri Lankan staple. Mr Poulus ensured that the tea plants were ones that were accustomed to the humid climate of Colombo, and we planted a total of 12 of them. It will take some time for them to grow to full size, but I long for the day that we can drink our very own OSC tea.
During the planting, everyone who already knew how to explained it to those who didn’t. Highlighting how we needed to make the roots free by wiping off some of the soil it came in before planting it not to far away from the surface. It was a moment of collaboration as everyone enjoyed getting dirty in the mud.
Earth day assembly
The earth day skit had the biggest slip up possible with Sasindu cursing. Although the crowd found it hilarious, me and Senaka did not. We were back stage panicking, frantically making a plan for him to apologize because as in character as it was, there were children present and teachers who held us accountable.
But thank the world for Mr Nimal De Silva because he swooped in and gave an excellent speech about how plastic will outlast us. His speech brought tears to people’s eyes, showing people the reality of how likely plastic is to be recycled and how long it takes for it to decompose.
As a conclusion, I’m so thankful for my amazing team and how far we’ve come and how much we have achieved. I hope that next year is as fruitful as this one.
Featured Image Credit: OSC School Photographer