Students at École St-Augustin in Garson were watching the clock as they counted the minutes to the beginning of March Break and a bit of time to relax.
When they get back to class, the pupils at the kindergarten to Grade 8 school are going to be busy. The students' Leadership Club is planning two events in March: International Water Day and their own Earth Hour.
Teachers Karina Blondin-Barnard and Stéphanie Gagnon-Levesque started the Leadership Club to boost school morale dampened by COVID-19 restrictions and to encourage a sense of belonging among students who have spent too much time at home over the past two years.
Their plan seems to be working. Students in Grades 5, 6 and 7 are eager to plan projects that inspire school spirit, encourage environmental practices, help the community, and to have fun.
Jasmine Chamberland, 10, Evelyn Joly, 10, Daphne McCauley, 11, and Abygayle Vincent, 11, are the youngest members and perhaps the most enthusiastic.
The French students are classmates in a combined Grade 5 and 6 class. For now they can't meet with older students because classes are segregated for health reasons.
Last fall they planned, rehearsed and recorded a video with an important message about the needs of people in their community. With so many restrictions in place, the video was a good way to inform the students about a Christmas food drive.
Instead of a regular food drive, the girls got creative by challenging some classes to bring breakfast foods, others to bring lunch and snack items and others to bring supper staples or desserts.
"The video was well-received, and we were able to collect multiple boxes filled with various food items. The video was shared on social media, and it became a hit in the region," said Blondin-Barnard.
Evelyn and Jasmine are close friends and almost finish each other's sentences.
"I liked helping the community … it feels nice," said Evelyn. "Especially at Christmas," added Jasmine.
"People like us have a lot," said Daphne. "It feels good to give and know people are thankful."
How much food did they raise for the Garson Food Bank?
"A lot," all four girls say almost in unison.
The student leaders got a life lesson about the need to be charitable to people who are less fortunate.
"I learned we are extremely lucky. We have so much more than we need," said Jasmine.
"We should all be grateful for what we have," adds Abygayle, who is also a Girl Guide.
The Leadership Club planned a number of fun "theme days" during the two weeks before Christmas break. There was a Crazy Hair Day, a Christmas Character Day and a Snowman Day. Other theme days are planned for the spring.
Fridays are casual days at the school when almost everyone is dressed in comfortable clothes and school's grey T-shirts or hoodies.
For Earth Day in April, the students are organizing a trash-collecting challenge with friendly competitions such as building igloos with recycled materials.
On International Water Day, the day after they return to class following the break, École St-Augustin students will take a symbolic "big gulp" of water from their reusable water bottles.
International Water Day creates awareness that two-thirds of the world’s population faces water shortages. The students will also learn about the importance of water conservation and the impact of landfill sites filled with plastic water bottles.
At the end of the month, the students will turn off lights and other electrical items for one hour during their school day.
It is modelled on Earth Hour, an annual environmental campaign that brings attention to the effects of climate change by asking people to switch off lights at homes and businesses for an hour at 8.30 p.m. on the last Saturday of March.
These inspiring girls, who still have a couple of years of elementary school, say they hope to encourage more students to join the club.
"I like making a difference. We want to do more next year and get more people involved in their school," said Evelyn.
Vicki Gilhula is a freelance writer. Inspire is made possible by our Community Leaders Program.
