Students Promote and Enhance School’s Natural Space to be Enjoyed by the Community

Few students in New Brunswick have the accessibility to nature like those at Polyvalente Thomas-Albert in Grand-Sault. They are now taking it upon themselves to enhance and promote this space to be enjoyed by their entire community.

‘LaForest in Action’, known for several years under the name ‘Boisé PTA’, is a woodland area outside of Polyvalente Thomas-Albert. The area has seen some changes over the years, with the addition of its outdoor class, the improvement of its walking path, and the installation of a greenhouse. Those who know ‘LaForest in Action’, know it is a perfect place for students, as well as local community members, to participate in physical activity or just taking the time to enjoy nature in an urban setting.

Due to the exceptional last two school years students have are experienced, some groups of students took it upon themselves to give the woodland a bit of a beauty upgrade, in order to invite students and people from across the region to come and enjoy their natural area.

“Extraordinary teamwork and collaboration has gone hand-in-hand at Polyvalente Thomas-Albert,” says Julie Bossé, community and cultural officer at the school. “Supported by Place aux Compétences, four student-led projects have begun this year, both inside and outside the school walls. All four projects are related to the school’s woodlot.”

The collaboration between the school and Place au Compétences is a Future NB initiative, which fosters collaborative relationships between the business community and students across New Brunswick. Through experiential learning, students gain real world experience while contributing to the development of their community.

Joining Future NB and their partners on their efforts is RBC, who have made investing in experiential learning a key component of their RBC Future Launch initiative. RBC Future Launch is a $500 million commitment to bringing young people together with community leaders and partners across the private and public sectors to help youth prepare for their future.

For the students at Plyvalente Thomas-Albert, both promoting and enhancing the woodlot has been their objective for how to positively contribute and give back to their community.

The two promotion projects were initiated by the 7th-grade students, where they created a promotional poster, offered to students from other schools in the region during the Provincial French Pride Week. Another artistic project planned will invite our future students to see the trail virtually.”

The two other projects, highlighting the beautification of the woodland, will invite students of all levels to bring their own personal touch in different facets. In addition to planting and caring for the flowers, students will have the opportunity to clean up the woodland path and give the outdoor classroom a facelift.
For more information on experiential learning opportunities in New Brunswick, interested employers and students can check out more success stories during RBC Future NB Week from January 24-28, 2022 at https://futurenewbrunswick.ca/.