Madison Elementary School is a public school in rural northern New York with just over 400 students. As part of their Earth Science class, the Grade 6 students began learning about weather and climate, including the causes of climate change and its impacts on humans and our planet. The outcome: an Alcoa W5 project that will be enjoyed by generations to come!
Students started by researching how trees produce oxygen, reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and act as carbon sinks. This knowledge, combined with learning about climate change, motivated the students to plant trees at their school. The students chose to plant two species of maples after researching native tree species with long life spans. The trees will provide shade in the summer and a beautiful colour show in the autumn for future students.
“I love trees in October. They are always so beautiful when they change colour. Now I know their beauty goes WAY beyond that.” - Student, Madison Elementary School
Through their Alcoa W5 project, the students not only learned about how to reduce their carbon footprint but also worked with the local greenery to find the best time for planting the trees and with the local utilities to get permission to plan them in their community. When the extreme smoke from the forest fires in Canada delayed their original planting, the students were even more motivated to plant their trees.
“I never knew that those trees behind the school and in our yard were so important… I didn’t know other places didn’t have any, and now I know how important they are to Earth’s health.” - Student, Madison Elementary School
The Alcoa W5 project of Madison Elementary School supports the following SDGs:
