Quite the environmental designation for St Joseph-Scollard Hall.

The local English Catholic secondary school as become a Gold-level Ontario EcoSchool.

This after they successfully completed a year long certification process, which involved the school developing projects in six categories.

Those include Energy Conservation, Waste Minimization and more.

Some of the projects included a school survey which found that a small change in the recycling containers significantly increased students’ desire to recycle, a biodegradable art display and a greenhouse gardening project.

“It is a huge accomplishment to receive Gold-Level status during the first year of certification,” says Elanor Waslander, Executive Director, Ontario EcoSchools. “St. Joseph-Scollard Hall has clearly demonstrated that the projects they are undertaking are sustainable, impactful and are generating a greater awareness of environmental issues in their school and community.”

“We are delighted to have St. Joseph-Scollard Hall receive an Ecoschool certification,” says Derek Belanger, Principal. “The greenhouse alone is a great symbol for our school community, illustrating the hard work of our staff and students and their commitment to environmental leadership.”

Officials say the S.O.L.E. (SJSH, Outdoor, Leadership, and Environmental Studies) Program, taught by Terry Dubroy, the Science Club, co-led by teacher Jackie Laberge and several staff members took a leadership role in the Ontario EcoSchool application process.

Next year, returning students will act as mentors to help maintain and build on the current environmental programs.

Filed under: ontario-ecoschool, sjsh, st-joseph-scollard-hall