Parvati Girls march for World Environment Day

School Principal Sharda Maharaj-Ramjattan told Sunday Newsday that in sensitising students about the preservation of the environment, it exposes them to agriculture.

“Debe is situated really in a rural community, which is developing now. We want them to go back to those roots, given the economic times we are in now.

We have at the back of the school, an area where we are setting up a grow box system,” Maharaj-Ramjattan said.

She noted that crops such as spinach and lettuce would be planted and upon harvest, will be sold. “They will sell it and possibly generate money back in the school.

I have an excellent staff here. We deliver a holistic education to students and so it not academic-based alone.

We sensitise the girls on a variety of issues and the walk allowed them to connect to the community,” the principal added.

Teacher and coordinator of the event Kavita Samaroo said the school’s activities were in keeping with WED’s 2017 theme, ‘Connecting people to nature.’ Some activities included a scavenger hunt to learn about different species of trees on the compound, lectures from the Forestry Division and interaction with animals from Emperor Valley Zoo.

“We also have the photo frame in which students used natural materials like twigs, stones, leaves. They also have a painting competition on the theme ‘Connecting people to nature’. We also have poetry and chow competitions,” Samaroo said. Members of the non-profit organization IAMovement spoke to students on the issue of global warming and climate change.

“They are also expected to show their movie ‘Small Change’.

It is all about getting students more environmentally aware and giving them the right tools so that they can make the right choices with it comes to the environment.

We have the CLIMAQUEST game room ,” Samaroo added. She is one of four teachers of the college who created the board game titled CLIMAQUEST.

Samaroo spearheaded this initiative CLIMAQUEST was developed with funding from the Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme at the United Nations Development Programme.

Based on information on flyers distributed yesterday, the game pitches the causes, effects and solution to climate change on small island states like T&T. It combines competition, enjoyment and learning all in one.

The game costs $250 and is available at Keith Khan’s, Charran’s and RIK Book Stores.