The children at St Michael’s Primary have been working hard to tackle climate change in many different ways – from personal promises to school-wide changes.
The two flowering cherry trees, placed on their school grounds next to another group of trees the children planted, form part of the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative: a campaign to plant trees to celebrate Her Majesty the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022.
Mrs Helen McCarney, Executive Headteacher of the All Angel’s Federation said: “Following the planting of our Wood of Hope, which started when the children came back after the lockdowns, we are continuing to plant more trees in as part of our pledge to the environment and in support of the Queen’s Green Canopy. We were really pleased to invite Bishop Graham to help us plant a tree and to be part of our response to raising awareness about slowing down climate change.”
The school held its own COP26 to coincide with the talks in Glasgow this November. The children took this time to discuss climate issues and their own concerns as well as take part in eco-activities to encourage appreciation of the world around them.
Each class made pledge trees of personal promises from the children of changes they wanted to make in their own lives (like walking to school or turning the lights off) and hopes they had for COP26. The trees now form a beautiful pledge forest in the school.
Helen McCarney said: “Many young people are anxious about their future and how the actions of the older generations will impact on their future lives. We decided to inspire the children with hope for the future by being focused on the small changes that they could help put in place at school and at home.”
During Bishop Graham’s visit, he was able to sit with the children and talk about his time at COP26 and what the pupils were hoping for as an outcome of COP26.
One child said: “I hope that the leaders [at COP26] keep their promises.”
Another continued: “I hope that the promises they make will make a difference.”
Continuing their dedication to encouraging greener living, St Michael’s have recently launched their own version of the Earthshot competition to encourage innovative and creative thinking among pupils on how our planet can be preserved.
