| Fizah HAB |
HIS Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Wakeel officiated the launching ceremony of the Environmental Tree-Planting Initiative at the Jerudong International School (JIS) yesterday.
His Royal Highness joined 14 Middle Years students at the tree-planting ceremony held at the JIS Middle Years Garden, where 166 trees were donated to the school by the Forestry Department under the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism.
Principal of JIS Barnaby Sandow, Head of Middle Years Richard Bourbon, Director of Enrichment Justin Harris, and Assistant Head of Middle Years Marinka Gnaden were present.
The school has a thriving and proactive group, the Eco-JIS that is involved in many aspects of environmental education, to inspire the younger generation to create a healthy sustainable future. In addition, the work of the team feeds into the school’s Environmental Management Policies.
As part of the school’s commitment to education for sustainable development, the Eco-JIS team has set up the award-winning Outdoor Discovery Centre (ODC) in the school grounds. The ODC is an outdoor classroom, located in an area of tropical heath forest managed by a team of students under the guidance of dedicated teachers.
The ODC is used by classes and co-curricular activities on a regular basis, allowing students to learn more about the natural environment, apply concepts and skills that they learn from a range of subjects, while also enabling students to practise teamwork and leadership skills.
Richard Bourbon added, “At JIS, we are committed to sustainable education and to fostering an appreciation of the natural environment. Our Year 7 students, the newest students in the Senior School, will take great pleasure in watching these trees grow as they continue their journey through the school.”
Head of Education for Sustainability Yvonne Follows-Smith and Outdoor Discovery Centre Leader Gwendoline Sandow added, “We are presently developing a sustainability policy for the whole school. This will help us to drive sustainability and environmental issues across the school and in our community. With the support of visiting speakers and the enthusiasm of the teachers and students, we hope to be certified as an Eco-School in the near future.”
Barnaby Sandow said, “The enthusiasm of the student leaders and environmental groups in our school is a really inspiring change. By challenging themselves, our teachers and pupils are taking on new projects to develop our JIS community. This initiative is the start of over 166 trees being planted across our school campus. We would like to thank the Forestry Department under the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism, for its support and generosity.”