Stratford Primary School celebrates World Environment Day with fun activities

Stratford Primary School tuis chief executives Addison Moore (left) and Avik Tate, both 11, and enviro tui Abel Sampson, 12. Photo / Alyssa Smith

Stratford Primary School pupils gave World Environment Day a (green) thumbs up this month.

Stratford Primary School enviro co-ordinator Marlene Lewis says the school’s enviro tui group organised celebrations for the international day earlier this month.

“The enviro tuis are a group of students who work as monitors around the school, becoming role models for other pupils. They guide our school to be more sustainable.”

Stratford Primary tuis co-chief executives Addison Moore and Avik Tate, both 11, were key organisers of the day.

As the leaders of the enviro tuis, Addison and Avik work with Marlene to organise the group. Addison says as a green-gold enviro school, it is always looking for ways to be sustainable.

Tommy Stone (left), 10, Bjorn Krook, 6, and Parker Wilson, 5, scooping up sand to put back into the sandpit.

“I checked the calendar for world celebration days and I found that June 5 was World Environment Day. We’ve planned this for a while.”

She says because the day fell on a weekend, the school decided to have its celebration on June 9.

“It worked out well and we could all celebrate together.”

Avik says classes paired up and decided on an activity.

“We organised fun, environmentally friendly themed activities. My class used environmentally friendly materials to make a sculpture of Earth.”

Joel Bolton (left) and Tiare West, both 10, raking up leaves.

Other activities included weeding the gardens, scavenger hunts, picking up rubbish, scooping up sand from around the sandpit and spreading bark and mulch.

Avik says pupils dressed up in green and blue for the day.

“These are colours that best represent the environment. Green is the land and grass, and blue is the colour of the sea and sky.”

Fellow enviro tui Abel Sampson, 12, says the whole school was involved. School mascot Teo the Tui made an appearance on the day.

Teo the Tui (left), pictured here with Avik Tate, 11, and Abel Sampson, 12, made an appearance on the day.

“He helped to pick up some rubbish. All the little kids loved seeing our mascot helping on the day.”

He says the day was about the school doing its part to help Earth.

“We only have one Earth so we need to look after it. We showed our school why it’s important to look after the world and how we all have to do our part.”

Marlene says there was a positive vibe on the day.

“The whole school jumped on board with the idea. It’s something we’d definitely do again.”

Amity White, 11, and Amehleighs Cameron, 7, sweeping the sandpit area.