Big Build, Big Learning Experience
Feb 15, 2018
Students from all three Nor’wester View Public School Learning Academies rolled up their sleeves as they completed the Big Build in partnership with Armstrong Public School! The students from the Global Citizenship, Sports and Outdoor Recreation and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) academies worked in the Transportation Technology shop at Sir Winston Churchill Collegiate and Vocational Institute on Friday, February 16 to complete a project that will see 30 bicycles sent to Armstrong Public School to support joint student projects with Whitesand and Gull Bay First Nations.
“The Academy students have been working all term to learn about bikes, but at the same time, they have been learning about building community and working in partnership,” says Kristi Lees, Nor’wester View Public School Teacher. “In addition to the technical aspects, the Academy students also had to come up with a number of fundraising activities to pay for the bicycle parts.”
The partnership between the Armstrong Public School students and the Nor’wester View Public School students will further support plans for bike trails around the Armstrong school. The partnership may also extend to possibly include bike repair stations in Whitesand and Gull Bay First Nations.
The students from Armstrong Public School and Nor’wester View Public School have kept in contact throughout the entire process and have learned about each other’s schools and communities.
“This has been a wonderful opportunity for our students to connect with their peers in Armstrong to work towards a common goal,” says Lees. “In addition, our students have also made some key connections with the Transportation students at Churchill. We could not have done this project without their talents and expertise.”
Throughout the length of the project, student leads have been trained on how to assemble and disassemble bicycles. During the training the students also learned how to assess their bikes and what repairs are needed. The students have created a “new” design for their group bike that will be completed on freshly painted frames courtesy of Pelletier’s Auto Body. The Big Build project also received support from the staff at Cooperative X and Fresh Air Experience.
