Ten Canadian schools, including one in the Comox Valley, are in the running to win a $20,000 outdoor classroom.
It's now up to the public to decide which school will win the Majesta Trees of Knowledge contest and bring their vision for an outdoor learning space to life.
Schools from across the country entered the contest and a panel of expert judges including representatives from Majesta, a maker of household paper products; Tree Canada; and Focus on Forests narrowed the submissions down to 10 finalists.
One of them is Beachcombers Community School (Grades K-7) in Fanny Bay.
Beachcombers wants to install a stone circle in the middle of its outdoor classroom, surrounded by stone benches, creating a teaching circle. The school also wants to feature a compost station to educate students on the importance of composting and recycling.
The winning school will be decided by a public vote at www.Majesta.com, running until Nov. 4. Every person who votes is entered in a draw to win a $10,000 cash prize from Majesta.
The winning school will receive the prize at a planting event in May 2012.
After voting for this year's contest closes, Majesta will start taking submissions for next year's Trees of Knowledge contest. Entries will remain open until Feb. 10, 2012.
Majesta products are made from new wood fibres of trees from J.D. Irving Limited’s forests.
Tree Canada is a not-for-profit, charitable organization established in 1992. Under the direction of an 11-member volunteer board of directors, Tree Canada provides education, technical assistance, resources and financial support through working partnerships to encourage Canadians to plant and care for trees in rural and urban areas.
Focus on Forests provides hands-on activities and support materials to assist teachers of all grade levels. The lesson plans are organized and designed to be easily adapted to any teaching environment or grade level.
— Paradigm Public Relations