SIBU: A special assembly was held at Woodlands International School (WINs) yesterday in conjunction with the launch of the Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) environmental awareness campaign at the school.
Speaking at the assembly, WINs Principal Karen McCklymont spoke of the need to view waste with a positive mindset for the good of the environment.
“Our children represent a generation of progressive, articulate and passionate individuals who, through words and actions, remind us that we are merely caretakers of our environment and that we have a responsibility to sustain it for the next generation to come.
“We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors. We, in fact, borrowed if from our children.”
Also present were SMC deputy chairman Daniel Ngieng, Secretary Hii Chang Kee and WINs chief operations officer Dr Sue Collins.
McCklymont said environmental education featured strongly at WINs.
“Teachers continually promote conservation and environmental awareness through their international curriculum.
“With the addition of the three attractive, distinctively coloured recycling bins, Woodlands now looks forwards to encouraging all members of the school community to reduce, reuse and recycle.”
In the coming weeks, she added, WINs would be motivating students and teachers to aim for `zero waste’ by placing recycling containers in classrooms and around the campus.
A number of competitions are being planned for the coming weeks, including poster design, written language, poetry composition, and art and craft activities using recycleable materials.
McCklymont said WINs also planned to have an Eco Action team to lead environmental initiatives throughout the school.
In her brief remarks, Collins agreed that education was the key to raising awareness and developing a conscience on the need to conserve resources and to take responsibility for keeping the environment clean and attractive.