CHURCH HIGH GIRLS GO GREEN
12 Oct 2012
Pupils at Newcastle Church High School in Jesmond have been going gaga for green this week (24-30 September), taking part in a host of environmentally friendly activities including a funky recycled fashion show, power off hour and a toy swap.
Around 45 girls from across the school created their own items of clothing from recycled materials including old CDs, crisp packets and old uniforms, before modelling their creations for their peers in a recycled fashion show at the school on Thursday (27 September). Pupils will also stage the show on October 4, when proud parents and grandparents are invited to watch the catwalk events in celebration of National Grandparents Day.
On Wednesday (26 September), the school held a power off session, allowing pupils to experience the classroom without electricity. Each class chose their own power-free activity, with some choosing to talk about recycling and others discussing the differences in the classroom through the ages, with and without power.
The girls also participated in a toy and book swap at school this week, giving them a chance to swap something they no longer use for a new item, keeping items which may have otherwise been discarded out of landfill sites.
In September this year, Church High’s Junior girls also began wearing a new school uniform. As part of Green Week girls have been able to bring their old uniforms to school and these are being collected up before being sent to a school in Kosovo where other school children who are desperately in need of clothing to enable them to attend school, will benefit.
Emma Barnett, Junior School teacher and head of the school’s Eco Committee, said: “Our Eco Council is made up from elected members of each year group and it was the Eco Council’s idea to host a Green Week in school. They came up with many of the activities which have taken place. The girls have really enjoyed the week; the recycled fashion show in particular was a great success with some magnificent creations.
“At Church High we do all we can to improve and protect the environment with initiatives such as Green Week and our new school minibus which will launch very soon. The bus will provide a link between Church High School and Newcastle School for Boys in Gosforth, meaning parents don’t have to use their own cars travelling between the two locations, taking vehicles off our roads and helping to reduce emissions.”
In March this year Church High was awarded ‘Enviro Gold’ status by Newcastle Council. During this time the girls were said to excel in three key areas – recycling, reducing energy consumption and care of school grounds.
For further information about Church High School you can log onto their website at www.churchhigh.com or call them on 0191 281 4306.