École St. Matthew’s School is celebrating receiving gold certification from EcoSchools Canada.

Principal Charmayne Rumbolt says the designation recognizes the efforts of their students and teachers who have been working to create awareness of sustainable practices and taking care of the environment.

As Rumbolt explains, the children have been learning about different methods of energy acquisition, they have been composting, plantings things in their outdoor garden and greenhouse, and members of the school community have volunteered to come by over the summer to help take care of that space.

When the children come back in the fall, in time for the harvest, she says they are excited to see the results of what they planted several months earlier.

Rumbolt says it makes her emotional to think about the interest the kids have shown in the environment and the school’s initiatives.

She says it gives adults hope that the children they are nurturing “get it,” and it is a “very comforting and rewarding feeling.”