MYRNAM - While many of the students at New Myrnam School may hop on a bright, yellow bus to get to school every day, the bus they are working on during CTS class has a very different purpose.
The school has been involved in a variety of unique projects over the years, offering unique learning opportunities and experiences to students - many with a focus on benefiting the environment and using renewable forms of energy. This year is the fifth year the school has been successful in getting an A+ for Energy Grant, and it will no doubt be a year to remember.
While brainstorming for ideas, staff and students settled on creating a net zero tiny home.
Once that decision was made, more brainstorming took place, explains principal Adrienne Owen. She admits they really weren't sure where to start with the project, and the increased cost of building supplies will no doubt be a challenge while working on a fixed budget.
A few brainstorming sessions with students brought about a few options on how to proceed. One group of students recommended building the tiny home that could fit on a flat deck trailer, for easy transport. Another group brought up the idea of converting an old ambulance into a mobile tiny home. Then, the idea of converting an old bus into a tiny home came up - and the idea took off.
In late November, an old school bus rolled into the CTEC shop in Myrnam, driven by St. Paul Education's director of transportation Doug Fedoruk, officially kicking off the 'Big impacts start with tiny changes at home' project. Students are now working diligently, removing pieces of the bus that legally cannot be used, transforming it into a tiny home.
Most of the seats have been removed from inside the bus, and in early December, students were working on remove lights, signs, and even the door - to create a blank slate.
A table with the start of a rough draft showing a floor plan could be seen inside the bus, and celebration cheers could be heard as a group of students successfully removed one of the bus' front lights.
While Owen has heard of another Alberta school creating a tiny home, she has yet to see a school-based bus conversion project take place.
The total value of the A+ for Energy Grant is $5,000, and an additional $1,000 has been received from the provincial government's Environmental Student Action Challenge program - but the excitement in the kids is worth much more.
"The kids are highly engaged," says Owen, adding, "That's the purpose."
The project offers an authentic way for students to learn, but not just in the shop. In a space outside the shop, a group of students sits around a table working on grant applications. While staff used to do the bulk of the grant proposals for projects at the school, Owen says they've shifted some of that work to the students. From mechanical tasks, to building and construction, and creating layout plans and interior designing, there are many areas students can delve into the project.
The goal is to work throughout the winter and finish the bus project in the spring, although with it being an entirely new undertaking, that timeline could change, and it's possible the project could carry through to the next school year.
When taking on a large project, Owen says she believes it's important to have a "big picture" vision, along with being able to break that big picture into smaller tasks. Between the various skills and abilities of staff and students at New Myrnam School, the project is moving along.
Other projects at the school
Students in Myrnam are taking part in a variety of other ambitious projects at school.
An ongoing hydroponics project is still taking place, and an expansion is now in progress. While there are no plants growing at the moment, work is being done to expand the project, and a $1,000 grant was recently received from the provincial government as part of the Environmental Student Action Challenge program.
Once again, the cost of materials has made the project a bit of a challenge, but the school has decided to push ahead. In the past, fresh produce grown through the project has been sold locally to be used in restaurants.
Near the back of the shop in the CTEC building, a small chicken coop can be seen. The project, spearheaded by students, could see kits put together to create similar coops, which would be sold by the school, encouraging people to have backyard chickens. The school has already received permission from the Village of Myrnam to have its own backyard chickens, says Owen.
The chicken project is also focused on improving food security, which can be an issue in rural areas, such as Myrnam.
The list of projects goes on. A continuation of last year's A+ for Energy grant project - the refurbishing of golf carts - is also still happening. The school bought a fleet of carts, and has been fixing, cleaning and installing solar panels to make the carts self-sufficient. Students continue to work on repairing more of the carts.
And this spring, thanks to another successful grant application, the arts will be brought into the shop and a theatre residency project will help guide students as they create a documentary about the 'Big impacts start with tiny changes at home' project, among other things.
Students are already busy documenting the progress of the bus project in anticipation of pieces being used in the documentary.
