Grace Primary tops zoo’s science fair
There are not many job openings in Belize for aeronautical engineers or nuclear physicists… but that doesn’t mean that our children cannot excel in science. For a decade now, the Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Centre has been doing its part to acquaint primary school students with the scientific fundamentals, particularly in the field of environmental studies. Ann-Marie joined some young people this morning as they showed off their knowledge.
Ann-Marie Williams
The tenth annual environmental science fair was held at the Belize Zoo today and although the participants have changed, the recurring theme of biodiversity has not,”
Celso Poot, Education Director, Belize Zoo
“We prepared a slight presentation that we gave to the schools. We gave about twenty presentations, and we introduced the students to the concept of biodiversity, for them to understand the basics of biodiversity. We then gave them ideas as to what they can do their projects around biodiversity. All the projects are focussing on biodiversity conservation because we are losing our biodiversity very rapidly.”
And the over fifteen primary schools which participated from all over the country, used some form of biodiversity as their main focus.
Cayo’s Sacred Heart Primary had as their theme “Cut a three, plant a tree.” It tells the story of a Malaysian logging company which ordered a worker to cut down a great Guanacaste tree to make a canoe for guess what? The next La Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge.
The children depicted by means of role playing what happened to the animals which depended on the forest for their survival.
(children acting out play)
Friends Boys School on Allenby Street in Belize City chose the reef and how it takes care of our marine life.
Orrie August, Friends Boys School
“By making a long stretch of corals along the coast to protect the island from hurricanes, tidal waves. We have the mangroves that help the other young marine wildlife to live. When they are finished they go out back to the reef and they come back to have more young ones and they live right off the mangroves.”
The third place recognition at the fair was awarded to St. Martin de Porres School in Belize City. According to Standard VI student, Shanice Lovell, a great deal of preparation went into their forest display.
Shanice Lovell, St. Martin de Porres
“It gives us many uses and it brings more money into the country. It’s products, fruits and the animals that live in the forest also bring more money into the country.”
Ann-Marie Williams
“What all do you have on display?”
Shanice Lovell
“We have useful information if you wanted to know anything more about the rainforest or any type of forest, we have information on that. We also have a model showing biodiversity and we have products which are from the forest.”
Ann-Marie Williams
“There’s also a food chain display here, explain.”
Shanice Lovell
“Yes, there’s a food chain display showing how one animal depends on another animal for and that another animal depends on that same animal for food and that’s how it goes.”
The second place school received a computer and printer. Louisiana Government in Orange Walk drove home with the prize.
According to the judges, Grace Primary School presented an impressive display on the wetlands. The first place finish won them a school computer.
Beajay Armstrong, Grace Primary
“So may other ecosystems depend on it like the marine ecosystems, and also because it acts as a flood control. When the river overflows, the soil in the wetlands soak it in and sucks it out of the river so that it can control the level of flooding. So that if the river overflows, it doesn’t cause damage to residential areas around the river.”
“Our display depicts a human attempt at restoring the wetlands in Belize because Belize is a developing country and they are now building things upon the wetlands that are beside the river. We need the wetlands for filtering and for people who live beside the river, use the river for their source of water sometimes, and the animals in the river need the wetlands for its filtering. So our display is depicting how we as Belizeans and humans can make an attempt to build an actual wetlands beside the rivers where there aren’t any.”
And there was an all encompassing theme, which centered around…
Jamala Requena, Grace Primary
“Preserve, develop or compromise. Teck Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary for example, one of the biggest wetlands in Belize. They tired of taking boats, so they filled up some of the swamplands and cut down some of the trees. Look how the system di suffer. They think just cause dah lee bit it no mattah? But the ecosystem is still under pressure. The sun shines through the water and energize the grass and algae whe dah the producer. We got other basic sources of foods too, like the decaying plants of animals which make up the decomposer. Those get eat by the consumer.”
Ann-Marie Williams for News 5.
