Toledo students focus on biodiversity
Biodiversity is a word we often hear these days and nowhere is that concept more relevant than in the rapidly changing district of Toledo. News 5’s Jose Sanchez travelled south this morning to see what students there are learning about their environment.
Jose Sanchez, Reporting
Despite its central location, it’s not always easy for all the nation’s children to visit the Belize Zoo. That’s why the zoo’s outreach efforts include an annual environmental fair just for Toledo. According to Celso Poot, the zoo’s Education Director, this year’s event, held in Punta Gorda, is showcasing the southern most district’s bio-diversity.
Celso Poot, Education Director, Belize Zoo
“Throughout the school year, Belize Zoo educators visit schools in the Toledo District and this is only an outcome of a programme we take to the schools. The schools put together a science project relating to the environment and this year we’re focusing on bio-diversity in the Toledo District.”
Jose Sanchez
“What kind of things should we expect to we see?”
Celso Poot
“Today we have projects dealing with soil erosion, the marine environment, we have on the rain forest, and how natural occurrences affect bio-diversity.”
Jose Sanchez
“What do you think students will get from this experience?”
Celso Poot
“We want to create a positive…we want to make them environmentally conscious from this science fair. We hope that the students go back to their villages with a wealth of knowledge they gained from visiting other booths.”
The students taking part in the event are competing for an overnight trip to the zoo, a four-year high school scholarship and other prizes. Because the fair is a primary school event, we didn’t expect a lot of complex science, but some of the presentations were extremely creative.
Amber Lee Banner, Toledo Christian Academy
“This is the water cycle. This is how that water evaporates, and over here is the gas that evaporates and turns into tiny water molecules, which we call condensation. Then it goes to precipitation, when the water comes down and it just goes around in a cycle.”
Marlenie Mutrie, Bethel Seventh Day Adventist
“This is a factory and it pollutes the air and mixes with the evaporation water and turns into acid rain and affects the plants and human beings, because we have to inhale it.”
Alexander Roberts, Bethel Seventh Day Adventist
“So mainly what we have here are things that we would see on the reef. This is a coral, this is a sea fan and this is a clam where pearls grow. Many animals live among the reef. Small animals would go under the rock and lay their eggs, so that their babies would be protected from other animals. Mainly small animals live among the reef and what we want to do is protect it.”
There are twenty-one schools from Punta Gorda and surrounding villages participating in the event. Many of the institutions have less than sixty students and though Midway Government School is only twenty miles from P.G., Graciela Ticas is using today as an opportunity to let her kids experience life outside the village.
Graciela Ticas, Principal, Midway Government School
“My school, I am glad to be out here today. It’s their first time coming out to a science fair. It’s their first time to be out of the village, and that is why I made sure I brought all the kids even though they asked for four, five or standard six students, that would have only been about nine children. Because the school is so small myself and my assistant decided to bring the whole school because the children need to get exposed to things like this.”
And with more of Toledo being exposed to the rest of Belize and the world, a solid knowledge of the environment is one thing that will serve these children well in the future. Reporting for News 5, Jose Sanchez.
In the competition for schools with over sixty students, first place went to San Pedro Columbia and P.G. Methodist took second place. For smaller schools, Santa Elena Government School took top honours, San Felipe came in second.
