Deputy Minister Visit
From left to right: John Lewis, Superintendent, North Vancouver School District (NVSD); Sandy Shaw, Manager, Community & Business Development (NVSD); Deputy Minister James Gorman; Irene Young, Secretary-Treasurer (NVSD); Sherri Mohoruk, Superintendent, Liaison; Victor Elderton, Outdoor School Principal (NVSD).
Deputy Minister of Education James Gorman visited the North Vancouver Outdoor School (NVOS), on Wednesday, August 27th 2008, accompanied by Sherri Mohoruk, Superintendent, Liaison. The campus tour and meeting was initiated by John Lewis, North Vancouver School District superintendent, and included a visit to the NVOS Fish Hatchery and Farm, a first-hand look at two of the on-site BC Hydro partnership projects related to spawning habitat restoration and enumeration of salmonids in the Cheakamus River, and a interpretive walk through the ancient cedars trail to the Coast Salish Big House.
During the two-hour site visit, Deputy Minister Gorman was briefed on the school’s forty year history of experiential education and youth leadership programming, the ongoing challenges of maintaining an aging facility, and the current development plans for the new North Shore Credit Union Environment Learning Centre (ELC), scheduled to open in early 2010. In addition to discussing the sustainable design vision for the ELC and the aim to go beyond LEED Certification to the level of “Living Building”, the Deputy Minister was interested in the School District’s master plan for further campus renewal that includes becoming a demonstration centre for green living, the development of new K-post secondary curricula, expanded research and teaching activities, and the ultimate transformation of the Outdoor School into a provincial Centre of Excellence for environmental education and life-long learning.
The Deputy Minister of Education visit is part of the School District’s ongoing efforts to foster new partnerships and collaborations that promote environmental education, and put into practice the provincial government’s healthier schools and green initiatives through revitalized facilities, programs and activities at the Outdoor School that focus on environmental leadership and community stewardship.
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