Day 136 – Toronto (total – 3126.1 km)
Part of a garden project at Roberta Bondar School.
It’s been a busy few days! Running into Toronto was fun, even though I didn’t take a really scenic route… Kingston Rd isn’t the most exciting place to run. But logistically, it allowed me to meet up with my friend Nicki as well as finding a meeting place for CBC Metro Morning. I met with John Chipman who does a weekly segment on Trails in Toronto. So it was fun to chat with him… that story will air on Metro morning next Tuesday. The highlight of the day was definitely meeting my parents near the bottom of Yonge St. They have been on holiday visiting their mothers in Windsor and Burlington, so the timing to see me was good! After some hugs and pictures, we ran a little further together before sitting down on a patio to catch up!
Today was a full day of schools… we started at Blessed Trinity in Toronto and then drove to the Brampton area to have visits with Roberta Bondar School and Cheyne Middle School. Every school is unique and has different things going on. Roberta Bondar is a newer school and has some amazing cultural diversity! Joan Hamilton is the principal, and as small world things work, her daughter worked with me at the outdoor centre in Haliburton years ago. This school has a gardening program and even their focus of nature murals on the walls of the school indicate the commitment to including environmental education into the curriculum. Joan let us know that there was milkweed planted in the front of the school and that there are 3 rabbits inhabiting the garden! Students at Cheyne Middle School took Sarah and I on a walk to see the blue bird project that Rob Ridley had helped implement. It’s amazing to see the attachment with nature that can develop when you give students a sense of ownership on things like boxes that they build for these birds. A great project! Both Sarah and I had the chance to chat with students along this walk and that one-on-one interaction is so special. There are some incredible students in this country and it almost feels comforting to know that they will one day be in charge… hopefully!
The front garden at the school…
