The Leaves Are Turning Red, But BEAT Keeps Our Campus Green

The Leaves Are Turning Red, But BEAT Keeps Our Campus Green

26 November 2025Tema BC, Hope ‘26

Last spring, BEAT hosted Queen Margaret School’s Eco Club to discuss our clubs’ initiatives and share ideas for future projects with each other. This October, QMS returned the favour by inviting BEAT to Innisfree, the school’s on-campus farm, where we met with the members of the Eco Club as well as the teacher sponsor, Ms Tomo Nishizawa, and the farm coordinator, Mr Tim Saylor. We explored the farm’s pollinator garden, many raised garden beds for food production, fruit trees, horses, a woodshop, and the big chicken coop.

For us, the farm’s main attraction was the two bee hives, and Mr. Saylor shared his knowledge on beekeeping, explaining how the hives operate: he even let some of us try on the suits and open up the hives.

We then gathered around the bonfire to have conversations about our club’s challenges and successes and brainstormed opportunities for collaboration between our two schools. BEAT was very grateful for this opportunity and hopes to work with QMS again soon.

Later in October, BEAT hosted a meeting with Shawnigan Lake School’s Green Club members, who told us about the projects they’ve been working on: growing plants and food in their impressive Growdome greenhouse and using their hatchery to raise salmon fry to help with populating the species in Shawigan Creek that empties into the Pacific just north of the Foote Centre. When not joyously jam making together, we also discussed and compared experiences with managing food waste at boarding schools. Ms Emily Coolidge, Shawnigan’s teacher coordinator, shared that “It was such a benefit to share ideas amongst schools about what’s working, how we face challenges, and how we can learn from Brentwood about creating enthusiasm around student initiatives.” These meetings are important for Brentwood to establish relationships with our community that will enable us to collaboratively take action and create change.

Further BEAT activities include a third successful arts afternoon of jam making with Ms CindyLehman, who states that the three batches of blackberry and apple jelly were one hundred percent a success. She explains that “I pick the berries all summer and donate them to be used for class. It is a labour of love”. Kiana L, Angelina N, and Johanna F continued BEAT’s adventures in the kitchen with apple pie baking using fruit they had harvested from Mr Norman’s orchard. Updates in Crooks Hall include a shout-out to Dakota Merkel for his efforts with the food waste audit, and Mr Sanderson who is working on a weekly “locavore” meal in partnership with a local poultry supplier.

While the leaves of the maple trees may have turned red, BEAT is keeping our campus green with its continual efforts and projects to promote sustainability around the school. This environmental action will continue with the club’s lineup of new initiatives before the end of 2025, including battery recycling, a video on low-carbon consumption Uptown, a second food waste audit, gardening preparation, and a clothing swap.

Tema BC, Hope ‘26

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