Thursday the 18th of June, 20 of the Junior School Council Representatives gathered in the Science Room. We were waiting for Margaret Morgan, Banyule’s Waste Education Co-ordinator. Finally, Margaret arrived. When she came in the room, she & Mr Lincoln started to explain what we were going to do. We were going to go around the school to every drain & spray paint a sign next to it. It was called ‘Drain Stencilling’. We had two signs, one saying ‘I love living in Diamond Creek, So Please Don’t Litter’ & the other one saying ‘I love living in Plenty River, So Please Don’t Litter’. With the two signs, a few cans of spray paint, two pairs of rubber gloves & a big box full of other things, we set off. With 13 drains to do we got into action. Margaret showed as how to do it on the first drain. We then split into two groups, one with Mr Lincoln & the other with Margaret. Everybody enjoyed watching Grade 2’s, 3’s, 4’s & 6’s each having a turn at spray painting. In the end it was a bit messy. Mr Lincoln got blue coloured fingers, so did a few others including Robert M from 2T & David N from 3D. Oops, Margaret also got her nice jacket a bit blue! At 2:50, we finished up. It was interesting to watch. You will probably see the signs next to the drains.
Some information on why we should stencil drains:
When it rains, the water that falls on & around your school grounds flows to the nearest river, creek or wetland through a network of stormwater pipes. Stormwater can transport pollutants found on streets & school grounds down to your local river, creek or wetland. Typical pollutants include rubbish, cigarette butts, fertilizers from gardens, leaves, oil from cars & sediment. Drain Stencilling is a valuable & creative tool in reminding students & the community about this issue.
Kind Regards, Secretary Alexander Collum on behalf of the Junior School Council.
By Alexander Collum, Student.