The Curro Midrand Halfway House campus hosted a special planting of the indigenous spekboom on their school grounds on 14 February.
The planting formed part of an initiative organised by social science teacher Kristen van Lelyveld which started in October last year by raising money for the Hartbeespoort-based Owl Sanctuary by calling on their students to buy a spekboom plant from the organisation for R10.
She said they initiated a conversation with the learners with the purpose of teaching them about the importance of preserving the environment through planting the tree while also briefing them on the work done by the Owl Sanctuary.
The spekboom is a multifaceted plant. It is an indigenous succulent which can clean air by capturing large amounts of carbon. It is easy to grow and is suitable for all seasons. It is also an edible plant with medicinal qualities such as treating dehydration and exhaustion.
In the end, the school raised enough money to purchase 560 spekboom plants. Van Lelyveld added, “This project was important to show the students the role that humans play in the health of the environment and what they can do to assist.
“We taught them about the responsibility they have, as children, for looking after the environment and clean air. The response has been amazing with many of them learning more about the various benefits of the spekboom while others bought more than one.”
The school has a number of other projects to teach their students about environmental responsibility including having separate bins for different waste. She added, “We have these projects and others to come so that we, as a school, can have a zero-carbon footprint.”
The day saw the children receive their purchased spekboom plants while also hosting a ceremony to the school’s own tree in the main garden.
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