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Toyota helps Blakelock green up the schoolyard By Brice Roy SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER The schoolyard is about to get a lot greener for T.A Blakelock students. Six years ago the courtyard at the high school was essentially just a barren field that students rarely entered. "At the time the courtyard at our school was basically a grass space. There were three mature trees in there and that was it," said Terry Warcholak, science teacher at T.A. Blakelock. The school decided to begin constructing a butterfly garden with the hopes of cleaning up an eyesore while also turning it into a functioning learning area of the school grounds. "It would be an opportunity for a lot of different subject teachers to use that space for different reasons," said Warcholak. "For example biology teachers could use that space as a learning space for flower anatomy or the interaction between butterflies and the flowers or art classes could use it for painting and sketching." The students had laid down the basic foundations of a garden when Warcholak applied for outside help through the Toyota Evergreen Learning Grounds program in 2010. The Evergreen program provides $500-$3,500 grants for creating outdoor classrooms to schools who demonstrate their environmental awareness and initiative. T.A Blakelock received $2,000 for improvements to its butterfly garden from Oakville Toyota. The money went straight into improvements, but there was still a few pieces missing including a shed to store their tools. Fast-forward to 2012. With the butterfly garden nearing completion, Warcholak again entered his school in the program and was successful. This time, T.A. Blakelock was handed a $2,300 cheque by a happy Oakville Toyota president Frank Apa. "It's awesome. The kids are our future so it's imperative we support them. We all understand the importance of the environment and being as `green' as possible," said Apa. With the cheque in hand, Warcholak has some definite plans for finishing the garden starting with the shed which will be built by Grades 11 and 12 students in the construction program. "They also say you never really complete a garden, it's always a work in progress," said Warcholak. "But, with this grant we're going to build a shed for our tools. That should be the last piece of infrastructure we add to the garden. We could add bits and pieces here and there but, we are as close to being done the garden as we could be." The remainder of the grant will be spent on See Greening page 24 19 · Friday, May 4, 2012 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.insideHALTON.com GRAHAM PAINE / OAKVILLE BEAVER / @halton_photog GREEN THUMBS UP: Frank Apa ,left, president of Oakville Toyota presented a $2,300 cheque to T.A. Blakelock High School teachers Terry Warcholak, centre, and Leo Petti. The cash from the Toyota Evergreen Learning Grounds program will go towards the Rebecca Street high school's butterfly garden. The Regional Municipality of Halton www.halton.ca PUBLIC INFORMATION CENTRE Sanitary Sewer Replacement on Elmwood Road from Kerr Street to Maurice Drive, Prince Charles Drive from Elmwood Road to Kerr Street and St. Augustine Drive from Elmwood Road to Prince Charles Drive, Town of Oakville PR-2818 Halton Region is proposing to replace the existing sanitary sewer along the following streets including individual services to the property line. · Elmwood Road from Kerr Street to Maurice Drive · Prince Charles Drive from Elmwood Road to Kerr Street · St. Augustine Drive from Elmwood Road to Prince Charles Drive A Public Information Centre will be held to provide residents with an opportunity to review the project drawings and to discuss any potential construction disruptions that may result from the proposed works. Representatives from Halton Region will be in attendance to answer any questions. The Public Information Centre is scheduled for: DATE: TIME: PLACE: Thursday, May 10, 2012 6:30 p.m. ­ 8:30 p.m. Ecole Sainte - Marie (Library) 336 Maurice Drive Oakville, Ontario FK PAINTERS CREW Residential | Commercial | Interior Exterior Spray Painting | Drywall Repairs PROFESSIONAL WORKMANSHIP LASTS YEARS LONGER THAN THE SWEETNESS OF THE LOWEST PRICES Call: Call for a free, no obligation estimate · Available online 24/7 If you are unable to attend this Public Information Centre and wish to obtain more information or provide written comments, please address your concerns to: Mr. Mark Bajor, C.E.T. Project Manager Wastewater Services Halton Region Telephone: 905-825-6000, Ext. 7617 Facsimile: 905-825-0267 E-mail: mark.bajor@halton.ca Please let us know as soon as possible if you will have an accessibility or accommodation need at a Halton Region hosted event or meeting. 1151 Bronte Road, Oakville, Ontario L6M 3L1 Dial 311 or 905-825-6000 · Toll Free 1-866-442-5866 · TTY 905-827-9833 · www.halton.ca 416-857-2051 Email Address: 040512 fkpaintingservices@hotmail.com