WESSA Schools Programme Annual Report 2019/2020

Shea O’Connor Combined School

Nottingham Road, KwaZulu-Natal Midlands

A SUSTAINABLE SCHOOL (RMB FUNDED) Shea O’Connor Combined School, in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands town of Nottingham Road, has been an active Eco-School since 2004. As one of the longest-standing members in the

Eco-Schools Programme in South Africa, Shea O’Connor has wholly embraced the support provided by WESSA. With the combined efforts of a passionate teacher, dedicated learners and significant community involvement the school has made it their own. They have achieved amazing results, receiving much recognition and many awards – including receiving the Eco-Schools Gold Decade Award in 2019! Shea O’Connor can boast to be the first school in South Africa to ban single-use plastic.

INTEGRATING COMMUNITY WITH SUSTAINABILITY

SheaO’Connor is all about sustainability. As a school it has evolved into a teaching tool, which integrates environmental education with community awareness-raising. This approach has influenced sustainable living practices in the area.

WETLAND REHABILITATION

Shea O’Connor is one of twenty KwaZulul-Natal Eco-Schools, chosen in 2015, to work on ecosystem monitoring, conservation and rehabilitation projects. Their most successful change project thus far has been the active rehabilitation of a highly transformed wetland area within the school grounds. This rehabilitated wetland has now become an outdoor learning tool. Learners regularly remove invasive alien plants and have come to understand the importance of wetlands and biodiversity. They can see first hand that a functional ecosystem ensures a reliable source of clean water.

Learners were taught how to conduct a miniSASS as one of the ways to monitor the water quality of rivers and streams. A simple and fun tool, miniSASS can be used to monitor the health of a river and measure the general quality of the water in that river.

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