Passersby will see more than 235 colourfully decorated wooden dreamfish swimming along the fence at Annunciation School, hand-painted by each student and staff, in affirmation of waterways awareness.
“It’s an acknowledgement and protection of our waterways that lead to salmon habitat,” Tina Mc Donald school principal, said. “It’s about creating awareness of what we put into our water systems, even the drains near our homes because those lead to freshwater as well.”
The Stream of Dreams fence fish program was started after 5,o00 fish and various aquatic life were killed in 1998 due to a toxic material poured down a storm drain in Burnaby.
Learning about the importance of salmon and their habitat happens early starting with the grade one students growing their own salmon in a classroom fish tank right through to learning about dissection, which occurs online, Mc Donald said.
The Annunciation Stream of Dreams project planning was started in 2020 by the parent support group at the school and saw the bedecked water creatures hung on the schoolyard fence April 17. The project was funded by the PSG and costs $15 per student.
An education crew from Stream of Dreams eco-education group drove to Prince Rupert from Williams Lake to assist the PSG with hanging the little swimmers after students in the school learned about local watersheds, streams, and ocean protection in online learning sessions. Usually, the education sessions would happen in a classroom setting but due to COVID-19 restrictions, Annunciation students participated in virtual learning.
K-J Millar | Journalist
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