Who is GREEN? comes to Oriole Park PS

Who Is GREEN? helps Oriole Park Public School in the Toronto District School Board with their EcoSchools accreditation.

Read below to see how SOMEBODY is making Oriole Park Public School go GREEN with Who Is GREEN?

“Who is Green?” comes to Oriole Park PS

EcoSchools Section 4: Question 3.6

As part of reinforcing their school-wide theme “Live Brightly,” all Oriole Park classes are participating in “Who is Green?”–a very effective “green” action program that involves each student taking a doll home in its handy suitcase box for a week! Organizers are building on last year’s success of the “Who is Nobody” program in helping everyone focus on “living brightly.” Initiated by the character education committee, the theme continues to resonate deeply, as the response at the recent riveting school assembly confirmed. And the doll–be it “Nobody” or “Green”–is just the “person” needed to keep living more brightly in everyone’s mind day after day. The response from students, parents, and the larger community has been extremely positive.

Dec 09 Newsletter Continuation of Who is GREEN? at Oriole Park PS

“Who is Green” helps students and staff to “live brightly” at Oriole Park

How does it work? Each student decides on an environmental good deed to perform, either at home or in the bigger world. The doll sometimes accompanies a child to a local business or other public place to undertake a “green good deed.” Students decorate a page in the journal that travels with the doll, describing what they have done and often illustrating it with a photo. Teachers make a list, and each student takes a turn at having the doll for a week and recording what he or she has done. By year’s end, each class has a rich account of just how many ways there have been to live brightly all year long.

How was it launched? This year’s assembly launch was a magical moment in the school year. Students entered the darkened gym lit with candles and their “live brightly” stones that all students will have as their own special reminder touchstones for living brightly. Alice Walker’s picture book Finding the Green Stone was projected on a big screen and read as the students sat in absolute silence. A student skit dramatized the choosing of “Who is Green?” as this year’s program to keep living brightly a shining example. Then a student from each class came forward to receive the “Who is Green?” doll in its eye-catching suitcase box. Ben Lee’s song, “We’re All in the Together” played in the background.

More about the program: “Who is Green?” is a new program developed by former teacher Kelly Clark, the creator of the “Who is Nobody?” program which has been lauded by schools across Canada and beyond. The programs are self-running, with 3 very short and teacher-and-student friendly instructions on DVD. There is a cost of $299.00 per set (taxes and delivery charges included). Kelly reports that teachers from K-12 have used it with great success. Visit www.whoisnobody.com to get more details about how both “Who is Nobody?” and “Who is Green?” Check out info@whoisnobody.com for more information, or read comments below by Oriole Park’s principal Paula Dodick and teacher Dan Chapman.

Teacher Dana Chapman writes about the school’s participation in Who is Nobody? last year.
All our kindergarten to grade six students participated, and throughout the year we have received phone calls and emails from people who have been impacted by the students’ acts of kindness. We have photos of NOBODY sitting in grocery carts buying food for food banks, we have received letters from business owners complimenting the program and the gentle introduction it offers young children to community service, and we have many NOBODY dolls covered in artifacts celebrating their transformations from NOBODIES to SOMEBODIES. We are looking so forward to kicking off Who Is GREEN? next year in all 12 classes!”

Principal Paula Dodick adds: This program has had a dramatic impact not only on our school community but in the wider community. Our school”s live brightly theme has caught on and has even had Royal approval with Camilla being given one of our live brightly stones on her recent visit to Toronto by one of our students. The Who is Green? doll is a tool to visually represent the impact of our student’s actions. Every item attached to the doll symbolizes the difference one of our students has made in the environment outside of Oriole Park. The pride that the children feel knowing that they have made a difference somewhere and that others will “live brightly” is powerful. So, in a nutshell I would highly recommend this program the power of it on our school has been incredible! I am also lucky that the staff have embraced the concept so that it has been a school-wide effort from JK-grade 6.

This article was published on the Toronto District School Board website in December 2009