Sophia Maltese’s love of the environment could net her school $7,500 for a schoolyard project.
The Grade 7 student at Bishop E.Q. Jennings Senior Elementary School is one of 10 finalists in a Canada-wide Friends of the Environment art contest, thanks to her interpretation of the world around her and the importance of protecting it.
“I painted a picture of a tree, looking up at the tree from the ground up,” the youngster said on Wednesday.
“The tree is actually dead, but there are live trees in the background. I think that the tree would have been very nice when it was alive, because it must have been alive for a long time to get that big.”
The message is short and to the point,” Sophia added.
“It’s just that one day if we don’t pay attention, the wildlife and the trees might not be there anymore. So we have to work to protect them.”
Though excited at making the cut and being a finalist in the online voting contest, Sophia said she’s just as excited at being able to share her message.
“They’re the future of our planet, so they need to know what it’s like to know what it’s like to protect the trees, if they don’t already know.”
Her science and art teacher, Joel Biesenthal, says as Catholic educators, part of their job is to teach stewardship of the land. Biesenthal, who is collecting candy wrappers and juice boxes for recycling purposes in his classroom, said schools are as good a place as any to start that lifelong learning process.
The contest, sponsored by the TD Friends of the Environment Foundation, was a natural fit for his combined subject interest.
“It’s something I want to promote,” he said. “I’m very passionate about the environment and I want to put that upon my students to care for the environment so it’s here for their kids when they’re older.”
That Sophie made the top 10 is huge, Biesenthal added.
“There were 5,000 submissions across Canada, and three of the top 10 are from Ontario alone. So it’s quite an honour right now that we are in the top 10. It is our hope that we can be No. 1.”
As for what Sophie would like to see done with the prize money, should she win, she’s got a pretty good idea.
“I’d like to see an outdoor classroom of some sort,” she said. “Maybe some sort of a bench … somewhere for the children to work outside.”
Voting ends on Nov. 11. The winner will be announced later in the month.
