The Sada y sus Contornos Elementary School held its yearly conference today. With only a few days left to the end of term, the students reviewed activities of the last academic year.
For Fragas do Mandeo it was a really emotive journey. We could see the students’ enthusiasm and self-confidence, the fruit of teachers and parents’ great educative work. The conference showed the large number of activities developed and how they were integrated in the whole school program throughout the year.
As part of this review, the students presented all the activities performed within the project Land stewardship and biodiversity: trips to natural spaces to get to know the native flora and fauna, to find the invasive species that threaten them and remove litter, the sticker album showing key players in the area’s habitats, the comments of our mascot Dona and the e-mails addressed to her, the charity market to raise funds for the purchase of an oak wood and the visit to the Notary’s to formalize the acquisition, the TV interview…
Although the children repeatedly thanked Fragas do Mandeo for supporting their project, it is us who have to thank them. In addition to showing a level of commitment and efficiency usually attributed to adults, the experience was really satisfying. Our hope, just like that of teachers and parents, is that this nature conservation project has a lifelong influence on the students.
Dona has many friends now. Although the project is already finished, she will go on writing to them by e-mail and telling them of her adventures in her blog. And they can always count on her to guide them on the trails and paths of the River Mandeo woods.
