Environmental Education at Chesterhouse School

The Environmental Education programme at Chesterhouse School is designed to create an awareness and enjoyment of the natural environment outside the classroom.  It aims to provide opportunities for students to learn about the wonders of creation and in doing so, enable personal growth and leadership. 

In 2005 the school ran three poster/poetry competitions for World Environment Day, Arbour Day and National Marine Day with fantastic prizes for the students who participated.  The Enviro Club in the junior school flourished with some interesting trips to the wetland near the school to observe the plant and bird life.   In the July school holidays, Mrs Lawrie ran a Nature Adventure which was a day of environmental fun activities held at Jonkershoek Nature Reserve.  In the October break a hike was held in the same reserve, in which the students hiked through a yellowwood forest and then on to a spectacular waterfall.  At the end of the year there were a number of outdoor trips to various locations, some forms went to the Felix Unite camps on the Breede River, others went rock climbing in Montagu and others to the Wortelgat outdoor centre near Hermanus.  These camps were extremely successful and the students thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

In 2006, the Form 1 students went on a leadership/group dynamics camp lead by Braam Malherbe in the Beaverlac wilderness area.  Activities on the camp included abseiling, hiking, orienteering and emergency first aid scenarios.  The Form 3 students attended a week long hike in the Groot Winterhoek area which was a great physical and mental challenge.  They achieved much personal growth and for many of them it was a life changing experience.  The Form 4 and 5 students went on a Felix Unite trip to the Orange River.  This will be an annual event and parents are encouraged to attend with their students.

Why do we have an environmental education programme?

Many students don’t have the opportunities to explore the outdoors.  The outings and camps that we plan provide opportunities for them.

Our environmental education programme enables the students at Chesterhouse to grow in the following ways:

- It fosters a love and appreciation for creation.

- It allows for learning about the intricacies of organisms and their interaction with other organisms in an ecosystem.

- It enables students to learn about humankind’s interference with natural ecosystems and enables them to think and make decisions about what they are doing to damage ecosystems on earth.

- It enables them to learn valuable skills: CPR, survival outdoors, emergency first aid.

- It enables them to learn to interact with others that they would not normally interact with at school.

- It provides teachers who attend the outings deeper insight to the individual personalities and temperaments of the students they teach.

- It provides students opportunities to develop their leadership skills.