What would an elementary student change about our city?
Last month, Miss Sarafinchan’s grade 3/4 class at Vernon Christian School dug deep into mapping and why it’s so important to plan.
Students started by answering a few questions:
- What does your family like about Vernon?
- Where are your favourite places to go?
- What needs does your family have that Vernon can help with?
- What would your family change about Vernon?
- Is there something that is missing in Vernon?
- What does your family think God’s hope could be for Vernon?
The class then invited the City of Vernon Planner to come and discuss the types of things that the city thinks about when they plan. With answers to their questions and now knowing why cities plan, students ventured out for a field trip around Vernon to find key community sites and find out why they are so important to the people in our community.
With all this gathered information, students were tasked with creating a new & improved map of Vernon, adding things they think we need in our community. Once students had their “new” Vernon mapped out, they shared their opinions and thoughts in letters that they mailed to our city council and city planner, sharing with them 2 things they would change and 2 things they would keep in our city and why.
Students loved this hands-on project and gained a new perspective of their community.
Who knows? We might have some future city planners in our school!
