“The Greatest Love of All”, popularized by the late singer Whitney Houston focuses on teaching the children well to become leaders.
The singer-composer should have added the lines to teach them environmental conservation too for us to be ensured a healthy and vibrant world in the future.
It is common knowledge that children start their environmental education at school through textbooks.
However, Stockbridge American International School (SAIS) has a different way of teaching the kids how to conserve and protect the environment, by going outdoors.
Through its first-ever Eco Summer School, an outdoor exploration program where students get immersed in nature’s sights, sounds, and colors with experiential learning activities.
The four-week summer program, which was participated by students ranging from 4 to 13 years old started with discovering what the Philippine Eagle Center (PEC) is all about. As ambassadors for wildlife for a day, the little campers went up close and personal with the Philippine Eagles and learned about their anatomy and how they breed.
Then another week is spent observing animal behaviors, specifically the reptiles being housed at the PEC.
To cement the kids’ commitment to conservation and protection, Nicole Bian-Ledesma, VP for Education Development, and the school principal Walter Valencerina signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) executive director Dennis I. Salvador.
The activity culminated with a storytelling of the book ‘An Eagle’s Feather” by Cornell Lab of Ornithology, followed by a film showing of a wild Philippine Eagle’s journey from egg to fledgling.
The eagles are not the only main attractions of the activity, but also the young campers who toured their parents and guardians in the center, relaying what they learned throughout the weeks.
SAIS is steadfast in its core values, which hone students’ integrity, stewardship, and leadership about environmental awareness.
It is the first and only International School in Davao City and Mindanao offering international education through its international partners, the Fieldwork Education (UK) and the International Schools Association (ISA). Stockbridge offers the following programs: Early Childhood Programs from 6 months to 5 years old and K12 programs from Kinder to Grade 9 (For SY 2022-2023). For inquiries, please send an e-mail to info@stockbridge.ph.
