Winners of Shell Canada and Canadian Geographic's Classroom Energy Diet Challenge announced

CALGARY, May 10, 2013 /CNW/ - Over the past three months 40,000 Canadian students have trimmed their "energy waistlines" as part of the Classroom Energy Diet Challenge, a national energy efficiency program sponsored by Shell Canada and Canadian Geographic.  Congratulations to the teachers and students from this year's winning schools:

• Grand Prize Secondary: Lindsay Reynen's grade 12 class at Wallaceburg District Secondary School in Wallaceburg, ON
• Grand Prize Elementary: Cheryl Kopp's grade 4 class at École Riverbend Community School in Winnipeg, MB
• Most Points Prize: Andrew Foxcroft's grade 7/8 class at St. Mary's School in Huntsville, ON
• Top School Prize: Duncan Cran Elementary School in Fort St. John, BC
• Video Prize Elementary: Herman Chang's grade 5/6 class at Hillview School in Edmonton, AB
• Video Prize Secondary: Angela Elliot's grade 11/12 class at John Paul II Catholic School in London, ON

"We're blown away by the students' creativity and resourcefulness," said Jana Masters, a Stakeholder Relations Advisor for Shell Canada. "We're also thrilled the number of classrooms participating this year has tripled.  It tells us that schools see value in content about where energy comes from, how it's used and the issues we face managing our resources."

The impact of the Classroom Energy Diet Challenge was recently acknowledged with an Award of Merit from the Global, Environmental and Outdoor Education Council of the Alberta Teachers' Association. The award recognizes the program's impact on classrooms across Alberta in raising awareness about the importance of energy conservation.

"There is no better subject suited to understanding energy than geography," said André Préfontaine, President and Publisher of Canadian Geographic. "The classes that participated in the Classroom Energy Diet Challenge truly captured the essence of geographic literacy through their challenges and were able to share their learning with their communities. It is clear that they are on their way to become informed and engaged citizens."

In addition to lessening their environmental impact, the competing classrooms also had the chance to win some incredible prizes, such as one of the two grand prizes of a classroom set of iPads valued at over $5,000. The winners of an energy conservation video contest were chosen through a combination of public voting and judging by Challenge organizers.

For more information on the Classroom Energy Diet Challenge, please visit energydiet.canadiangeographic.ca or follow developments on Twitter (@CanGeoEDC) and Facebook. If you are interested in speaking with a winning classroom in your area, please see the contact information below to arrange an interview.

Notes to Editors

• A media backgrounder is available.
• Profiles on the winning schools are available.
• A representative from Shell Canada and Canadian Geographic will visit each of the winning classrooms the week of May 13th. Photo and interview opportunities will be made available during award presentation events.

Canadian Geographic
The Royal Canadian Geographical Society is the publisher of Canadian Geographic and is dedicated to imparting a broader knowledge and deeper appreciation of Canada. The Society's mission is to make Canada better known to Canadians and its goal is to make a more geographically literate citizenry. Canadian Geographic magazine educates the general public and Canadian Geographic Education works with K-12 educators across the country. For more than 80 years, Canadian Geographic has been telling stories, explaining issues and making the country more accessible through words, pictures and maps. www.canadiangeographic.ca

Shell Canada Limited
Shell has been operating in Canada since 1911 and employs approximately 8,000 people across the country. A leading manufacturer, distributor and marketer of refined petroleum products, Shell produces natural gas, natural gas liquids and bitumen, and is Canada's largest producer of sulphur. Shell is one of Canada's oil sands developers and operates the Athabasca Oil Sands Project on behalf of the joint venture partners.

SCHOOL PROFILES:

Most Points Prize Winner
Andrew Foxcroft's grade 7/8 class at St. Mary's School in Huntsville, ON

Mr. Foxcroft's class was the only class that earned the maximum number of points available through the Challenge.  They completed all 25 challenges, often at the highest level of difficulty.  

The Huntsville, ON class reached out to their local community through a water fundraiser, presenting at a local energy fair and using social media to full effect.

For winning this prize, Mr. Foxcroft's class received $500 for a class party, $1,000 for classroom supplies or field trips and a $500 donation to the charity of their choice.

"Sometimes students can be disconnected with the environment, so it was a refreshing experience to see my students decide on possible solutions to saving energy and money in the process," said Foxcroft.

Top School Prize Winner
Duncan Cran Elementary School in Fort St. John, BC

For the second year in a row, Duncan Cran Elementary School wins the honours of Top School along with $1,000 for a school party, $2,500 for school supplies or field trips and a $1,500 donation to a charity of their choice.

Christine Todd, Duncan Cran's vice-principal and science teacher, oversaw the school's involvement in the Challenge.  She says students have learned they can "take their learning beyond the walls of the school and out into the community to teach community members about saving energy and in turn how to take care of the earth in a sustainable manner."

The entire school has embraced sustainability, incorporating everything from increased recycling to powering down electronics during school breaks and holidays.  Students at the school also conducted a garbage audit which was a huge eye opener, encouraging the school to adopt a "litter-less" lunch program.

Grand Prize Secondary Winner
Tracy BridgeArnold's grade 12 class at Wallaceburg District Secondary School in Wallaceburg, ON

Mrs. Reynen's grade 12 class from Wallaceburg District Secondary School wins a classroom set of iPads valued at $5,000 to enhance their learning.  In order to be included in the draw for the grand prize at the secondary level, the class had to achieve at least 30 points through the Challenge.  The hardworking class completed 4 challenges and earned 33 points in total.

The students in her class let their creativity flow while designing a classroom logo and writing and illustrating a story to raise energy awareness.  The class particularly enjoyed brainstorming ideas ranging from increasing public transportation use to encouraging more efficient trip planning for a bulletin board on smart mobility.

Grand Prize Elementary Winner
Cheryl Kopp's grade 4 class at École Riverbend Community School in Winnipeg, MB

Miss Kopp's grade 4 class from École Riverbend Community School in Winnipeg, MB achieved a minimum of 30 points and were the lucky winners of the grand prize draw at the elementary level.

This ambitious class completed 4 challenges and achieved a total of 30 points as part of the contest.  The students particularly enjoyed the "Post-It" challenge which encouraged them to create energy awareness art and the "One Hour No Power" initiative which left the students motivated to continue using less power.

"Through participating in the challenges and the class discussions that followed, the students have come to realize they can make a difference.  They are much more aware of how their actions can impact the planet," says Kopp.

For winning the draw, the class will receive a set of iPads valued at $5,000 to enhance their learning.

Video Contest Prize - Elementary Winner
Herman Chang's grade 5/6 class at Hillview School in Edmonton, AB

Herman Chang and his grade 5/6 class from Hillview School in Edmonton, AB won the elementary level video contest with their powerful public service announcement, "I Believe in You".  The skillfully edited video shares energy tips to a song written and performed by Juno Award-winning entertainer Peter Puffin and the Grade 5/6 Hillview students.  Puffin served as artist-in-residence at Hillview School and collaborated with the class to create the compelling video.

Chang's students were thrilled so many people viewed their video.  During public voting, the "I Believe in You" video earned 1,632 votes from views and 128 from Facebook 'Likes'.

For winning the video contest portion of the Challenge, Chang's class will receive a $2,000 gift card for technology to support school learning.

Video Contest Prize - Secondary Winner
Angela Elliott's grade 11/12 class at John Paul II Catholic Secondary School in London, ON

Creating the video "Overplugged" resulted in a big win for Angela Elliott and her grade 11/12 combined class from John Paul II Catholic Secondary School in London, ON.   Elliott and her students will receive a $2,000 gift card for technology to support school learning as winners of the secondary level video contest.

"Overplugged" effectively illustrates the numerous electronic gadgets used by today's teenagers and questions the necessity of all those devices.  Elliott proudly shared that the video was completely student driven - from inception to final editing. Through public voting, the video earned 275 votes from views and Facebook 'Likes'.

SOURCE: Shell Canada Limited