The Eleanor Rix Professor of Rural Education at the UBC Faculty of Education, Dr. Linda Farr Darling  and the BC Ministry of Education have announced seventeen recipients of grants in the Growing Innovation program, as well as one recipient of the Rix Merit Award.  From the impressive 61 submissions received from 36 rural districts, a remarkable response to the call for applications, the following (see map below, or open on new page HERE ) were selected for their focus on students in rural communities, innovation, and potential for research.

1. District: No. 8 (Kootenay Lake)

Project Title:  Digital Storytelling Project

Grade 6-7 students in the Slocan Valley Family of Schools (W.E. Graham, Winlaw, Brent Kennedy and Mt. Sentinel) are engaged in digital storytelling to document local culture and family heritage through interviews with senior community members and online research.

Amount Awarded: $12,500.00

2. District: No. 10 (Arrow Lakes)

Project Title:  Values of the Doukhobor Community

Students in Nakusp will reach out to Doukhobor elders and produce films and web site material.

Amount Awarded: $12,500.00

3. District: No. 48 (Sea-to-Sky)

Project Title:  Connections Project

At Don Ross Secondary School in Squamish, the Connections Project provides opportunities for dialogue between Aboriginal, non-Aboriginal students and the Squamish First Nations’ community.

Amount Awarded: $12,500.00

4. District: No. 49 (Central Coast)

Project Title:  Educational Food Innovations

Students in Bella Coola will be taught to mill their own organic flour and grains to produce a wide variety of nutrient-rich foods in a project that will encourage them to make better nutritional choices.

Amount Awarded: $12,500.00

5. District: No. 58 (Nicola-Similkameen)

Project Title:  Aboriginal Academy 9

Students in Merritt will participate in authentic, hands-on Aboriginal activities aimed at enriching their understanding of the local culture.

Amount Awarded: $12,500.00

6. District: No. 60 (Peace River North)

Project Title:  Energetic Learning Campus (ELC)

At Fort St. John, the ELC project will look at how a healthy living environment and personal fitness affects student absenteeism, test scores, collaboration skills, student engagement and school culture.

Amount Awarded: $12,500.00

7. District: No. 62 (Sooke)

Project Title:  Full Day Nature Kindergarten

The district will develop a Full Day Nature Kindergarten program that provides children the opportunity to learn in a natural setting where outdoor exploration is the foundation of all learning.

Amount Awarded: $12,500.00

8. District: No. 69 (Qualicum)

Project Title:  Global Citizens as Renewable Energy Consumers

Students at False Bay School on Lasqueti Island will build positive understandings of renewable energy systems and social responsibility by examining local solar, micro-hydro and wind power projects with area experts.

Amount Awarded: $10,000.00

9. District: No. 64 (Gulf Islands)

Project Title: Connecting Generations

On Salt Spring Island, Connecting Generations engages students in building bridges between generations through dialogue, intergenerational learning and relationship building.

Amount Awarded: $12,500.00

10. District: No. 82 (Coast Mountain)

Project Title:  First Nations Assessment Program

Kitwanga Elementary School staff will explore the use of culturally relevant assessment and teaching strategies to more effectively support their First Nations students.

Amount Awarded: $12,500.00

11. District: No. 85 (Vancouver Island North)

Project Title: Collaboration without Boundaries

At Eagle View Elementary School in Port Hardy, this project will explore ways to encourage greater family participation in education through a wide range of communication tools.

Amount Awarded: $12,500.00

12. District: No. 51 (Boundary)

Project Title: Community Partnerships

The project engages students in Midway in Community partnerships, technology, and functional curriculum to focus on ways to support rural secondary students with special needs.

Amount Awarded: $12,500.00

13. District: No. 52 (Prince Rupert)

Project Title:  Community Revitalization

Grade 9 students at Charles Hays Secondary School will explore the theme of urban development through a community revitalization project for Prince Rupert.

Amount Awarded: $12,500.00

14. District: No. 84 (Vancouver Island West)

Project Title:  Transforming school-wide Academic Achievement

This project will energize student learning at Zeballos Elementary Secondary School by focusing on purposeful, relevant, real-world experiences.

Amount Awarded: $12,500.00

15. District: No. 57 (Prince George)

Project Title:  Place-Based Learning in Mackenzie Schools

Students in Mackenzie Schools and seniors will work together to landscape a newly constructed senior housing facility.

Amount Awarded: $12,500.00

16. District: No. 59 (Peace River South)

Project Title: Project Based Learning

Students at Dawson Creek Secondary School will be presented with topics for study that address real world problems with the goal of increasing learning relevance.

Amount Awarded: $12,500.00

17. District: No. 74 (Gold Trail)

Project Title: Connected Classrooms

Elementary and secondary teachers and students in remote schools in Lytton, Ashcroft and Lillooet will be linked through daily videoconferencing.

Amount Awarded: $12,500.00

18. A Rix Merit Award of $6,000 was also awarded to George M. Dawson Secondary school in Masset for a proposal to build an outdoor classroom.

Here are their locations represented on a map:

Questions may be directed via this site or directly to Professor Farr Darling by clicking HERE.