Dylan Auld says his Environment SHSM program at Georgetown District High School has helped him better understand how we are affecting the environment. Simple efforts such as using tap water rather than bottled water or exploring alternative energy sources such as solar panels to create electricity for our homes would go a long way in helping our environment, he says.

“We learn how we affect the world, how we can help fix what we do and lower our ecological footprint,” the Grade 12 student says. “The overall knowledge (of the envrionment) you gain you can share with peers to tell them how to help out, too.”

During one particular environmental science class, Georgetown students purposefully dirty jars of water and try different techniques, like charcoal, to clean the water.

Auld hopes to become an underwater welder. He believes the SHSM is helping get him on the road to that dream. The hands-on applications of the SHSM are interesting, he explains.

“My career will hopefully hold opportunities to use all this knowledge,” he says. “I’m looking at underwater welding. I enjoy turning nothing into something.”

Teacher Gord Swanson, project lead for the Environment SHSM at Georgetown District High School, says the program allows students to see the bigger picture about what they’re learning.

“I think it’s a great way for kids interested in a particular area to concentrate their learning, see the applications of what they are doing in an area of their interest,” Swanson says, adding students do work placements. “It really answers the question, ‘When am I ever going to use this, why am I doing this?’”

Students should consider applying for a SHSM, Auld explains.

“It’s a better way to learn; you are out with a group of people who are doing something you are doing as well; you understand what they are doing, they understand what you are doing.”