St. Alexanders School to get a facelift

Toyota Sales Manager Paul Meyers and Toyta Franchisee Tim Falconi present St. Alexanders acting Administrator Audrey Gribbons and PTA representative Candice Loewen with $2000 from the Toyota Evergreen Learning Grounds program Friday.

St. Alexanders School on Bloem Street is about to get a facelift as they are the latest Canadian school to participate in the Toyota Evergreen Learning Grounds national Grant and Award program.

“We found it on the internet and we made our application,” explains PTA representative Candice Loewen.

“They proposed to us that yes we will do it and opened up the opportunity for the local Toyota dealership to match or help and Tim Falconi has been good enough to help us out.”

“We got the $2,000 as well as they’re going to pay for on top of (the donation) all the picnic tables.”

The Evergreen program, in partnership with Toyota Canada, focuses on the commitment to the improvement of school grounds and the natural environment in order to enhance the physical, social, intellectual and emotional development of Canada's children.

“I think the study says approximately 60 percent of children will get skin cancer and we have them outside during primetimes ours (evergreen learning centre) will provide shade and seating, an outdoor education area as well as something for them to not cause trouble with,” says Loewen.

“And it’s part of their community they get to help ... it’s just special for them.”

Local Toyota Dealer Tim Falconi says it was easy to get behind the schools for a number of reasons.

“I’d heard about it through Toyota Evergreen the division in first they asked me if I would like to participate and do the presentation because they had decided through the program to award St. Alexander School and so yes I was wanting to get involved.”

“I actually went to St. Alexanders as a kid in addition I believe very strongly in the Evergreen statement their mission. It’s about teaching on the environment at a young age, it’s about the promoting the good health of our environment so I believe in that and North Bay Toyota has that as an initiative as well so we decided that we would participate in the presentation as well as in the project by getting six picnic tables to compliment the project,” he says.

“I just think it is a good opportunity for the children at a young age to get familiar of the importance of caring for the environment and I think if they buy into the project (which I am sure they will) and I am sure they are going to enjoy the project they will also be a lot more conscience of what they do to prevent damage to the environment and support replenishing the environment.”