St. Anthony’s School has secured a grant to bring more greenery and shade to its outdoor facilities.
In 2019, Mayor Heather Colberg contacted schools about an available tree grant. In February 2020, St. Anthony’s School submitted a proposal to Tree Canada and recently received confirmation their application was successful.
In 2018 Christ the Redeemer invested in developing the overall landscape of the school. The plan was intended to be a phased project. The first part of the plan included some shade in the playground area using indigenous plants and prepared the grounds to ensure the plants would thrive in our bentonite environment.
The grant St. Anthony’s School has received will contribute to the second phase of the plan, which will provide some larger shade trees around the recently built sports field. This will make the field more user friendly for athletes and fans on the hot, sunny days we are blessed to have in Drumheller.
Principal JoAnne Akerboom thanks the mayor for bringing this grant to the school’s attention.
“We will continue to seek other funding sources for the continual improvement of our school for the benefit of our students and the community. As money is donated or secured through grants, we will continue with this project,” she said.
The student council president, Bea Santa Cruz said, “I am happy that we are working to improve the student experience and that we try to do more for our school and community. It's great to see the continual effort to add more indigenous plants and improved the nature around the school.”
Environmentally Conscious student, Emery Eddy said, “I think this is a good idea. It helps create shade in the places we need. We have such a harsh environment and this kind of project helps keep the soil and plants where they need to be.”
