Dr. Suzuki and students from the Lester B. Pearson School Board

When Dr. David Suzuki spoke about the challenges of the 21st century at John Abbott College, 12 students essayists from the Lester B. Pearson School Board were among the 1,600 people in the audience – and almost 14,000 students from schools across the board were able to take in a live feed of the event. @R“How exciting that students have technology working for them, allowing them to participate in watching one of Canada’s exemplary masters of education in science and environmental research,” said LBPSB Director General Robert. T. Mills. A long-time activist to reverse global climate change and founder of the David Suzuki Foundation, Dr. Suzuki was at John Abbott College on Oct. 24 to mark the opening of the new Science and Health Technology Building at John Abbott – a facility which will be used by many of today’s Lester B. Pearson students after they graduate from high school. JAC invited Lester B. Pearson schools to take part in the live feed and also asked the board’s grade 11 students to write a one-page essay on Dr. Suzuki’s lecture topic – The Challenges of the 21st Century: Setting the Real Bottom Line. Twenty-eight schools, both high school and elementary as well as vocational and adult-ed – which have a total of 13,909 students – signed up for the Oct. 24 presentation streamed live to students. Twelve student essayists – two each from St. Thomas High, Beaconsfield High, Riverdale High, Macdonald High, Pierrefonds Comprehensive High and Beurling Academy – were chosen to attend the lecture based on their essays dealing with the challenges that face their generation. One of the essay winners, Sarah Dorey, a grade 11 student at Beaconsfield High, said that Dr. Suzuki’s presentation was not only amazing, “it was like a slap in the face. “This is the reality of how the earth is in trouble and how we’re not noticing that we are the ones that is hurting it – we really do have to do something.” (For more information: Alycia Ambroziak aambroziak@lbpsb.qc.ca)