C.P. Blakely Grade 6 class and local environmental issue featured on CBC Kids
A class of Grade 6 students at C.P. Blakely School has learned more about the television news industry, non-fiction writing, interviewing, and about its community thanks to a unique experience.
Grade 6 teacher Tanya Christians entered a contest with CBC Kids in August 2024 and won the opportunity for her class to create its own news story, which was recently shared on CBC Kids, and is available on YouTube, here.
CBC producers told Christians that C.P. Blakely School was the only school in Canada selected for the experience this year.
“It was great to be selected for this opportunity,” says Christians. “I enjoyed seeing the students’ excitement about the topic, and about the process of producing a story. They thought the equipment was interesting, so I’m glad they got to experience that.”
The experience began with Christian’s Grade 6 class having the chance to submit three story ideas to CBC. The students came up with:
- The removal of goldfish from Sylvan Lake’s retention ponds
- Commercialism and the impact of advertising on children
- Students having access to an unstructured facility, with supervision, in the community
CBC Kids selected the story idea about the goldfish, and set up an interview with an expert about invasive species. Also, CBC arranged for the class to be transported to the Town of Sylvan Lake’s office, and to the retention ponds for interviews with a town official and to gather footage. The CBC producer from Toronto then visited the school, and brought a television camera-person from Edmonton to gather needed footage.
Marielle Ortañez Torrefranca, CBC Kids Producer, says, “From the get-go, I was wowed by the students' ability to easily grasp what makes a good news pitch. They channelled their genuine curiosity to form interview questions and dig deeper to find interesting angles for their story. Plus, they didn't shy away from challenging their interview guests with accountability questions.”
Torrefranca says, “This project truly felt like a collaborative effort with the class, and it's been such a delight to watch the kids learn more about the world around them and engage with their community in a thoughtful, hands-on way.”
Grade 6 student, Abigail S., says, “I learned that people were dumping goldfish in storm ponds and they can leak into the lake and affect the water. It was an amazing experience to see all of the equipment and go to the storm pond to film.”
Grade 6 student, Jaimie C., says, “I had so much fun and learned so much, like goldfish are an invasive species and that there was so many in the pond. My favorite thing was probably going to the pond to film.”
“During our news report, I learned about invasive species and how they can harm the environment. My favourite part of this news report was the interview with Monique Johnson [from the Town of Sylvan Lake],” says Eric O., a Grade 6 student.
“I totally loved doing the news story with my fellow classmates because it was so fun to go to the storm pond and interview the professionals. Something I learned is that goldfish can survive practically any type of living conditions and once they spread into a place where they are not supposed to live they become an invasive species,” says Brielle I., a Grade 6 student.
Christians says, “Non-fiction writing is a part of our curriculum, and I was happy for the students to experience non-fiction writing in a different medium. The students rose to the occasion and presented themselves in mature ways. They took the project seriously.”
Christians says she appreciates the interest the story has generated in the community. “Lots of families fish and spend time at the lake, so the students were invested in this topic. Sylvan Lake is their community too, and now they are helping to get the word out to others about the importance of protecting the lake,” she says.