OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, April 22, 2009 · 30 EARTHDAY Saving the world may pay dividends for WOSS students Outdoor classroom idea could win duo $10,000 By Tina Depko OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Today was a big day for two White Oaks Secondary School students. A $10,000 day, to be exact. That's what was on the line for Grade 11 students Trevor Appleby and Laura Wheeler. The pair was one of five teams nominated for the Save the World contest. The competition is hosted by the Chartered Accountants of Ontario, with the purpose of giving high school students the chance to save the world through groundbreaking ideas. The five teams were in downtown Toronto this morning (Wednesday), giving presentations on their projects in front of a panel of chartered accountants. "I'm pretty confident that if they want to go with a non-profit charity project, we have a good chance," said Appleby in an interview at the school on Monday. The top cash prize of $10,000 includes $5,000 to transform the project into a reality, with the remaining $5,000 being spent at the students' own discretion. NIKKI WESLEY / OAKVILLE BEAVER SAVE THE WORLD FINALISTS: White Oaks Secondary School (WOSS) Grade 11 students Trevor Appleby and Laura Wheeler stand in front of a small parcel of school property destined to become an environmentally-friendly, outdoor classroom. The pair and the initiative, called Project Oasis, are finalists for the Save the World contest hosted by the Chartered Accountants of Ontario. They found out today (Wednesday) if they took home the top $10,000 prize. The final five teams were from Oakville, Brampton, Dundas, Woodbridge and Niagara Falls. Ideas were an eco-gym that would turn human energy into usable electricity, a nonprofit foundation that uses video game tournaments to raise funds for Alzheimer's disease research, an organization dedicated to eliminate the storage of dangerous materials in homes, and an awareness campaign to increase school and student recycling initiatives. Appleby and Wheeler's proposed project is called Project Oasis, which would turn a small, fenced-off piece of currently unused school property into an environmentally friendly, outdoor classroom. "The students whine and complain when they are in class that they want to go outside, so they are going to be able to learn outdoors, with ivy-covered walls, where it is quiet, peaceful and removes them from their normal area of learning, which will help them focus," Appleby said. The rectangular patch of land is located on the north side of the school, bordered by three brick walls, with a fence closing off the open end, thus creating a contained self-contained unit. "It is gated off, so I want a stronger gate See Pair page 31 WHEN IT DOESN'T BELONG, IT STANDS OUT. Oakvillegreen and its hundreds of members and volunteers invite you to make many days Earth Days. Please join us for: ! Heritage Tree Tour Saturday, May 9 · 10 a.m. 1 p.m. A delightful & insightful guided bus tour of Oakville's natural heritage ! Spring Tree Plantings Plant a tree and come back year after year to see how your effort has grown! (more than 8,000 planted so far!) ! Oakvillegreen's Community Garage & Plant Sale Saturday, May 30 · 8 a.m. 12 p.m. at Town Hall Tim Hortons believes that we all have a role in keeping our neighbourhoods clean. So let's put litter in its place. Because it's not just any community, it's our community. ! Become a Member Great events, great volunteers, great investment for future generations! To find out more about the events listed above email us at: To have us speak at your school or organization go to: treeinitiatives@oakvillegreen.org www.oakvillegreen.org `Your voice today for a sustainable tomorrow' © Tim Hortons, 2009