The York School 2024/25 Year in Review - Primary Year Program (PYP) Exhibition: Being a voice for endangered species

The theme of the capstone project for Junior School students, Sharing the Planet, reinforces the fact that global citizens (even young children) are responsible for exploring solutions to world issues. Each student selects one of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals and identifies a related local or global issue to delve into. This student-driven project challenges learners to conduct research related to their units of inquiry and come up with an action that spreads awareness about the issue and their learnings. Students work in small groups with others who’ve chosen similar topics, and they receive support and advice from a mentor during weekly meetings.
In their collaborative PYP exhibition, Kaitlyn C. ‘32 and Emily M. ‘32 conducted individual research related to their shared interest in animals. Emily investigated poaching and Kaitlyn looked into overhunting. 

Emily knew poaching was a serious problem and recognized the Exhibition as an opportunity to make people more aware of the issue. One of her discoveries was the fact that elephants are a “keystone species” whose extinction would trigger a chain reaction affecting entire ecosystems. Kaitlyn discovered that when elephants, rhinos, leopards and tigers are hunted for their tusks or fur, it doesn’t only cause pain and suffering for the individual animals, it traumatizes the other members of the herd. She also learned that hunting impacts the growth of trees and the availability of fruit because many endangered animals are “seed distributors” who sow seeds naturally because their bodies can’t digest them.

Kaitlyn and Emily pooled their newfound knowledge to create a book that raises awareness about these serious threats to animals.
Back