Skip to content
  1. Home
  2. Central
  3. Local News

SSBB: Hands-on learning experience for Grade 7s

The Western Development Museum - Yorkton is hosting Grade 7 students from eight classes.
Calvin Daniels
Calvin Daniels
wdmsaskenergy5
From March 23 to April 6, the Western Development Museum - Yorkton is hosting Grade 7 students from eight classes for a half day of learning about energy efficiency in homes.Calvin Daniels / Yorkton This Week

YORKTON - For the 10th year Yorkton and Saskatchewan students are learning about energy efficiency first hand through the Smarter Science Better Buildings program.

From March 23 to April 6, the Western Development Museum - Yorkton is hosting Grade 7 students from eight classes for a half day of learning about energy efficiency in homes.

Smarter Science Better Buildings (SSBB) combines six interactive displays specific to energy efficiency in today's buildings with exploration of the Museum galleries and buildings.

Throughout the day, students will be asked to consider energy efficiency and sustainable building methods used in the past.

SaskEnergy has been involved in the program for about five years, said Joey Werapitiya, a customer solutions leader in attendance Friday morning for the first session with students from Columbia School in the city.

Werapitiya said the program is designed to provide students with a hands-on learning experience focused on energy efficiency and energy saving.

“It’s nice to be able to share with the kids,” said Werapitiya.

Werapitiya said having the students come out to such an event is certainly a positive in his mind.

“As a kid we didn’t do a lot of this sort of thing,” he said, adding he feels students learn by doing.

Teacher Denise Lovas said the program fits well with the Grade 7 curriculum.

“First of all, it’s part of our unit,” she said, adding they are delving into energy and conservation. “. . . It’s part of their studies.”

Attending the program is a way of reinforcing the classroom instruction, added Lovas.

“It’s a real hands-on opportunity for them,” she said.

So what is one thing students might take home to their parents that could be most beneficial in the home?

“I think there are several things,” said Werapitiya before settling on the idea of upgrading the home.

“Retrofitting is a big thing for us right now, to get more efficient equipment into the home.”

Werapitiya said the more efficient homes are, the better it is for the province in terms of energy consumption.