Pupils raise awareness of air pollution with winning poster designs

Children from Stimpson Avenue Academy and Castle Academy, both in Northampton, entered West Northamptonshire Council’s Clean Air competition, which invited learners to create a poster about the importance of protecting our environment.

The overall winner was Year 6 pupil Divine Olawoyin, from Stimpson Avenue Academy. Fellow Stimpson Avenue Year 6 pupils Humairah Uddin and Mohammed Nasar were chosen as finalists, along with Castle Academy pupils Ayirah Gill, Aadi Gyanchandani and Jeremy Benson, all Year 6, and Ayana Browne in Year 2.

Winner Divine said: “My poster is a quote that everyone can remember and is based on what beating air pollution means to me. I was really excited to win the competition because I didn’t think I would. My family is really happy for me.”

Both Stimpson Avenue Academy and Castle Academy, part of East Midlands Academy Trust, are committed to teaching their learners about environmental causes and have active eco-councils, where the pupils discuss ways of saving energy in their schools.

Finalist Mohammed, from Stimpson Avenue Academy, said: “It’s important to teach people about being kind to the earth because otherwise our children and grandchildren will suffer. If we keep doing this, climate change is going to happen and we might get affected, but most of all, the next generation will be affected.”

And Castle Academy finalist Aadi said: “If we look after our environment, it will look after us. If we create pollution, it sends harmful gases up into the atmosphere which will cause more global warming. That would be a problem for cold places like Antarctica where the glaciers will melt and the sea levels will rise and the habitats of animals living there will decline.”

Both schools with meet with the public health team at the council next month to decide upon a suitable prize that will support their ongoing environmental projects.