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Colwood school’s mascot embarks on cross-country journey

‘Dusty’ the Eagle will visit 15 schools and one wildlife rehabilitation centre
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Colwood Mayor Rob Martin gives a final farewell to David Cameron Elementary’s mascot, ‘Dusty’ the Eagle, before he flies across Canada and visits 15 schools to help students learn about the rest of the country. (Aaron Guillen/News Staff)

A Colwood elementary school is sending one of their own on a trip around Canada – one that has wings and is ready to fly.

‘Dusty’ the Eagle, the mascot for David Cameron Elementary School, will be travelling to 16 different places around the country to help students learn more about their fellow Canadians. The eagle is a small plush toy that is fitted with a vest adorned with a City of Colwood pin.

Dusty will start his journey at a school in Sechelt, B.C., then move on to the rest of Canada, visiting 15 schools and stopping by one Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre in Nova Scotia.

He will visit Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, P.E.I. and the Yukon. He will also be going up to Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, where he will dip his feet in the Arctic Ocean and visit a former student from their school.

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“We want to show the kids how every province is a little different,” said secretary Sandra Meyer, the person who came up with the one-of-a-kind idea.

Inside the shipping box, Dusty has a makeshift passport, made from a journal that has his photo on the first page, with several empty pages for every school to write a note, place a photo, and mark his arrival and departure dates. Additionally, there are two jars inside, to grab a sample of Arctic and Atlantic water and sand.

“I may have too much time on my hands,” Meyer quipped.

Colwood Mayor Rob Martin and Sooke School District superintendent Scott Stinson dropped by the school Thursday morning for a photo to place inside the mascot’s passport before they sent him off.

“It’s wonderful for our students to understand how big a country we live in,” said Martin. “Even though we live in faraway places, that we can still be Canadian and still be friends.”

The eagle is expected to land back on the Island by the end of June.

aaron.guillen@goldstreamgazette.com


@iaaronguillen
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