An initiative that’s been off-the-charts popular at East Northumberland Secondary School (ENSS) in Brighton will make its comeback on Thursday, Feb. 10.
Thursday will mark the grand re-opening of the school’s Environmental Club initiative entitled the Chique Boutique. Science teacher Anne Falla, who’s headed the club within the school for the past three years, said it’s an exciting day for students who’ve totally embraced the initiative.
Falla describes the Chique Boutique this way: “The Chique Boutique is like a thrift store that students and staff can visit, but they don’t have to pay for anything; they take from there. They are welcome to come in and take anything they think they can use. We have hundreds and hundreds of donations from people in the community and from people at the school and we give away everything from winter clothes to snacks to boots and shoes and household items and small gifts,” explained Falla.
The benefits of the initiative are twofold: As an environmental strategy, it keeps literally hundreds of kilograms of waste out of landfill. It’s also the school’s nod to the freecycle movement whereas new homes are found for unwanted goods.
Most of all, when viewed through an environmental lens, there is no stigma is attached to the goods offered for free at the Chique Boutique, said Falla.
“In all my years at ENSS I’ve seen a growth in the financial needs of our students. But the nice thing about this is there is no stigma attached, so everyone is welcome to come and take whatever they want. There are students who come and are probably well-supported at home, but there are also students who come who actually need things that they can’t get. There is no stigma,” said Falla, who added snacks will also be given away during the day.
Thursday’s Chique Boutique re-opening follows in the footsteps of a give-away day held over a lunch-hour at the school in December where more than 1,000 items were given away. Falla estimates approximately 200 students took part. Best of all, these items were kept out of landfill, which translates into about 100 kilograms of waste.
Falla said the commitment and work by the students has made the Chique Boutique project a cherished event in a school year that has had too few due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, she said students visiting the Chique Boutique have been exemplary.
“It’s the students who keep me going. It’s a lot of work, but it’s the students who make it worthwhile. I have to say when we did our initial give-away day in December I had no idea whether anyone would come. I was just blown away by the kids who came, not only did they come in numbers, but they came and they were thoughtful and respectful and really appreciated what we were doing. They were so kind and they had their masks on and they practised physical distancing and there was no pushing and shoving and grabbing for goods. They just took a look around and filled up their bags with things they thought they needed,” said Falla.
“You know in the pandemic we’ve had a lot of things that have been taken away from us. We don’t have the same kind of displays of school spirit that we normally have. I have to say I was reminded of the school spirit at ENSS on the day of the giveaways (in December) because the kids who came were so positive and enthusiastic.”
ENSS Principal Tracey Burke is a keen booster of the Chique Boutique, saying it’s been a source of much-needed school spirit during the COVID era. A room within the school has also been designated for the boutique, complete with shelving, cupboards and artwork, for its use on an ongoing basis.
“The kids are loving it; it’s been popular. I’m seeing kids with scarves or coats. The OPP donated three bags of winter gear to us a couple of weeks ago that went into the Chique Boutique. It’s been something really positive and it has really filled a need as well.”
The Chique Boutique is also helping the community in a tangible way, as there is currently a great need, said Burke.
“Since the pandemic, a lot of families are struggling financially. If you’re one of the haves you’re not always aware, right? We did the Give A Little Bit Christmas campaign this (school) year we kept it in-house and did it for our ENSS families and it was unbelievable how many people reached out to say my spouse lost his job, we’re really struggling, we need a hamper. More need than I’ve ever seen. I feel the Chique Boutique and the environmental thing, they’re doing a lot of good. Yes, we’re helping the environment, but we’re also helping families that can’t afford a winter coat, so things like that,” said Burke.
Not only is Falla overwhelmed with the response from the student body at the school, but also from the Brighton community, which has embraced the Chique Boutique through monetary and material donations. She points out the Rotary Club of Brighton, and the Brighton Clothing Depot have made donations, along with many others.
“There are two beautiful knitters in the community who knit hats, mittens and scarves that we give away. They are just beautiful, beautiful things. Chris Reed is the president of Brighton Rotary Club, he and his wife (Fran) live in a Brighton retirement community and they have the entire community making material and financial donations to support this initiative. We are really blessed by the generosity of the community to support this project,” said Falla.
The Chique Boutique is just one facet of the ENSS Environmental Club’s mandate, said Falla. The 25-member club (and they are always looking for more members) is also involved many other pursuits, including the Bulletin Board Lists program where members research topics related to the environment and prepare displays for the bulletin boards in the school’s hallways. This year, two students will track the items given away at the Chique Boutique as part of a science project they intend to present at the Peterborough Regional Science Fair in April.
“We have school yard cleanups when there’s not so much snow on the ground, we have recycling initiatives, we sell (green) merchandise, hosted a Canada Student Vote program, as students studied the environmental policies of the candidates in our riding and they were actually able to participate in the student vote tallied by Elections Canada,” noted Falla.
