Surrey elementary school students raise butterflies to learn about the cycle of life
Over 250 elementary school children who helped raise dozens of butterflies took part in a ceremony to release those butterflies at Surrey Centre Cemetery on Wednesday.
The Grade 1 students released the butterflies in a release ceremony at Surrey Centre Cemetery
Students at AJ McLellan Elementary School and staff at Surrey Centre Cemetery gathered for a special ceremony, releasing the butterflies in what's been described as a symbol of the life cycle. (Ben Nelms/CBC News)
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Over 250 elementary school children who helped raise dozens of butterflies took part in a ceremony to release those butterflies at Surrey Centre Cemetery on Wednesday.
A butterfly rests on a student's finger. Eleven Grade-1 classrooms participated in the butterfly release ceremony on Wednesday, June 14, 2023. (Ben Nelms/CBC News)
Jonah, 7, is pictured with a butterfly on his face, as he and schoolmates release the dozens of butterflies they raised at Surrey Centre Cemetery in Surrey, B.C. (Ben Nelms/CBC News)
The Grade 1 students from AJ McLellan Elementary School have been raising the butterflies with help from staff at the cemetery as part of their lifecycle curriculum, where they learned about the butterflies' life stages from eggs to larvae, through the chrysalis stage and onto their adult form.
Elementary school students carry nets filled with butterflies that they raised as part of their lifecycle curriculum at AJ McLellan Elementary School. (Ben Nelms/CBC News)
Elementary school students hold the butterflies they raised at Surrey Centre Cemetery in Surrey, B.C., on Wednesday, June 14, 2023. (Ben Nelms/CBC News)
After learning about the butterflies' life cycle, the students, from 11 classrooms, got to release them during the eighth annual Butterfly Release Celebration at the cemetery.
As part of their lifecycle curriculum, the students learned about the butterflies' life stages from eggs to larvae, through the chrysalis stage and onto their adult form. (Ben Nelms/CBC News)
The butterflies were raised with the help of staff at the Surrey Centre Cemetery as part of the students' curriculum. (Ben Nelms/CBC News)
"The idea behind the event is to teach children about the cycle of life and enhance connections between the community and the neighbouring cemetery," said Yalda Asadian, manager of community engagement at the City of Surrey, in an emailed statement.
Students at AJ McLellan Elementary School also learned about the impact butterflies have on the environment. (Ben Nelms/CBC News)
Students from 11 classrooms at AJ McLellan Elementary School took part in the butterfly release. (Ben Nelms/CBC News)
The students also learned about the impact butterflies have on the environment and the ecosystems they live in.
It was the eighth annual Butterfly Release Celebration at Surrey Centre Cemetery on Wednesday, June 14, 2023. (Ben Nelms/CBC News)
Jonah, 7, is pictured with a butterfly on his face at Surrey Centre Cemetery in Surrey, B.C. (Ben Nelms/CBC News)
"This event opens up conversations around life and death — an important and sometimes neglected topic among parents and teachers," said Asadian.
After learning about the butterflies' life cycle, the students got to release them at the cemetery. (Ben Nelms/CBC News)
One students is seen photographing the butterflies during the release ceremony at Surrey Centre Cemetery. (Ben Nelms/CBC News)
Vincent Papequash is an Associate Producer at CBC who has written local stories in both Vancouver and Ottawa. Born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, he graduated from NAIT in 2020. You can reach him at vincent.papequash@cbc.ca.
