This year's school wide projects in the AIRS studio centred around the theme of water. We began this exploration by considering our relationship to water. Students came up with a long list of all the ways we interact with water - to drink, cook, wash, clean, swim, brush our teeth, flush the toilets, water our plants and gardens, etc. In October, we were fortunate to work with Candice Halls, an indigenous knowledge holder from the Squamish Nation, who shared the Teachings of Water with students and teachers at wək̓wan̓əs tə syaqwəm. These teachings helped us better understand how we live in relationship with water. From the gifts of the natural world we walk through everyday to the waters that held us in our mothers' bellies well before we took our first steps on this earth. Candice grounded this project within the teachings and stories from these lands and waters that her ancestors have walked and navigated since time immemorial. Students were particularly captivated by Candice's story of her great-grandmother, Mary Capilano, and the orcas in the waters around what is now Stanley Park. This residency was done in collaboration with the City of Vancouver through the Parks Board efforts around green infrastructure and wetlands projects, specifically the re-wilding of Charles Park, which we have visited many times with the students during the residency. Including a vist to learn from indigenous ethnobotanist Cease Wyss about the native plants in the park.

Students have watched how the park's wetlands have transformed from a large mud puddle in September to a pond that hosts mallard ducks in November. In the Spring, students noticed through observational drawing and photography how the pond has grown even larger, with a small island at the centre, providing a richer habitat for wildlife.

With primary students, Rebecca has been specifically looking at how water transforms landscapes, big and small. We started by visiting the rain gardens the City has created around the school. These gardens take up water that flows down the roads in rain storms and stop litter and detritus from going down the drain. But more amazingly, the plants have the super power of absorbing the oils and chemicals that accumulate on our streets and prevents these toxins from going into our oceans. Students were really interested and excited about how these plants and gardens work and created observational drawings from different perspectives to show how the water flows through them.

Intermediate students worked with Yunuen on journaling, photography, poetry, and filmmaking through sensory, observational, and explorative journeys. The goal was for the students to notice, explore, and reflect on how this vital substance, sometimes taken for granted, affects everything in our lives.