Do not be alarmed if there are reports of a bear sighting at the Bowen Island Community School gym on September 14, 2018. The bear is harmless. And rather thin. Two dimensional, in fact. Paddington Bear, and his adventures, will appear as part of a movie night put on by BICS. The movie will be played by a projector purchased, in part, by a 2016 Community Impact grant from the Bowen Island Community Foundation.
Before the new projector was installed, a regular classroom projector did double duty during assemblies and other gatherings in the gym. Though the little classroom projector did all it could, the images only covered a small corner of the gym wall. The new projector’s high-resolution images and sound allow full assemblies of students to enjoy movies, speakers, and experts from around the world.
In an era where YouTube enables teachers to call upon instructors from around the globe, the projector has allowed students to learn about everything from yoga to square dancing. Students enjoyed a pancake breakfast while watching highlights from the 2018 Winter Games. The projector also enables the school to improve its parent engagement and make presentations and movies available to not only the student body but also the community at large. In fact, BICS hopes that the community will access the projector more frequently as it is available for islander’s use if properly booked in advance.
The Bowen Island Community Foundation likes the idea of not only bears, but also dinosaurs, Muppets, and square dancers running amuck in the gym. We think this is the perfect use of a Community Impact Grant—and we’re looking for new submissions for 2019. Do you have a great idea for a project that would enrich the lives of islanders? Let us know. The deadline is February 15, 2019. bowenfoundation.com/grants/grant-application/
Henry Campbell, Director, Bowen Island Community Foundation
Published in Bowen Island Undercurrent
September 13, 2018