Parging: Worth the Hard Work

Posted on November 13, 2012 by admin

From November 1 to 3, math-loving grade 9 and 10 students departed for Kazabazua, a small town three hours north of Montreal, to help build a straw bale structure. We stayed at Solisterra, an eco-friendly community of straw bale buildings built by Frank Dutton and Dominique Tonetti. The boys stayed in Rosa, the main house, whereas the three girls (plus Ms. Saunders) stayed in Pinea across the lake. The group worked on a straw bale shed designed to house tools and solar panels, which provide energy for the buildings in Solisterra. Our job consisted of adding and preparing the straw bales for the shed, as well as parging the finished walls; this included placing and modifying bales, stapling chicken wire, and even sewing the bales! Our group was very productive, and by 5 pm Saturday, we had finished parging all but the second floor interior and one main level wall! This job required a tremendous amount of physical labour, but we had plenty of sustenance thanks to the delicious meals and snacks provided by our chef, Deb. After all of our hard work, we were rewarded with a trip to the town’s harvest dinner before the long drive back home.

This was my second trip to Solisterra, and I had a fantastic time once again. It was nice to be working with straw this time instead of wood, as I finally got the experience of putting together a straw bale structure. My favourite part of the construction process was sewing the bales together, which involved communication and teamwork. I want to congratulate everyone for putting in their best effort, and I highly encourage anyone offered to take the opportunity to travel to Kazabazua, and better yet, participate in building a straw bale structure. – Holly Faria ’15

Solisterra Take Two: The Art of Parging

Posted on November 13, 2012 by admin

Three weeks ago, the grade 9 and 10 enriched math classes were invited to go on a community service trip to the town of Kazabazua in Quebec. The moment this was presented to me, I knew I wanted to go. Three hours later, my form was already handed in. I could not wait to go back to Kazabazua for the second year in a row.

There we slept in a straw bale house at the Solisterra Eco-Cottages. We were going to stay for two nights and work for two days. Our task was to build a straw bale shed that would create solar energy by using solar panels and be used as a storage room. Straw bales were going to have to be modified and sewed together to make the walls. The entire shed was going to have to be chicken wired. And finally, the walls of the shed were going to have to be parged with a mixture of cement, sand and water. So much to do!

The highlight of my trip was learning the art of parging under the guidance of Andrew the expert. Saturday consisted of applying the first layer of parging on the walls of the straw bale shed. Making the parging was a lot of fun. We got to observe how adding different ingredients changed the texture and stickiness of the parging. Covering the straw bale walls was my favourite part of the process, as I applied this gooey playdough-like substance with my hands. Needless to say, I got very dirty.

During our two days, we got the chance to learn and work with unbelievable people. We learned about our natural environment, about the importance of trees, solar energy and the art of parging. We spent two full days in the cold, working nine hours a day to complete our project. We are happy to say that the shed was successfully built with no complications. What a wonderful experience!—Zack Shine ’15

Solisterra: An Influential Journey

Posted on November 8, 2012 by admin

This year the grade 9 and 10 enriched math classes were invited for a second time to Solisterra in the town of Kazabazua. When I heard that I had a second opportunity to head out for Solisterra and work on another outdoor building project, I couldn’t wait to sign myself up. Not only was I super excited to work on a straw bale shed and learn how to sew the bales together and apply the paraging, but I was also grateful to be able to spend another weekend on the actual property of Solisterra.

I loved working on the shed all weekend but what I want to share is how inspiring and relaxing Solisterra actually is. Solisterra is located in a small town one hour north of Ottawa called Kazabazua. It is a property of 350 acres and there are two straw bale houses on it, one playhouse and now there is a straw bale shed! There are two beautiful lakes on the property as well and the land is covered in trees.

The nicest part of the trip was walking in silence, in the pitch black, through the property from one house to another. As we walked, we heard the sounds of our own footsteps and the rain lightly hitting the trees, the wind that rustled through the leaves and the sound of coyotes way off in the distance.

Knowing that Solisterra is completely off the grid and that you are staying in a place where you can’t hear the sounds of cars is the greatest feeling. You feel as if you are living in a different but better world. Visiting and working in Solisterra opened my eyes as to what our earth can give us. And our hosts Frank and Dominique inspired me to work with solar energy and an environmentally friendly building. All in all, these experiences to Solisterra have been the most influential journeys of my life. – Mia Roberts ’15

Middle School Pride: Environnement

Posted on September 17, 2012 by admin

Bonjour, je m’appelle Alexandra Gardilcic et je suis la responsable de l’environnement au Middle School Pride cette année. Pour ceux qui ne le connaissent pas, c’est un groupe d’étudiants qui se rencontre chaque mercredi à 7h30 du matin pour planifier des activités pour le Middle School.

My goal as the environment head is to raise awareness about the environment in the Middle School. Cette année, j’espère planifier plusieurs activités pour vous, par exemple, une collecte de bouteilles et de piles. Si vous avez des idées, des commentaires ou des questions vous pouvez me contacter à cette adresse : [email protected].

Last meeting, Holly Faria ’15 came and talked to us about how PASSION+ISSUE=CHANGE. This basically means finding your passion and applying it to real world issues to make a change. For example, if your passion was athletics, you could apply it to an issue such as homelessness. And with this you could make a change. Such as last year there was the Hockey for the Homeless, a tournament that raised money for people in need. Si vous avez une passion pour la musique et que beaucoup de personnes âgées souffrent de la solitude dans les maisons de retraite, vous pourriez peut-être organiser un concert de musique pour eux.

Don’t forget to look at the new announcement board in the Middle School corridor to see any school events that are coming up. All in all, I hope that you have a great year! Thanks! – Alexandra Gardilcic ’16

Solisterra Experience

Posted on May 14, 2012 by admin

This was a trip unlike any other I’ve ever experienced. Not only did we manage to build a gazebo for the town of Kazabazua, we also helped build a shed, parged a straw bale house, and strengthened our bond as a class. At the outset of this trip, I had no idea what the project would entail. I had worked with tools before, but never the caliber of the enormous circular saws we got to use. We pulled out rusty old nails, measured angles, cut, measured some more, cut with a different tool, drilled in nails and new holes, mounted and took down the structure — everything necessary for the job.

Luckily for us, the weather was nice and the wood stayed relatively dry during the construction process. In just three days, we managed to complete our part in building the gazebo, as well as sending some workers across the street to aid in the construction of a shed. We ate delicious meals and snacks supplied by the community of Kaz, and we are very grateful for the effort they put into accommodating our needs.

Aside from working on the gazebo, we also parged, hiked, made a campfire or baked. We even experienced a silent nature walk, appreciating the beauty of the outdoors without speaking. Staying at Solisterra was an adventure in itself. My room was on the top floor, and the big window provided a magnificent view of the straw bale house built by last year’s class. Staying in a straw bale house didn’t feel any different from staying in an average brick house, but Frank and Dominique (the architects who constructed Solisterra) added other features to make the house as environmentally friendly as possible. All in all, it was an amazing experience, and every one of us was sad to depart. We would gladly take the opportunity to return to Kaz, either to build more structures or just to visit!–Holly Faria ’15

For more photos, view gallery