Pickering College - Canada

Founded in 1842 by Quakers, Pickering College is one of Canada's oldest independent schools, where sustainability and social justice have been woven into the fabric of education for nearly two centuries. Nestled in Newmarket, Ontario, this JK-12 school of 520 students is applying for the prestigious Varkey Foundation Global Schools Prize 2026 in Sustainability, and their credentials tell a remarkable story of environmental leadership, innovation, and measurable impact.

For nearly 200 years, Pickering students have recited the Athenian Oath, pledging to leave their community "greater, better and more beautiful." That mission comes alive through their distinctive JK-12 Global Leadership Program and the CAP Framework (Connections, Academics, Purpose), developed by Head of School Dr Cinde Lock and featured in her book on redesigning the future of school.

The crown jewel is the Blue & Silver Farm, a 78-acre property gifted to the school in 2021 and transformed into a smart agri-tech learning laboratory. Here, students operate solar-powered Wi-Fi trailers, develop robotic strawberry harvesters, use microbit sensors for soil analysis, build bat boxes with temperature probes, and manage regenerative agriculture projects. The farm donates approximately 1,200 kg of produce annually to local food banks and hosts around 1,000 community visitors each year.

Student-led initiatives include a decade-old Green Team conducting annual food-waste audits with ARAMARK, the Outdoor Club maintaining pollinator gardens, and partnerships with the 7th Generation GTB Legacy Project connecting youth with Indigenous elders. The Little Forest Project, a Miyawaki-inspired grove of 30 native tree species, united Grade 11 Environmental Science students, Grade 7 SPARC students, Grade 4/5 Sphere students, and 15 community organisations in a single planting day.

Pickering College's leadership extends well beyond campus. The school has maintained Ontario EcoSchools Platinum certification for over a decade, and was named StudyTravel Ltd ST Secondary School Award, North American School 2022 and #1 Private School by readers of the Newmarket Era. It is the only independent school in Ontario to achieve full membership in the UNESCO Associated Schools Network, linking educational institutions worldwide in the pursuit of peace and sustainability. Middle school teacher Ethan Bishop was named a 2024 Class ACT Award recipient by the Critical Thinking Consortium for work on reconciliation-focused art projects. Educators have presented at the Institute for Global Learning Conference, and the school partners formally with Queen's University to deliver a Postgraduate Certificate in Experiential Education and Global Leadership.

Measurable outcomes are impressive: 10,000–12,000 litres of water saved annually through rainwater systems, all 540 students engaged in at least one experiential project per year, 95% student engagement on Grade 4 maple projects, and 60 students actively leading green initiatives.

If awarded the prize, Pickering College would remove invasive buckthorn at the farm and build a geodesic dome with thermal heating extending hands-on sustainability learning into colder months and proving that a 184-year-old school can still pioneer the future.