That’s a wrap on I Love Transit Camp 2018!

That’s a wrap on I Love Transit Camp 2018!

I Love Transit Camp 2018
At SkyTrain OMC

Remember I Love Transit 2018? We still do. The end of 2018 was a busy one, so we never got to tell you about I Love Transit Camp 2018! Last year was special because we had two winning classes – that’s right!

Mr. Andrews’ Grade 4/5 class from Cape Horn Elementary School in Coquitlam rallied together to edit, direct and star in a fun video sharing what they love about transit as well as their vision for the future of transportation in Metro Vancouver.

The other winner was Ms. Szelagowicz’s Grade 3/4 class from Tomekichi Homma Elementary School in Richmond. They dedicated weeks of class time to work on an in-depth group project sharing their love about transit and future vision for the future of transportation in Metro Vancouver through pictures, poems, stories, and more!

I Love Transit Week’s 2018 theme was Connections—the future of transportation in Metro Vancouver.

We wanted teachers and students to unleash their inner explorer and take learning beyond the classroom. So, we challenged them to come up with their own ideas about connectivity in transportation in Metro Vancouver to enter for a chance to attend I Love Transit Camp, a unique opportunity to go on a behind-the-scenes tour of TransLink’s operating facilities.

There was no shortage of creative ideas from these up-and-coming transit fans. In the end we ended up picking two winners for I Love Transit Camp!

First up was Ms. Szelagowicz’s Grade 3/4 class from Tomekichi Homma Elementary School in Richmond! On November 16, we took them to the Coast Mountain Bus Company bus depot at Hamilton Transit Centre (HTC) and SkyTrain’s Operations and Maintenance Centre (OMC) in Burnaby.

At HTC, we visited the garage where they maintain the buses. We also went “under the buses” to see how mechanics fix any engine issues. Lastly, our bus drove through a bus wash that left our vehicle looking all clean and shiny!

Over at the OMC, the class met with TransLink’s CFO Rob Malli, and and Diesel—the Transit Police dog along with his handler Cst Leanne Smith. We also visited the SkyTrain Control Centre and the class got a peek inside the control panels of a Mark III SkyTrain car.

We did it again on November 23, when we took Mr. Andrews’ Grade 4/5 class from Cape Horn Elementary School in Coquitlam! For these kids, we added a visit by our amazing graphic designers and wayfinding specialists Jada Stevens and Elizabeth Wall who taught the class how to navigate their way across our transit system using maps and other wayfinding tools!

We also took this class to the SkyTrain Maintenance yard where they saw how our SkyTrains are maintained.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to enter our I Love Transit Camp contest! While we could only award two winners for I Love Transit Camp, we loved all the entries and the creativity that our little transit lovers unleashed!

If you would like your class to enter and win the next I Love Transit Camp, stay tuned for next year’s announcement. How do you do that, you ask? Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, as well as Instagram where we share all things transit, and more! Until next year!

Author: Tanushree Pillai