Marie-Lyne Binet
École secondaire du Mont-Sainte-Anne

Marie-Lyne Binet, a Cycle 1 science and technology teacher at Mont-Sainte-Anne high school, has a true passion for ecology and biology. Thanks to her commitment, both at school and in the community, hundreds of young people now see the world of science from a new perspective and are following in her footsteps… off the beaten track. “Being a scientist does not mean being cooped up in a laboratory surrounded by test tubes. Being a scientist is, instead, being out in the field so as to get a better understanding of nature’s biodiversity and grasp the impact of human activity on the environment,” asserts the finalist, who never thinks twice about investing enormous effort into taking her students on real expeditions outside the school walls.

Ever since she began teaching, Mrs. Binet has tried to help her students to gain hands-on experience. “There is nothing more rewarding than to see a student whose eyes light up and who goes on to say: "I have just understood why learning this concept is so useful." Afterwards, the student will pay more attention in class and is more interested in what is being taught,” she happily points out.

“I want to give young people a taste for discovering the sciences. By showing them the importance and frailty of their environment, I want to make them understand that, as citizens of tomorrow, they have the possibility of making responsible choices in order to protect the planet,” she adds.

Four years ago, a wonderful combination of circumstances led her to set up a project that aptly expresses this personal mission. In collaboration with the Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area, Ducks Unlimited Canada and Amis du cap Tourmente, she established a Wetland Centre of Excellence, adopting local wetlands along the shores of the St. Lawrence River on the Beaupré coast, and set out to protect this natural habitat.

“I had to start from scratch. I put a lot of time and energy into getting the project off the ground but I truly believed in it.” And she still believes in it. “When I see that the students are increasingly motivated, I know that I must carry on.”

“The banks of the river are part of our environment. We see them every day without really thinking about them. But these wetlands are vital to our region’s biodiversity. In making the students aware of this milieu, I hope to increase their sense of belonging and feeling of pride in regard to their living environment,” says Mrs. Binet. Thanks to the Centre, every year 500 or so Cycle 1 students are able to leave the classroom and head to the banks of the St. Lawrence where, standing in the mud, they make observations, collect water samples to be analysed, try to understand the importance of marshes in a given environment and so forth.

Mrs. Binet has gradually added activities: the construction of birdhouses and the organization of an orientation day allowing students to discover the careers in the sciences that are open to them, from a professional studies diploma to a Bachelor’s degree.

Moreover, next May, she will give her students the opportunity to take part in a brand new experience: a geocaching outing. “It is a treasure hunt using GPS devices. The students will be given the coordinates of the geocaches that they have to find. Each cache contains a riddle about concepts learned in class,” the teacher enthusiastically explains. This bona fide adventure would never have been possible without the participation of Telus, which offered the school a $10,000 grant for the purchase of the necessary equipment.

And this is not the first time that Mrs. Binet has received funding for the Centre. Other local organizations such as the Caisses populaires, the CLD and the Fondation des Premières Seigneuries have also contributed, a fact that bears witness to the importance of collaboration between the school milieu and the community. “I want all the activities to be free of charge so that all students can take part. Above and beyond the money, this involvement by the community is a token of recognition of the work accomplished. We all have a role to play in enabling young people to partake in enriching real-life experiences that will help them to become more responsible and committed citizens.”

Marie-Lyne Binet
École secondaire du Mont-Sainte-Anne