Six of the 27 pupils in Kiwi class took the results of months of air quality research to the top when they presented it to the Otago Regional Council at its meeting in Cromwell last month
Council members were clearly impressed by the comprehensive presentation and the pupils were quick to respond to questions, including a request for the council to supply air filters to schools
Yesterday, council chief executive Richard Saunders said while there was no project to do, the council took their concerns seriously.
Armed with an impressive self-built model of Clyde township and surrounding areas, complete with a fabric inversion layer to hover over it demonstrating winter conditions, the students spoke confidently, offering data and survey results to support their findings.
They had been helped by air quality scientist Dr Ian Longley, with whom Mrs Fitzgerald had previously worked.
He set the children up with monitoring equipment and an air filter in their classroom.
A simple computer dashboard let the children figure out when to open windows and turn on heating to achieve the best conditions for comfort and learning.
Mrs Fitzgerald said the children had done all the equipment monitoring and data recording then adjusted the room conditions accordingly.
Their research showed the Kiwi class air conditions improved through the winter while the neighbouring classroom got worse.
