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Instead of simply taking notes on the human body’s bioenergetic systems, Mr Amiel’s Grade 12 biology class took a trip to PISE (The Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence) in Victoria. After touring the facilities with a guide, the class began to perform tests, and in some unfortunate cases, to be tested on. The aforementioned testing was a...

Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks and co-founder of internet startup Broadcast.com, once said, “The world’s first trillionaires are going to come from somebody who masters AI and all its derivatives and applies it in ways we never thought of.” Welcome to the world of coding at Brentwood. We in the Coding 10 elective have been...

Ethnobotanist and Ford House alumna '88, Fiona Hammersley-Chambers recently came to share her expertise on the indigenous plants growing on the Ogden House property. Environmental Science AP students were shown how to identify plants from the deadly Hemlock of Socrates fame to various edible species that can be harvested for food and medicinal...

This term in robotics we have been doing several challenges. The two main ones have been a sumo challenge where you built a robot that would have the capability to out race the opponent in order to push three bottles off of a platform while simultaneously being able to take the opponent’s robot and turn it into something resembling a toaster why a...

The solar powered greenhouse is up and running after a long and chilly winter. AP Environmental Science students have been busy today adding finishing touches to the pond that will eventually hold some fish to provide a nutrient cycle to the plants. Making compost from leaves and coffee grinds plus putting together a raised garden bed were also...

As part of the course, Mr. Amiel’s AP Chemistry class took a trip to Unsworth Vineyards in Cobble Hill. On this field trip, the class was to learn about the creation of wine and understand the critical chemical processes behind each bottle. Upon arrival, we received a brief tour of the facilities. While we walked, our guide who is the vineyard’s...

AP Environmental Science students recently helped set up a greenhouse from recycled materials to grow vegetables over the winter months. A solar array powers the battery that pumps water in every day from a pond which houses fish. Waste from the fish is transformed into nutrients by bacteria in the growing beds. Plants absorb these nutrients,...

Environmental Science students recently visited a local "farm" where Brentwood parents Julian & Joelle Butcher are growing lettuces inside a repurposed shipping container. Students learned how efficient this growing system is in terms of water use and photosynthetic production. The 40 ft container is capable of growing 50,000 heads of lettuce per...

Mr McCarthy and his Environmental Science 12 AP students helped with cleanup of blackberry bushes (the invasive variety) at Cowichan Bay as part of their field trip to the estuary last month. Restoration of native species will help protect against coastal erosion and other effects of global warming.

On a bright and sunny Saturday morning in September, Mr. Miller’s Biology 11 classes departed for Rocky Point Bird Observatory (RPBO) on southern Vancouver Island to enjoy a morning of birding and bird banding. The RPBO sits on a migratory pathway for many songbirds, birds of prey, and seabirds as they make their way off Vancouver Island and on...