Probe school pays tribute to the Logan Boulet Effect

By Lethbridge Herald on April 12, 2024.

Herald photo by Alejandra Pulido-Guzman Grade 1 and Grade 2 students along with Heart, talk about the different organs and tissues that can be donated during their annual Green Shirt Day assembly Thursday at Dr. Gerald B. Probe Elementary School.

Alejandra Pulido-Guzman
LETHBRIDGE HERALD

Students and staff at Dr. Gerald B. Probe Elementary School gathered in the gymnasium on Thursday morning to learn about organ donation, the Logan Boulet Effect and Green Shirt Day. 

This year for their Green Shirt Day assembly, students in Grade 1 and Grade 2 chose the example of a child who needed a heart transplant to explain what the process was all about. 

A group of students pretended to be playing tag when one of them could not Cath his breath. It turned out that he had a heart disease that was making it difficult to oxygenate his body properly and the doctor decided to put him on the transplant list for a new heart. 

After that students learned about which organs and tissues can be donated and what transplantation is through a video done by Orgamites and Canadian Blood Services’ organ and tissue donation department, to make it easier for children at their age to understand the concepts. 

As a special treat this year, students received a visit from Heart, one of the Orgamites who was shared by Canadian Blood Services and was visiting from Ottawa. 

After the assembly, Bernadine and Toby Boulet spoke to reporters about the benefits of starting the conversation about organ donation at a young age. 

“I think it’s very important because the younger you can talk to kids about anything the faster that gets into their system,” said Toby. 

“I think it also makes an impact on kids because what happens is that the kids take the conversation home, they tell their family, it just becomes a conversation,” said Bernadine. 

She said that it helps children be comfortable with the subject of organ donation and to not see it as a scary thing. 

“It’s not something that they’re worried about, is just like well, organ donation makes sense I can help someone, I can make a difference. They don’t see it as the mortality issue that as adults we see it,” said Bernadine. 

She added that it also helps the concept to become part of their thinking and what they believe. 

Bernadine spoke about the importance of having the support from the community during Green Shirt events, especially how important it is for students to see they are being supported. 

“I think today from our assembly how excited the kids were to see all the people that were here, that tells us the support we have from our community that we have, but we also know that the support extends past our gym, past our city and past our community,” said Bernadine. 

“A Grade 2 teacher in Manitoba posted on X that she was running her Green Shirt Day assembly on Apr. 8. I mean, it’s in Manitoba, it’s reached all corners and educators now with the orgamites on stream, elementary educators really found a way to talk about organ transplant and Logan Boulet Effect with their kiddos, it’s pretty cool,” added Toby. 

Bernadine said that within the city, many schools have come on board to share the message of organ donation and the Logan Boulet Effect. 

She said her school, Dr. Probe, was very fortunate to have the support of the school division to have an annual assembly, and while other schools in the division may not do the same, they still find a way to spread the message. 

“This year we were fortunate to have Green Shirt Day events at Lakie and at Churchill and other schools have done things too, not necessarily an assembly, but they have done all kinds of things from displays to announcements, to Green Shirt Days at their schools, so I think that’s important and that they’re getting the message out,” said Bernadine.