As Shannon works in a small rural school, connecting to the wider community is vital. Using a unit called Bee Hotels (Love Food? Love Bees!), Shannon’s students have learned about the value of bees and their impact on the local ecosystem. The unit encourages students to take action in their local community, and as a result, the students and their families are now committed to buying locally, which has spread to neighbouring towns. They have a small beehive at the school and have applied for a grant to plant an orchard and connect their water tanks to the school's toilets. What she loves most is that the Cool lessons empower students to take action; they want to bring their learning into their personal lives and help change the world.

When asked what her students would say about learning a Cool.org lesson, she commented, “I think they’d say thank you for opening their world to the real world and invigorating their teacher to deliver.”