Vision

We are one of the largest schools in the Vancouver School Board supporting students from a diverse background. With help from a SPEC (Society Promoting Environmental Conservation) coordinator, students have been learning about climate change, sustainability, and gardens through topics such as Seed Germination, Plant Life Cycles, Pollination and Native Plants, Beneficial Insects and Pest Management. Our vision for this project was to support the learning provided through the SPEC workshops by also finding ways to involve other students and their families in conversations around food security and sustainability. Our vision also included finding ways to support the Butterfly projects that our Kindergarten classes and Strong Start programs were involved in.

Action

Our action project included:
– Potting up existing plants such as cilantro, arugula, and fennel run rampant and offering them to students, staff, and families to promote food security and community plant sharing (we hope to continue doing this as more seeds and plants mature)
– Cleaning raised garden beds by removing excess plants from self-seeding plants
– Adding soil to raised garden beds
– Planting pollinator plants like Salvia, Lavender, Marigolds, Snapdragons, and Sweet allysum, to encourage bees to visit
We have plans to continue maintaining our raised garden beds in the fall when school starts up again.

Reflection & Celebration

Students often share all the knowledge they learn from the gardens, including the benefits of plants and insects on our world. Students will also help harvest produce and herbs in the coming weeks and share the bounty with other classes.