Vision

We are an inner city school in Saint John that fills one city block. We have little to no outdoor space, but our guidance area is a place for all students to be able to work, or wait for an appointment with the Guidance Teachers. It is full of light and possibilities. Four students who attended the LSF UNESCO Sustainable Schools Conference in Toronto in April thought this place would be a perfect space for a plant wall. They talked together and decided this was what they wanted to achieve. It didn’t hurt that one of our students is a regular gardener and her knowledge of plants and light is that of a pro.

Action

We meet once a week, and planned how we would buy our items. We decided on a simple wall, with hanging pots to make it easy to remove, water, and even take home during the summer months to keep alive. We bought the equipment, and our custodial staff installed on the wall. We went to our locally owned plant store, and got to work. It took a couple hours for us to re-pot the plants and no time at all to place them in their permanent space. Our vision was complete.

Reflection & Celebration

At the last assembly of the year, we reminded students of our vision, but also of our committee expansion plans for UNESCO schools for next year. We hope to see this wall thrive, so that next year we can expand our green space to include more areas around the school.