College Heights Secondary School got a little bit greener on Friday.
The school has started an organic garden on its property, a project that start to eventual finish belongs to the students.
The first phase includes the planting of trees, shrubs, pollinator plants and the installation of four large, raised vegetable garden beds.
Other phases down the road will hopefully include expanded vegetable gardens and a gazebo for outdoor teaching and a small fruit tree orchard.
The project got its official launch Friday afternoon with a planting of a shade tree, some words from teacher Shelley Peterson and a traditional native smudging ceremony conducted by Cree student Colin Bradley.
“It started last semester when we put together a Student Voice group at the school, who came up with the idea,” Peterson said. “It wasn’t a particular class, but many of the students are involved in our green industries program.”
Students from a wide variety of programs, and all grades, are involved in the program, Peterson said.
The garden will eventually provide fresh, organic food to the school and the community.
More than that, the goal of the garden project is to use the organic garden as a sustainable and teaching and learning tool and support student creativity and promote healthier lifestyle choices.
It is entirely student driven: From the committee that came up with the idea and wrote the proposal to the Ministry of Education that got them a Student Voice Speak Up Grant, the horticulture and landscaping and green industries students that designed and will help maintain the garden, the tech students that built the vegetable garden boxes and the students who will use the produce in the school cafeteria.
“So many classes have been involved, it’s been great to see so many different areas come together,” said Peterson, who teaches green industries at College Heights.
“It will be collaboration straight through: lots of different classes helping grow and maintain it,” she said.
Next year there will be a “three sisters” traditional native garden of corn, bean and squash, which the school’s native studies program is involved with.
