Gardens of Glenella
- Details
- Published on Tuesday, June 19, 2018
Submitted Photo
Students from Glenella School pose next to their raised gardens.
By Jessie Klassen
Submitted
We are happy to announce that what began as an idea only last February has now become reality with the implementation of four, 4 x 16 raised gardens.
The goal and focus for the gardens is educating children in our school about where healthy food comes from and how it is grown, as well as encouraging fitness and a connection with nature. These are “hands on” gardens, where the learning experience of getting hands dirty is encouraged, and so they were planted by the kindergarten to grade 8 students. It has been exciting to watch our plants pop up through the dirt! Watering and tending chores also falls upon the students and the Green Team will water the gardens during the summer months. The produce grown will be available to the students and the school snack program, the home economics class, as well as open to community members, such as our seniors, throughout the summer months to help themselves to vegetables that are ready. We also have a composter, so the children are learning how to turn their lunch scraps into nutrient-rich soil for their gardens.
As we are encouraging healthy lifestyle choices, the next stage of the gardens will be a centre sitting/work area where classes can be held outdoors on warm days. We are excited to announce that this will be accomplished due to a grant from the Healthy Together Now program provided by Prairie Mountain Health.
For years to come, may our gardens nurture a deeper connection with the natural world, as well as a better understanding of our environment and the impact our choices have upon ourselves and the world around us.
Of course this took many hands to create, and so many thanks to our principal, Mr. Nathan Dmytriw, for all of his support, Turtle River School Division, the teachers and staff of Glenella School, Beautiful Plains Credit Union for their Youth Organization Grant, Mike Brown for building the raised beds, the Glenella School Parent Advisory Council, Terry and Marty Klassen, Klassen Farms, Debbie Ott, HK Lumber, Preisentanz General Store, our reeve, Richard Funk, and councillors of the RM of Glenella-Lansdowne for providing the Green Team, and the many parents and community members who generously donated seeds, plants, and supplies.
Thank you for making this positive experience possible!
