Create communal veggie garden/outdoor classroom at Prince of Wales PS.Prince of Wales Elementary School

 

Our aim is to foster greater involvement between our school and the neighbourhood by creating community vegetable gardens on a currently under-utilized portion of our property. We will build a number of raised beds that will require little landscaping. There is currently an unusable three-bin compost behind the school. We would replace this with three new compost bins, to be located at the front of the school where they are more accessible. We would also require hose, wheelbarrows, an assortment of gardening tools and top soil.

In the back yard of the school there is an area of asphalt, pressurized wood and pea gravel that needs to be dug up and disposed of. On this site we plan to create an outdoor classroom to be used by staff and students. The spot needs to be leveled to ensure proper drainage. We will amend the soil and plant a large variety of indigenous grasses, flowers, trees and shrubs. We will include large rocks to be used as seating for students.

 

Prince of Wales serves a culturally diverse community. Building communal veggie gardens will help to overcome social barriers while encouraging connections between ourselves and our neighbours. These gardens will become a common meeting place. Apart from providing healthy, fresh food, the gardens will allow for hands-on learning. All excess harvest will be donated to local food share programs. Compost bins will encourage energy conservation and waste reduction, which benefit all. An outdoor classroom allows for practical lessons in the life sciences. Students will learn to recognize various indigenous species of plants, birds and butterflies, and understand the importance of biodiversity, thus supporting curriculum. The space will be made available to other schools in our community. Working together to care for this space will instil a sense of pride in our students and families. Naturalization of school grounds also promotes the notion of environmental stewardship!!