Some teachers would say the best class is one full of students that are keen to learn.
Well that’s exactly what Michelle Grenier has found with her new sustainability class at Belmont secondary, which she is watching blossom after only a month.
“A lot of that is student driven … They’re concerned about the sustainability of the planet,” she said. “It’s definitely a long-term project.”
The class of roughly a dozen has been busy learning the ins and outs of food production, while working to build raised garden beds outside the school. “Some of the kids have never held a drill before,” Grenier said. “The startup is big, but we’re in it for the long haul.”
Students are taught using a mix of hands-on assignments and theory lessons that cover everything from organic composting and different root systems to planting in general and saving seeds so the process can be repeated.
With a number of students nearing graduation, Grenier noted it’s a great way for them to learn how to grow some of their own food. “Food is expensive. If you enjoy the process, you can cut your grocery bill down.”
But it’s also about teaching students to live in a more sustainable manner while building a sense of community. An element of the course teaches students about rain water collection and Grenier hopes they’ll be able to rig up a system that uses gravity and collected water to water their crops.
“The students are incredibly close after only about a month of digging in the dirt,” she added.
While relatively new to the Sooke School District, Grenier has taught for 28 years and led a sustainability course in the Greater Victoria district for some time.
While the Belmont course is open to all grades, it is mostly made up of Grade 11 and 12 students due to timetable scheduling. “That’s just sort of how it panned out,” she said, adding, “I was a little concerned the course wouldn’t run.”
Despite the small size, the class is gaining attention from other students and Grenier is confident it will grow. She has big plans for the program and has applied for several grants to help cover costs.
“We’d love to get a greenhouse on site,” she said, noting it would help with plant starts as well as providng students a place to grow produce year round, not just some winter crops in the colder months.
The bank that overlooks the exterior basketball courts and rear playing fields is also school property and students have been working to clear the area of debris and invasive species. “Eventually, we’d like to plant fruit trees on that slope,” Grenier said. “Our vision is to be able to grow everything organic … (But) the main objective is to get the school garden up and running.”
The class is asking the community for help in donating tools or other garden equipment they may no longer need. While they’re set for hand tools, Grenier said they could use larger rakes, shovels and empty containers for their plant starts.
“We (also) need a fence built for deer and whatnot,” she said, adding that without it, putting plants in the ground could be rather futile. “Anything would be appreciated.”
Sustainability spreads through Belmont
With raised garden beds starting to take shape outside Belmont secondary, the school’s sustainability course is raising interest.
The project is quickly taking root and is branching into other areas of the school. Teacher Michelle Grenier is working with other staff on a plan to sell homegrown produce in the school and use it in classes that teach cooking.
The aim is to help educate more students about the process of getting food from field to plate. “We’re getting more interest, students are seeing us from their classroom windows,” Grenier said.
In fact, students have come by while the students are outside working, to find out what they’re doing.
One student was so impressed by the concept, he went home and told his parents about the project and it resulted in Langford-based PND Soil and Gravel donating soil for the new beds.
“That’s huge,” Grenier said, adding the garden is approximately 80 feet long by 65 feet wide.
But she didn’t just stop at growing relationships inside the school. Belmont has a First Nations Elder liaison who will help establish a dedicated healing garden in one of the beds.
She also approached the daycare in the school’s neighbourhood learning centre, whose operators jumped at the idea of being involved.
“We built two raised little ones for the daycare kids,” Grenier said, joking that you have to start them young.
The garden itself will also act as an outdoor area where students and staff can gather, have their lunch or even utilize the space as an outdoor classroom.
katie@goldstreamgazette.com