Sacred Heart Catholic School in Guelph has entered into a pilot partnership with Yorklands Green Hub (YGH) to increase awareness of local sustainable practices.
In the pilot project, the YGH team is working with Sacred Heart’s grade 7/8 class to grow vegetables from seed in their classroom and then transplant them to a number of raised garden beds that will be located around the portable in the playground. Students will be journaling and documenting throughout the process.
Grade 7/8 teacher Erin Clutton said that the partnership came about through Wellington Catholic’s Healthy Active Living Resource Teacher, Peter Glaab.
“We have been working with Peter Glaab to develop our outdoor education program in the grade 7/8 classroom. On one of our community walks, Peter mentioned the program and asked if I would be interested in becoming involved in the pilot project,” shared Clutton. “Since I am an advocate for outdoor education and raising awareness around sustainability, I agreed to have my class be recommended for the project.”
Students were split into four groups for the project. Within the four groups, students have planted 8 species of plants – tomatoes, beans, radishes, various flowers lettuces and peas, and have been monitoring the growth of their seedlings.
“The students are responsible for watering and fertilizing their growing plants. We will be installing four outdoor raised gardens that the students will be responsible for monitoring and up keeping,” explained Clutton. “They have created posters to raise awareness of the project and draw attention to the work of the Yorklands Green Hub. The students have also been writing weekly journal reflections on their learning, observations, and discuss why it is important for sustainable food practices. We are learning about the importance of decreasing greenhouse gas production, the 100-mile diet and pollinators.”
Once the seedlings have grown, YGH will be placing raised garden beds at the school with the help of Peter Glaab, the custodians at Sacred Heart and Rae Walton.
Sacred Heart is the first school YGH will have established teaching gardens at.
“Our plan to establish teaching gardens with container beds on the Yorklands site is on hold since the property is not yet for sale. So, we are pivoting to work in the schools on a smaller scale because it will start addressing local food security,” said Norah Chaloner from Yorklands.
YGH is a non-profit organization focused on securing part of the former Ontario Reformatory at 785 York Rd in Guelph. Forming 8 years ago to establish a sustainable environments centre on 70 acres of this landmark heritage property that has been vacant since 2001, YGH has developed a partnership proposal for a part of the site which includes only one building, the superintendents house, to be used for a community shared use centre. The site with its meadows, ponds, streams, and trails will be used for outdoor education, community events, urban agriculture, water and wetland ecology and tourism.
“The learning from this pilot project will lead to a school program we will use on the site in future with students and families. The Covid-19 impacts for learning and teaching are a new challenge for our programs and we are learning how to engage and teach under these new imperatives also,” shared Kiki Danniger from Yorklands. “As a society, we all have much to learn in these challenging times. Our biosphere is stressed, and young people need to know how they can make best choices to benefit their future. Learning about growing and choosing foods is an important part of the education we all need to thrive in more resilient communities. This connects with water ecosystems, pollinator support in our communities and trees on our streets.”
Student’s involvement in this pilot project is a great opportunity for them to learn where their food grows and to establish sustainable practices early on.
“For some, growing your own garden is a more affordable option than store-bought vegetables. It also decreases their personal carbon footprint and helps them become more aware of their community and their role as responsible citizens and stewards of the planet,” shared Clutton. “It is also important for students to build their practical gardening skills. Most will have a garden or will grow plants at their homes in the future. This project is a great opportunity to learn the foundational knowledge of garden keeping and growing. Some students have already made connections between gardening and decreasing levels of stress. There are benefits of spending time outside and tending to growing beings.”
The educational benefits for students will extend past the school term. During the summer, Sacred Heart hopes to host one day a week where the community can come by and collect flowers and vegetables from the gardens.
“Yorklands Green Hub, myself, Peter Glaab and student volunteers will help run this weekly event and share our harvests with the surrounding community,” said Clutton. “Moving forward, the gardens can be used in our science programs - biodiversity, cell structure and function, our math programs - collecting and analyzing data, geography - sustainability and stewardship, and religion - Catholic Graduate Expectations include being responsible citizens, a collaborative contributor, and reflective, creative and holistic thinker.”
Despite heading remote, the project will continue on with a few adjustments. YGH will be visiting the classroom virtually, sharing information on pollinators and fielded questions, while Glaab will continue to take care of the plants while we are in remote learning.
To follow along with events and programs operating at Sacred Heart Catholic School in Guelph, please visit their website or follow along on Twitter.