If you drive by Lake Trail Middle School on May 26, you will most likely notice that there are a lot of students hanging out in the school garden. No, these are not students who are skipping out of class - these are young people who are seriously engaged in the art and science of learning in school gardens.
School gardens are a growing trend across North America, and the Comox Valley has been a leader in establishing these outdoor learning spaces for children. In 2014, a conference was held to give schools an opportunity to network and learn about educating children using these innovative outdoor environments. Now in its third year, the SD71 School Garden Conference is quickly establishing itself as much anticipated springtime event in the Comox Valley.
Previously held at Courtenay Elementary and Brooklyn Elementary, this year鈥檚 conference is being hosted by Lake Trail School. The school is being supported by Lake Trail Neighbourhood Connections, which is the community group that is responsible for the school garden and the very successful salad bar program.
This year, technology will play a big part in the conference. The keynote address will be a Skype-in with Martin Luther King Jr Middle School in Berkeley, California. This is one of the first, and certainly the most famous school garden, which was started by Alice Walters, the famous chef and restaurateur. We will have a virtual tour of the garden, and be able to ask some questions. The second high tech event will be another Skype-in, this time with the Salt Spring Salad Company, which is a farm-to-school program run out of Gulf Island Secondary School. In this program, students grow food, which is prepared and sold in their school food truck.
The conference will not be all high-tech, as there are lots of traditional activities planned as well. We have lots of hands on workshops for the students, and a few sessions are planed for the teachers as well.
It may have been a long, cold winter (at least by Vancouver Island standards) but the students of SD71 are ready to get their hands dirty and grow some food.
