Jack James High School, Calgary, AB
Grant term, 2024-2025
Jack James High School is Calgary’s only Knowledge and Employability high school, serving approximately 250 students in Grades 10 through 12. Located in southeast Calgary, Alberta, our school supports youth facing complex academic, social, and emotional challenges. Through personalized learning and hands-on experience, we equip students with real-world skills and a strong foundation for future employment and community engagement.
Thanks to the Farm to Cafeteria Canada Seed Grant, our school launched a food literacy initiative that has significantly deepened students’ understanding of healthy eating, local food production, and environmental sustainability. The grant helped us expand our existing horticulture and culinary programs by allowing students to grow fresh produce in our greenhouse and outdoor garden beds, which is now used in school-prepared meals and snacks.
Key features of our project include:
- A year-round indoor growing space (greenhouse) where students plant, maintain, and harvest vegetables and herbs.
- An expanded edible garden that produces fresh greens, tomatoes, beans, and carrots for classroom cooking and cafeteria meals.
- Cross-curricular learning that ties science, social studies, and wellness together through food literacy.
- Student-led seed starting, composting, and harvesting projects that promote environmental stewardship and sustainable food practices.
Take a tour of Jack James HS's greenhouse!
For many of our students, this is their first experience growing food from seed. They not only learn how food impacts their bodies and minds, but also explore the environmental consequences of industrial food systems—like packaging waste, carbon footprints, and unsustainable soil practices. These lessons help them develop both personal and planetary responsibility.
“I never thought growing lettuce would make me feel so proud,” said Isabella, a Grade 12 student. “It’s cool to eat something that we actually grew ourselves. It makes me think differently about what I eat.”
As the program grows, so does student pride and engagement. The Farm to Cafeteria Canada Seed Grant has planted more than seeds in our soil—it’s planted seeds of resilience, learning, and lifelong wellness.
