Ecole Senator Riley Middle School – High River, AB
Grant term, 2024-2026
Students from an alternative program classroom called Pathways, have been the primary planners and caretakers of our indoor Tower Garden hydroponic systems. After the ATA Strike in October, students planted several varieties of lettuce, kale, and spinach as well as herbs such as arugula, basil, chervil, parsley and cilantro. Students in grade 9 were tasked with drawing connections to their digestive system and human diet science curriculum while helping choose the leafy greens to germinate and grow. Students in Grade 7 had the opportunity to witness the plant life cycle from their science curriculum in the middle of winter, thanks to the speedy germination and growth that comes from the ideal conditions of an indoor hydroponic garden. In this classroom, all students learned about the connection between nutrition and mental health.
Grade 7 students from the mainstream classrooms have been working hard for the last few weeks germinating and now planting seeds with their science class for the outdoor garden space next to our Outdoor Classroom space. The outdoor classroom and garden have forageable plants, trees and shrubs where students can enjoy saskatoon berries, apples, pears, peas, rhubarb, etc. once grown and ripened.
Students love salad days, with salads that include the fresh greens and herbs, and are eagerly anticipating the next one.
This year we had several challenges with starting and establishing our Tower Gardens. First, with the uncertainty at the beginning of the school year around contract negotiations between the ATA and provincial government, followed by the month-long strike, we were delayed in starting our gardens by a month and a half. We were further thwarted in our indoor growing when the tower gardens were unplugged during a school dance on a Thursday in February, perhaps because they were too bright in the Gathering Area and didn’t match the desired esthetic. Unfortunately, the lack of power to run the water pumps was not discovered until the following Monday, which was too late for the thirsty lettuce varieties. Due to these delays and setbacks, we unfortunately have not had the opportunity to hold a salad day this year but are holding out hope for one at the end of June!
Each year we learn a little bit more, change our plans to adapt to what the year brings us, and we always enjoy the harvest!
