Fellows High School has started to sell, donate and gift their plants the students have been growing in their green house and outdoor garden. The high school has had a greenhouse for many years, and they have added an outdoor garden as well.
The Green Industries class offers a chance for students to learn how to be self-efficient and self-sustainable, also allows students to learn about vegetables and plants, gives them a green hobby and also helps them with mental health. Heather Witt the Green Industries teacher at Fellows High School tells myFM that the students have been planting vegetables, green house plants, indoor plants and outdoor ones and are now onto flowers.
There will be opportunities to purchase plants from this class this week. Check with the main office for days and times. Marie Charles, a Grade 10 student enrolled in Green Industries, shared with myFM why she believes this class is essential.
The vegetables grown by students are used in their food classes and programs, sold to the community, and donated to local charities like The Grind and food banks. Connie a grade 10 student tells myFM where the plants go once they are big enough to be transferred out to main garden.
The garden consists of mostly vegetables and herbs, but they have taken on other projects as well. They have silky chickens there that help keep the bug population in order. They also have been making flowerpots for main street in Beachburg with a Canada Day colour theme. Moria, a Grade 10 student in the Green Industries class, explains why she believes this class and gardening, in general, are beneficial.
The class also engages other students by offering volunteer hours for helping with plant sales and involving elementary classes to teach them the basics of gardening. Witt explains what kind of things they teach younger students when they visit the green house.
Witt shares that over the summer months is the hardest to take care of the garden since the students are gone. She said they are hoping to open it up as a community garden to allow residents to help take care of the plants and grow their own produce.
(Written by: Emma Butler)