An East Vancouver high school has changed the way students learn by starting up its own working schoolyard farm. It’s the first of its kind in Canada. The 1,000 square metres of garden space at Vancouver Technical secondary school and the weekly market stand opened May 28 to sell the fresh produce, with funds going back into the garden and the school. This innovative outdoor classroom was created after Melanie Beliveau, a biology teacher at the school, tried to garner support to put a community garden in the space recently opened after seismic upgrades saw a wing of the school demolished. When she heard about Fresh Roots Urban Farm, a non-profit society that promotes urban agriculture and how they helped bring the garden at Queen Alexandra Elementary back to life, she got in touch with co-director Ilana Labow. “Together we dreamt up the idea of a school farm,” Labow recalled. Bringing that dream to life was a process and both Fresh Roots and the Vancouver School Board had to work to grow the idea to life. Read More…
Kristen Moran
Vancouver Courrier
May 29, 2014
