Cobequid Consolidated Elementary School, Old Barns, NS
Grant term 2022-2024
Our Farm to School Experience
Cobequid Consolidated Elementary School is located in the community of Old Barns, Nova Scotia, a picturesque rural farming community that borders along the Bay of Fundy. Our school serves approximately 165 students ranging from Pre-Primary to Grade 5, from the local surrounding farms of Old Barns to the subdivisions of Truro Heights.
The Farm to School Program, which began in 2022, has allowed us to continue to support students and our school community with healthy food options as well as provide them with knowledge about where that food comes from. Students have participated in planting and caring for vegetables in our 7 raised garden beds, planting fruit trees and bushes, growing vegetables with a hydroponics system and a micro-green setup, as well as composting snack food scraps. We have the ability to provide healthy lunches and snacks to children with lots of options and choices for those who have never tried different vegetables and fruits before.
Throughout the past two years, we have been fortunate enough to plant 5 pear trees, 5 apple trees and 5 haskap bushes in a beautiful upper field overlooking our school property. We are looking forward to growing with the trees and watching the entire process from dormancy to flowers, to fruit, as we enjoy our trees for years to come. We can envision adding benches to this area to allow students, families and our larger community to gather in this space as the trees continue to grow and blossom over time. There is so much to learn as we continue on this journey with our students.
We have been able to add our school-grown food items to our salad bar and donate them to our cafeteria lunch program without wasting these foods. We will also be including the fruit from the trees and bushes in our daily breakfast program when they are ready. Students will be involved in caring for the trees and bushes, as well as, harvesting the fruit.
We have established a very active Garden Club of 20 dedicated students and volunteers who meet weekly to help support some of this work. We have been sponsored by local businesses and farmers who have donated tools and soil and are excited to hear about and become involved in the work we are doing. Dedicated school staff and members of the community have been working hard to enhance the learning experience opportunities beyond class walls in a way that is more culturally responsive. This is achieved through the development of a hydroponics system, a student kitchen, and by expanding our outdoor space to include outdoor classrooms, raised garden beds, musical outdoor equipment, and natural play areas made of woven willows. We keep our families updated with our website, newsletter, and school Facebook posts.
“It has been my privilege to watch the students get excited about planting vegetables and then seeing those same vegetables in the salad bar.” Katrina Murphy, Grade 2 Teacher
“I am so proud of the work our students and staff have been engaged in as they plant, care for and harvest their vegetables. They are open to trying new foods and learning about healthy choices that are also delicious! We are grateful to have had the support of the Farm to Cafeteria Grant to help make this possible for our school community.” Angela McDowell, Principal
