Bishop Feild Elementary School, St. John’s, NL
Plant a Seed and See What Grows Foundation Grant, 2024
Bishop Feild Elementary is located in downtown St. John’s, NL and serves a diverse population of 350 students. Founded in 1844, the school is in a historical building in a neighbourhood with deep cultural roots. It provides English and French education from Kindergarten to Grade 6 and is part of NLSchools. As the only downtown public school, it has a special place in the community. It has welcomed many new immigrant students in recent years. Bishop Feild Elementary has a vibrant school spirit and its educators are passionate about improving the lives of every child that walks through the doors.
Bishop Feild Elementary has several curriculum-linked indoor gardening and composting programs and an excellent pay-what-you-can healthy school meal program offered by School Lunch Association. Building on those strengths, a small team of parent volunteers came together to form the Bishop Feild Grounds Committee with the hope of starting an outdoor school garden. With funds from Wellness Coalition Avalon East and Farm to Cafeteria Canada’s Dig In! Seed Grant, the school community revitalized four existing in-ground beds to grow a variety of annuals and perennials and plans to install three new large vegetable raised beds and to revitalize two more in-ground beds this Spring. The Grounds Committee hosts monthly meet-ups throughout the year for families to participate in hands-on gardening, schoolyard maintenance and beautification. In Spring 2025, the new beds will be planted with carrots, cabbages, potatoes, and nasturtiums that will be tended and harvested by students.
The photos attached are from two of the monthly garden meet-ups that took place throughout 2024.
