After our trip to Beecher Creek last Friday. Students in Division 16 were inspired to do some planting of their own outside their classroom. Ms. Yap and myself wanted to grow plants that are indigenous or at least similar to plants that grow here in the BC coast. In addition to the numerous potatoes growing outside my classroom and the many vegetable seedlings germinating on their classroom window sill, we had to be selective in what we wanted to plant. Part of the dilemma is wanting to plant sustainable plants that don’t need much care in the summer, as there is no one there to water the plants. We came up with a long list, but that shrank immediately and by various co-workers feedback.
Midweek, my mother was clearing out her garden and coincidentally we had some lavender to transplant. Ms. Yap and her students planted this in the garden and took it to heart to keep the rest of the schools’ vegetables watered. It was surprisingly a very hot week!
Excited by the trip to Beecher’s Creek, watering the vegetables, and planting the lavender, these kids were consistent in asking Ms. Yap if I had picked up the plants yet. They were getting restless and wanted to get their garden growing. I picked up a raspberry bush, a rosemary bush, and some sage to be planted.
Each of these items were picked up for specific reasons. The raspberry bush because we wanted to plant a hardy berry bush like the salmon berries and huckleberries of Beecher Creek. The sage to tie into our indigenous heritage here on the BC coast, which is used in many healing and ceremonial traditions. The rosemary…well the rosemary is for the ton of potatoes that get planted outside my music classroom. When harvested, the students and teachers cook them and have a great feast. Ms. Yap thought the rosemary would be a nice complement to this annual project.
Friday was Earth Day, and the students in Ms. Yap’s class planted these plants in the garden and made sure to give them a good soaking. Sadly, the nozzle on the hose wasn’t screwed on tight and Ms. Yap in addition to a few students, got soaked.
It has been quite a week!
by Mr. Yanko