Nelson Elementary Partners with Footprints to Create School Garden
There is a lot going on at Nelson Elementary these days. Over the past year, the school community has transformed an unused concrete strip on the edge of the school grounds into a flourishing food garden. Meanwhile, students and local artists spent weeks painting an inspiring community mural on one of the school's walls.
Last week the school community, Footprints Conservation Society and Vancity representatives came together to celebrate these accomplishments with a ceremony to open the Nelson School Food Garden. Nelson Principal Cathryn Falle says the creation of the food garden was a team effort
"The Lord Nelson Food Garden project evolved through a collaboration between the Nelson PAC, our school community and Footprints Conservation Society, a local non-profit environmental education organization," says Falle. "Footprints provided funding for the project through a grant from VanCity, as well as practical hands on support in planning and establishing the garden."
During the day's short ceremony, school officials and garden partners were presented with sunflowers and treated to a rousing version of the Nelson school song (reminiscent of Journey's hit "Don't Stop Believing"). Later that afternoon dozens of students spilled into the Nelson grounds to explore the new garden. Students learned about what was growing in their garden and what had already been harvested (so far the garden has yielded "Sweet Anne" sugar snap peas, speckled butter head lettuce and swiss chard).
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