John Barsby Secondary is building roots in the community with its new vibrant community garden. The partnership between the school’s Parent Advisory Council, Nanaimo FoodShare, Community School Coordinator Basia Henoch and many community members and donors came together to make this happen. Last spring, community school funds were used to initiate the hiring of Farmer Chris Brown who became the Garden Facilitator. Community Schools Coordinator Basia Henoch said, “The ability to engage Nanaimo FoodShare to offer this service comes from Community School funds which have been built up over nearly two decades. In order for this valuable partnership to continue over the long-term, a source of funding will need to be secured.” Donations are welcome as well as ideas for sources of funding. There have been various incarnations of the garden over the years with its vibrancy fluctuating with the level of knowledge and commitment of staff on hand. Brown’s plans were to set up the garden so it’s sustainable for anyone to take over. During the kickoff in April, there were between nine and 11 classes involved. There were various stations set up including planting seedlings, seeds and plants, weeding and raking. Students were also planting flowers in the garden, as part of the Save the Bees initiative. John Barsby student, Hope, explains, “It is a program run by John Barsby’s leadership class which aims to connect high school students with Nanaimo’s community by working with youth in elementary schools. We hope to raise awareness about the importance of bees and pollination while educating younger grades about the environment and sustainable living. This will be done through class lessons and hands on work in the garden, where we will be planting bee friendly plants to promote pollination.” “By creating this program and hosting bee conscious events, John Barsby will become the first Bee School in Western Canada.” Also in the spring, classes were treated to tailored lessons around the garden. The lessons were effective as students were receiving hands-on learning. “I’ve seen where students come out and are uninterested. By the time they leave, they’re engaged,” said Brown. “They’re getting to see the progress, seeing the beans starting to grow.” June 1 was the first day harvesting a crop. Students from the cafeteria took part in a harvesting tutorial and ultimately made a kilogram of salad which was served to the staff. Among the many plants, vegetables and fruit, the garden also houses an elder flower tree. The flowers from the tree were used to make a cordial syrup for an Italian soda. Brown said, “I’m trying to get kids to snack – to try things. It was surprising that a lot of kids have never eaten a salad.” The primary intention of the garden is to create a learning space for gardening and farming where students can take the skills they learned with them for life. Eventually, the garden will produce lots of food for the cafeteria. Plans for the fall include organizing an Apple Drive in October. Brown wants to use the many apple trees from the neighbourhood as a fundraiser – instead of a bottle drive, it’s an apple drive. Another initiative this fall is a leaf drive. Henoch said, “Another exciting budding partnership is between John Barsby and Learning Alternatives. Learning Alternatives moved to John Barsby this summer and offers VAST students an ability to develop valuable skills that can be used in the garden. Students are learning about building a fence, compost boxes and bee boxes!” Brown’sultimategoalistoeducatestudentsabout the crisis of the local food movement, if there are no farmers. He has been showing students that farming is a viable option – a good profession. Being part owner of a farming cooperative and an educational farming cooperative himself, Brown wants students to know it’s a good career and lifestyle.