HISTORY

Will ask Shelly Johnson, or Morrey Kennedy (now teaches in the interior), or former PAC members from the 1990’s Briony Penn and Kate McEwan about how it all started.

DESIGN

The fenced garden area includes several well-used planting beds, a nice greenhouse, a useful garden shed, a small shallow pond with a wooden walk-bridge, several established fruit trees (such as apples and pears) and several berry bushes. This past year, the deer have unfortunately found a way to enter thru the fence and the PAC plans to fix this problem. Some of the harvest has also been taken without permission, and combination lock was placed on the gate during the summer months.

LEARNING

In earlier years, each class was responsible for 1-2 garden beds. However, this created class management issues in the garden.  Most of these student experiences were parent led. As volunteer parent commitments come and go, so has the eb and flow of the garden activities. There used to be school garden clubs for keen students (coordinated by Heidi, a parent at the school??). In the past couple of years, another parent (Sarah, with a lot of experience in garden based learning and education) has been taking smaller groups of kids to work in the garden. The latest plan has been to plant crops that don’t take a lot of maintenance and that can be used for the annual Harvest Lunch held at the school.

PARTNERS

In the past couple of years, the focus has been on planting the garden for the successful Harvest Lunch. For example, potatoes, carrots, onions and kale are used by grade 3-5 classes to make vegetarian soup. Apples are used in the apple crumble by grade 1-2 classes and the kindergarden class makes apple sauce. In the first year, the food was eaten in each of the classrooms. This past year, everyone ate together in the gym.

​

It's mainly PAC parents who maintain the gardens. Parents Sarah Etherington, Chantal and Scott, did a lot. Teacher Janice Parker was also very involved.

​

From the Feb 14, 2019 Fulford Newsletter: "Glen Wilson, a parent of one of our kindergarten students, has kindly offered to devote Tuesday afternoons to working in the school garden. He will be in the garden from approximately 1:30 pm until the end of the school day. For the first few weeks there will be lots of clean up to do in the garden to get it ready for planting. Once the garden is ready, small groups of children from the classes will come out to work in the garden. If any other parents are interested in helping out, please go to the garden on Tuesday afternoons after 1:30. If you are coming to pick up your child at the end of the day, come a bit earlier to help in the garden on Tuesdays. All help is much needed and appreciated. For more information, please contact Glen at glenmayne.wilson@gmail.com." 

​

From the April 18, 2019 Fulford Bulletin - Garden Report:

"Steady Progress is moving along. I was not able to be at the garden last Tuesday the 16th so I do not know what was done on that day. Eric (K- Violet's Dad) is donating a 450 gallon tank that will be very useful. We may be able to use the tank to move water from a pond somewhere during the summer to  keep some plants alive when it is hot. Eric has also been steadily dropping in to do work on clearing beds. Mana, Amelie (3) and Louis' (pre K) Mom continues working on clearing out the overgrown beds - a lot of work removing blackberries and wild roses. She has completely freed the overgrown raspberries (now we need a trellis). Kaz and her Nature classes (3-5) are working on weeding beds and planting every week on Mondays and Tuesdays. Bush beans, Calendula,  and lettuces have been planted. Ara and the K class has planted peas in another bed. Kaz's nature workers (3-5) built the pea teepee for Ara's class. Melissa (K-Emma) has pruned the fruit trees for us.

Thank you to anyone that I have not mentioned.

I am going to continue working away at finding grant funding or organizing future fundraising to try to complete rainwater harvesting and water storage for next season. Natalie Meisner is taking on the grant applications.

WE NEED SOIL! No the easiest thing to find but if anyone has any soil we can have call me and I will arrange to come and get it!

GARDEN WORK DAYS will continue to be Tuesdays from 1 til 4.

Glen Wilson 250 653 4290

DONORS

The garden has mostly been supported by the PAC. The construction of the tool shed was supported by a grant from the Salt Spring Foundation. There are currently no community groups involved with the garden. Watering is one of most pressing current challenges during the summer months.  There has been some discussion around the possibility of installing a water catchment system. Some resources and dedicated energy may also be needed to implement a composting system. Some teacher training may also be useful but that would depend upon interest.

INSIGHTS

According to principal Marie, school gardens need garden champions. These people come and go, but someone eventually steps up. According to Sarah, schools need a specific Garden educator in order to integrate the curriculum with the garden- someone hands-on who comes in and works with the kids consistently and doesn't have to involve the current teachers.

EVENTS

Fulford School organizes an annual Fall Harvest Lunch for the entire school, with different dishes prepared by different classes, all with fruits, veggies, and herbs from the garden. Photos from October 2018 Harvest Lunch are here: https://fulford.sd64.bc.ca/photo-gallery/harvest-prep-and-lunch-2018

FUTURE

(more to come here)

CONTACTS

Principal Marie Mullen can be reached at Fulford School: (250) 653-9223 and mmullen@sd64.org

​

PAC contacts are: 

Chair & DPAC Rep: Teile McDonald

Treasurer: Chantal Staines

Secretary: Natasha Ayton

​

Parent Eric Gordon has also been involved, and parent Glen Wilson (glenmayne.wilson@gmail.com) 

​

Fulford School website is: https://fulford.sd64.bc.ca/home