Katie Bernaquez (Bachelor of Arts in Psychology)
The Idea
When our pod first met to discuss ideas for our community action plan (CAP), we came in with great enthusiasm and some very interesting ideas. We first tossed around the idea of adding to a previously made garden at Woodlands Secondary School. However, we decided that we wanted to make something that was truly our own creation and that could offer another school some beauty and inspiration for lessons. After much collaboration and brainstorming, we came up with the idea of making a garden that would consist of indigenous plants to Nanaimo that would connect to aboriginal cultures. Initially, we wanted to have the garden in the shape of a canoe so that it would visually connect to the aboriginal communities on Vancouver Island. Our team searched for a canoe and we also tried to come up with a plan to make our own. Unfortunately, that task was deemed to be too difficult with such a time crunch. Instead, we opted to make a garden with rocks that could eventually be used by students to paint aboriginal designs on to further beautify the space. With this idea at hand, we then ventured to find donations within the community to help us in our endeavor.
The Process
With our idea set in place and our pod eager to get started, we had to start by finding donations to buy the plants, soil, and materials needed in order to build our garden. We had sent a lot of emails out to members of the community and had some positive replies that were leading us in the right direction. We also went to local garden centers and Strong Nations Bookstore to research which plants we would need. When we went to the garden centers the staff were extremely helpful and happy to donate to our project. We felt so encouraged and motivated to get to work and start digging and planting Our Heritage Garden. The next day, after getting all of our supplies organized, we set off to Fairview Elementary School to discuss where we should put the garden and start the process of planting. The garden took a few hours to create, with a lot of teamwork to organize who would shovel, design, and plant. Our pod worked seamlessly together and we were all so thrilled with the final product.
The Finished Product
It is amazing what a group of eager student teachers can come up with. When I took a step back to soak in the final product I was overcome with pride and enthusiasm. Our garden was filled with beautiful plants, including two trees and a “Friendship Bench” that sat in front. We presented the garden to Fairview Elementary School and were blown away by the appreciation from the students, parents, and teachers. Our hope is that the garden will be used for a variety of lessons that highlight the aboriginal cultures of Vancouver Island and the importance of taking care of the land we are living on. It is vital that we all understand the history of the land that we are in relationship with. In having the indigenous plants of Nanaimo as the focal point of our garden, we hope that this will ignite conversation about aboriginal cultures and the history of how we all came to live in Nanaimo.
Please click here to look at my e-portfolio.
When our pod first met to discuss ideas for our community action plan (CAP), we came in with great enthusiasm and some very interesting ideas. We first tossed around the idea of adding to a previously made garden at Woodlands Secondary School. However, we decided that we wanted to make something that was truly our own creation and that could offer another school some beauty and inspiration for lessons. After much collaboration and brainstorming, we came up with the idea of making a garden that would consist of indigenous plants to Nanaimo that would connect to aboriginal cultures. Initially, we wanted to have the garden in the shape of a canoe so that it would visually connect to the aboriginal communities on Vancouver Island. Our team searched for a canoe and we also tried to come up with a plan to make our own. Unfortunately, that task was deemed to be too difficult with such a time crunch. Instead, we opted to make a garden with rocks that could eventually be used by students to paint aboriginal designs on to further beautify the space. With this idea at hand, we then ventured to find donations within the community to help us in our endeavor.
The Process
With our idea set in place and our pod eager to get started, we had to start by finding donations to buy the plants, soil, and materials needed in order to build our garden. We had sent a lot of emails out to members of the community and had some positive replies that were leading us in the right direction. We also went to local garden centers and Strong Nations Bookstore to research which plants we would need. When we went to the garden centers the staff were extremely helpful and happy to donate to our project. We felt so encouraged and motivated to get to work and start digging and planting Our Heritage Garden. The next day, after getting all of our supplies organized, we set off to Fairview Elementary School to discuss where we should put the garden and start the process of planting. The garden took a few hours to create, with a lot of teamwork to organize who would shovel, design, and plant. Our pod worked seamlessly together and we were all so thrilled with the final product.
The Finished Product
It is amazing what a group of eager student teachers can come up with. When I took a step back to soak in the final product I was overcome with pride and enthusiasm. Our garden was filled with beautiful plants, including two trees and a “Friendship Bench” that sat in front. We presented the garden to Fairview Elementary School and were blown away by the appreciation from the students, parents, and teachers. Our hope is that the garden will be used for a variety of lessons that highlight the aboriginal cultures of Vancouver Island and the importance of taking care of the land we are living on. It is vital that we all understand the history of the land that we are in relationship with. In having the indigenous plants of Nanaimo as the focal point of our garden, we hope that this will ignite conversation about aboriginal cultures and the history of how we all came to live in Nanaimo.
Please click here to look at my e-portfolio.