A group of secondary students in Aldergrove will end up with a green thumb this year.
The Aldergrove Community Secondary students are engaged in the District's W.A.V.E. program (Work and Volunteer Experience), and as part of their experience, they have been learning about plants and agriculture.
The students have been making use of the school's greenhouse, planting seeds, growing plants, and prepping them for market.
Last week, the students organized a plant sale with the support of LEPS (Langley Environmental Partners Society). Proceeds from the sale go to help various non-profits in the Aldergrove area.
"We're giving back to the community, learning about environmental science and learning some life skills," said Amanda Smith from LEPS. "It's a great thing to bring the entire community of Aldergrove together, knowing that we're giving back to the community and the residents who live here. It's a wonderful thing to involve the school, involve the students, involve the faculty, and also the residents."
"We all come together to support the community," she added.
While the sale benefits the greater community at large, the process of growing the plants - which range from flowers to herbs, honeydew, pumpkin and peppers - was a learning experience for the students.
"We have a nice, heated greenhouse and through our LEPS programming, we've been helping the students in terms of growing food, knowing where food comes from and doing the annual plant sale for the entire community," Smith said.
The plant sale was the culmination of the students' work, which began last fall as they learned how to grow and harvest different types of plants.
"It's a lot of learning," said Hailey, an ACSS Grade 11 student who served as team leader on the project.
"We really want to come back to the connectedness of nature - at least that's what it's about for me. It's a good way to relax and help the community and the ecosystem, by planting these kinds of plants for the pollinators," she said. "It feels like we're making a bigger contribution to the world by assisting the natural world."
Smith called the project "a wonderful initiative" while noting LEPS has enjoyed partnering with the community and school district.
"It's one of the best things we could have ever hoped for."
