Southfields Village Public School students learn how to build raised garden beds

By ZACHARY ROMAN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Caledon students got hands-on trades experience building raised garden beds last weekend. 

On May 4, Southfields Village Public School students were led in a building workshop by Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) staff. The workshop was part of the TRCA's “Girls Can Too” program, which provides female-identifying youth with hands-on learning experiences in construction and ecology.

Stan Cameron, Caledon's Peel District School Board (PDSB) trustee, said the event was an amazing example of community engagement. 

“There's no cost to families… there's an opportunity for children, girls in particular, to learn how to work with the trades — in this case woodworking,” said Cameron.

The garden beds will be used for the Southfields Village Public School's community vegetable garden, as part of the larger school vegetable garden project that's been ongoing at Caledon public schools.

“These vegetable gardens are turning out to be a gift that really keeps on giving,” said Cameron.

Brett Harris is the principal of Southfields Village Public School. He said the raised garden beds are going to be put into the school's kindergarten yards and connected to a lot of kindergarten learning. The gardens will also be used for science and math learning for students in older grades. 

He said the building workshop event was great for his students. 

“It's great for the kids… the fact that it's a mother-daughter build event… is fantastic,” said Harris. “It promotes the use of power tools among our young students who identify as female, so it's a fantastic learning opportunity for them.”