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Garden collaboration gets Golden Star Award

Garden collaboration between Arrow Heights students and Mount Cartier Court residents receives award
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The grade 3/4 class at Revelstoke’s Arrow Heights Elementary was rewarded on Wednesday for their work building a garden at Mount Cartier Court.

“We really appreciate what the students and what the residents of Mount Cartier Court have been doing,” said Doug Edgar, the past-president of the B.C. Retired Teachers Association, before presenting the class with the Golden Star Award and a $1,500 cheque for their efforts.

The students received the award for building several garden beds and growing vegetables with the residents of the seniors care facility.

Together, they developed several garden beds, chose what vegetables to grow, and planted the seeds. The results of their efforts were on display as they were presented with their trophies — leaves of lettuce were sprouting in the gardens and the students proudly showed off the beets they grew.

“Gardening speaks to everybody and we get to watch things grow and flourish, like the relationships we made,” said Andrew Clark of Mount Cartier Court.

The garden was spearheaded by Jesse Johnson-Hill of the Local Food Initiative, who approached teacher Amber Thompson with the idea of the collaboration last year. The program was taken over by Kristina Metzlaff this year.

The students would go to Mount Cartier Court every second Thursday and they were responsible for setting up the garden beds and deciding what to plant; they learned about seeds and pollination. “They planned and mapped out how they wanted their plants to grow,” said Thompson.

The program was one of five in B.C. to receive the Golden Star Award out of 18 that applied. The award recognizes programs that encourage the interaction of students with seniors.

“We liked to see a cooperative venture between the students and residents of Mount Cartier Court,” said Edgar.

Thompson said they would use the $1,500 award on tools for the kids and possibly a composter.

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Above from left: Stefan Cieslik of the BC Retired Teachers Association, Andrew Clark of Mount Cartier Court, teacher Amber Thompson, and Doug Edgar of the BC Retired Teachers Association.; Right: Roean Kurtz and Maxim Cater show off the beets they grew in the garden at Mount Cartier Court. ~ Photos by Alex Cooper, Revelstoke Review