General News
16 December, 2019
Community garden comes to life at school
A COMMUNITY garden has grown to life at Mareeba State High school after one passionate teacher took up the idea.
A COMMUNITY garden has grown to life at Mareeba State school after one passionate teacher took up the idea.
When year one teacher Skye Clarkson applied for a grant earlier in the year to start a small garden, she never imagined it would flourish into what it is today.
After the initial grant, Mrs Clarkson sought support and donations from numerous members of the community to help build their community garden.
With exterior help from volunteers and a few more grant applications the garden is now used as a facility to help students learn about healthy eating and the value of food.
“The purpose of the garden is to educate the students on something they might not have experienced before,” Mrs Clarkson said.
“The students also learn life skills and learn about responsibility.
“Later on we hope to see this garden develop and more opportunities to come from it.”
Mrs Clarkson also hopes to see the students take the knowledge and experience they learn from the community garden into their own backyards.
The students are not only learning about the food being produced from the plants but also the plants themselves and how each one survives or thrives in certain conditions.
Michael Alba has helped MSS with many projects over the years as a contractor, but this time, he volunteers his own time to help the students learn.
“Michael has not only helped the students with understanding the plants but also the food they produce,” Mrs Clarkson said.
“He has been teaching them all about the plants and crops that are growing in this garden.
“You can even see some students walking around now eating the produce.”
Mrs Clarkson would like to thank the numerous volunteers who have come in and helped with the garden along with all the kind donations they have received.
