While on Spring Break, we all heard the news that schools would be closing for the foreseeable future. Hawthorne Elementary teacher Susanne Bohmert’s thoughts soon turned to the large garden at the Ladner school, which in a typical year is planted, maintained and harvested by her Grade 2 class.
“I thought of all the joy it brings to our students and families throughout the year,” says Bohmert. “I believed and hoped it would continue to raise their spirits in the weeks to follow.”
Bohmert consulted with principal Zena Ray and vice-principal Britt Bryan who were keen and supportive of the garden being planted, despite in-person classes being cancelled.
Bohmert enlisted her own family members (who are part of her “bubble”) to assist with some of the many garden jobs. This included moving three yards of manure and planting 50 potatoes and many other veggies for classes to harvest between now and September.
During a recent class Zoom session, the teacher asked for students’ input on an important question: Who could we thank with a gift of locally grown produce?
One student suggested health care workers and another piped up with Delta Hospital, so a large basket of rhubarb and three posters (made by the families in the photo) were delivered to Delta Hospital earlier this month. Bohmert says it was received with big smiles and thank you for Hawthorne’s gardening class.
