Robina Baker students utilize DEHR grant to plant roots of inclusion in their School Community

Students at Robina Baker Elementary School are planting roots in the school community through an inclusive gardening project designed to build skills, confidence, and belonging.

The ‘Raptor Roots: Growing Together’ project transforms the large flowerbed in front of the school into an inclusive learning space, where students work together towards a shared goal, promoting communication and collaboration in the school.

We have this massive flower bed right at the entrance of our school, and I just thought what a visible space to show how an inclusive project can bring beauty, learning, and a cool space where all kids get to participate in something that they can be really proud of, says Danielle Kirton, Assistant Principal and one of the project organizers.

Kirton and Amy Porter, the school’s Complexity Support Teacher, worked together with the students to bring the project to life.

Students in the school’s flexible pathways program are involved in every stage of the project completion, from picking out flowers and gardening tools to preparing the soil, planting, watering, and maintaining the garden. The project also connects to the students' life skills programming, allowing them to continue to care for the garden throughout the rest of their time at the school.

What's really cool about a garden is it's not a one and done project, Kirton says. It's a project that takes love and maintenance and ongoing care that they can participate in for the whole year. And then next year when they come back, it’s something that we can dive into again.

The project uses hands-on-learning to promote skills in planning, teamwork, and responsibility, while students get the opportunity to engage in meaningful work with their peers.

We want the students to know that their efforts and their learning intentions were valuable and important, Kirton says, “and that they have something that they can be proud of, that they worked hard collectively to do.”

Visual tools, Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices, and adapted equipment ensures that students have access to all of the language and materials necessary to participate in the project in a meaningful way.

The project was funded by the Alberta Teachers Association’s Diversity, Equality, and Human Rights group through one of ten $250 microgrants issued to different projects across the division that highlight diversity, equality, or human rights in some way.