Horticulture room unveiled at Greater Sudbury high school

It was an exciting Wednesday morning for staff and students at Lively District Secondary School, with the official unveiling of the school's new horticulture room.

The room will be used for drama classes and was chosen due to its space, large windows that allow for natural light and its access to the courtyard.

"Before, we were limited in what we can grow and we also didn’t have the hydroponics system, so that’s why this space is great," said Melissa Little, Lively District Secondary School teacher.

"The room can accommodate what we want to do in the class."

The horticulture room is equipped with a hydroponics system, a vertical method of growing plants using recycled water.

The new room will be used for grades 11 and 12 students in the Horticulture Management and Science course.

The new room was made possible through a partnership with the Rainbow District School Board, Cambrian College and charity organization Sudbury Shared Harvest.

"We make conscious strides for social innovation," said Cody Cacciotti, business developer for Cambrian R&D.

"So this is a great opportunity to promote food literacy and the importance of growing food locally."

It was an exciting Wednesday morning for staff and students at Lively District Secondary School, with the official unveiling of the school's new horticulture room. (Photo from video)

Cambrian students in the applied research division helped design and build the resin and cedar propagation tables.

"We wanted to use as many natural products as possible so that’s why we went with the wood table feature, with the coloured resins and greens and brown tones," Cacciotti said.

"We also wanted to have that industrial fabrication feel, so the legs of the tables are made of aluminum to tie in what we do in R&D but purposed for what's happening here in Lively."

Grades 11 and 12 students took part in a portion of the design elements in the classroom.

A goal of the room is for students to learn sustainability by understanding how to grow their own food, propagate plants and maintain plants and gardens.

"The hope for students is that they learn to grow their own food," said Little.

"We all know food is very expensive these days, so learning to grow their own food organically, gives them a great sense of satisfaction and they can begin gardening, and garden throughout their adulthood and provide them with proper nutrition."

Little said students will eventually sell their seedlings to the public, with the proceeds supporting their program by being able to purchase additional supplies.

o    Download our app to get local alerts on your device

o    Get the latest local updates right to your inbox

"It's really good for their mental well-being and this classroom provides them with that and also a sense of belonging," she said.

"It’s a time where they're not distracted and they put their technology down and get to get their hands dirty and learn all these practical skills."