By developing an ecological landscaping project of the schoolyard at the Grande-Digue school, we have shown landscaping methods which are suitable for the conversion of grass into a nature area.

The majority of students and teachers of the Grande-Digue school were involved since 2011 in the project. A nature area with over fifty trees is being transformed back into an Acadian Forest. We run activities with teachers and students to teach ecological landscaping practices. Work sesssions are organized to maintain the various natural areas that exist in the schoolyard. In the fall of 2018, several students helped plant 15 trees during Wellness Week.

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School Tree Nursery

In the fall of 2017, the PCSDG worked with community development officer Rémi Robichaud, as well as 6th-grade teachers Caroline LeBlanc and Noëlla Cormier, as part of its School Tree Nursery project. At the end of September, the installation of new gardening bins, from the Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick (CCNB) – Dieppe, was accomplished. In October, around fifty 6th-grade students planted a hundred trees : 20 balsam firs, 10 white pines, 15 black spruces, 25 red oaks and 25 yellow birches. In 2018, grade 6 students planted 50 trees in the nursery - 10 cedar, 10 hemlock, 10 white pine, 10 red oak and 10 red maple - as part of the Branch Out program. In the fall of 2019, the PCSDG worked with approximately 20 students and the 5th grade teacher, 25 students and the 7th grade teacher, and about 10 students in the 3rd grade. The students planted 84 trees: 19 balsam fir, 15 white pine, 14 spruce, 9 cedar, 21 red oak and 6 red maple. The 84 trees planted will absorb around 840 kg of CO2 per year. Planting activities are part of the Young Stewards for Sustainability project.

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Composting and vegetable garden

Grade 7 students planted, maintained and harvested kale, tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, garlic and pumpkins from the vegetable garden. A group of parents and students watered and weeded on a regular basis during the summer. At the end of the season, students set up a composter near the garden.

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Exploratory walk

In October 2023, we undertook an exploratory walk of the watershed with the 7th-grade class. We began the walk upstream of the watershed to reach the coast downstream, all while explaining the various characteristics of the terrain that can influence water quality.

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Rain garden

In November 2023, we began work to establish a rain garden on the grounds of Grande-Digue School. With the help of students, we spread soil, compost, and mulch. This rain garden will be entirely made up of indigenous plants that will improve water quality and enhance water infiltration into the soil to reduce the risk of flooding. Planting of these plants will take place in spring 2024.

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Acknowledgements

The project is made possible thanks to funding from Environment Canada’s Eco-Action Community Fund, the New Brunswick Environmental Trust Fund and Evergreen Canada. The PCSDG would like to thank Ecole Blanche-Bourgeois for providing native trees from their nursery, as well as the District scolaire francophone Sud for supporting the project.