An Evergreen Foundation grant and the additional support of a Saskatoon auto dealer will go a long way to help nurture student learning at Confederation Park Community School.

The school was awarded a $2,900 grant from Evergreen for the community garden but it turned into a total of $5,800 thanks to a matching contribution announced by Josh Ens of Ens Toyota during a school assembly on April 15.

Confederation Park has three teaching gardens that give students the opportunity for hands-on learning. For the past six years the gardens have helped teach students about where good food comes from, with an earth-to-table approach that is part of the school’s environmental stewardship.

There are 21 raised garden beds that provide ample room for classroom involvement, a food forest/orchard and an outdoor Indigenous prairie learning classroom. The outdoor classroom is connected to the Nêhiyâwiwin Cree Language and Culture Program and gives students the opportunity to learn and nurture plants that are used within the cultural program.

This year’s garden is scheduled to be planted during late May and kicks off with a work bee on Friday, May 27.

The school applied for the grant through the Toyota Evergreen Learning Grounds program, which provides funding for schools to create outdoor classrooms and spaces where students can engage with nature.