Engaging Students in Farm to School: Link to High School Curriculum Educational Teleconference Download PDF Version
Farm to School programs connect students to farms by serving farm fresh food and raising awareness about food and local food systems. There are many different Farm to School models in high schools - this educational teleconference will explore four different high school models in BC and Alberta.
Students at David Thompson Secondary School prepare a locally sourced meal
Please join the provincial Farm to School network in Alberta and British Columbia for a joint teleconference on engaging youth by integrating Farm to School into high school curriculum. This teleconference will be particularly useful for high school teachers and administrators, as well as students, parents, volunteers, and community partners involved in Farm to School.
Wednesday, May 15th, 2013 3:00 – 4:00pm Pacific Time 4:00 – 5:00pm Mountain Time Dial in number: 1-866-327-1907 Participant code: 9330165#
Four panellists from BC and Alberta will share their experience with Farm to School in their classrooms. From urban to rural, these teachers have made relevant connections to the curriculum while engaging students deeply in sourcing, growing, cooking and eating local food. Panelists Daniel Schulbeck has been teaching high-school Math, Science and Home Ec. classes for 11 years, the last 5 on Haida Gwaii. He is an avid gardener and has involved gardening as part of his classes for the last 6 years. Most recently, in collaboration with an English and Socials teacher, he has been involving students in the planting, maintenance and harvest of 900 square feet of outdoor beds and an equal amount of bed space housed under a greenhouse. Dustin Bajer is a teacher at Jasper Place High School, Edmonton. Since 2010, he has been working with students to create the JP Permaculture program. In this time, they have created a perennial food forest in the school’s central courtyard and an aquaponics system in the Culinary Arts’ classroom. In working with students to create ecologically inspired designs that benefit natural and human systems he began noticing how these same patterns could be applied to the social and physical structures of learning, classrooms, schools, and communities. As a teacher and permaculture designer, he is passionate about creating cross-curricular and project based learning opportunities. Alison Bell is a food educator and chef at David Thompson Secondary School in Invermere, BC. Locally-grown ingredients take a prominent place on the menus served at the Rocky Mountain Café, the school’s cafeteria, where the professional cooking students learn the art of fine food preparation while cooking for their peers. Committed to bolstering the local food system, Alison has helped the school forge strong connections with local farmers. Her students grow a wide variety of organic vegetables in the community greenhouse for the school café. Alison is thrilled to be a part of the Farm to Cafeteria network. Steve Schultz has been teaching high school science, chemistry, forensics, electronics, and most recently agriculture at Lacombe Composite High School since 1997. He supports EcoVision, a student run club that aims to build ecological leaders through projects that enhance education, help the environment and encourage community collaboration. The work of this club will become the platform for a new agricultural course, and provide the school and community with local, healthy, environmental sustainable food. More information about the project: http://www.lchsecovision.weebly.com
Please join us! RSVP not required. Questions?
Cathy White BPE BEd School Health Facilitator Alberta Health Services Catherine.White2@albertahealthservices.ca Brenda Kent, MPH Provincial Coordinator, Farm to School BC Public Health Association of BC farmtoschoolbc@gmail.com

Groundswell Community Greenhouse and David Thompson Secondary School, Invermere, BC
This video describes the amazing partnership between a community greenhouse and a local Secondary School to support a thriving Farm to School Program.