The Mitchell District High School (MDHS) aims to develop its students to achieve in the future. It seeks to engage students enthusiastically, encouraging each member of the school community to embrace life-long learning to become responsible, productive members of the community and society at large. MDHS understands that hands-on experience matters, both by making learning relevant, and allowing students to practice the very necessary skills they will need to succeed.
Nicholas Keller, Co-operative Education teacher at MDHS, with the support of Principal Emma Bannerman, understood the Agriculture Special High Skills Major program needed to embrace this concept of hands-on for success.
Situated in one of Canada’s most fertile growing regions, MDHS believed that an on-site greenhouse for the school would allow students seeking an agricultural career to put learning into practice. With the help of Community Foundation funds generously committed by the International Plowing Match Fund (2005) and the Jim and Laurel Laughton Family Fund, MDHS will be able to realize its dream of a truly “green” classroom.
Opening in the 2013-14 school year, students in the Agriculture Special High Skills Major program will be joined by biology students learning about horticulture and geography students learning about sustainability. In fact, Mr. Keller believes that almost all students will have an opportunity to engage with the school’s latest infrastructure investment.
MDHS envisions such exciting opportunities as business students growing flowers for sale on major holidays, or the on-site student-run “Twisted Carrot” cafe growing fresh produce for lunch-time salads and snacks. By leveraging this latest tool in their contextualized learning arsenal, MDHS looks forward to the positive impact on students across the full range of disciplines.
