Both district staff and teachers on the ground say Vancouver School Board grounds staff led by Murray Stewart and Jonn Eppelette have been critical in helping move forward a sizable number of school garden projects at a growing number of elementary schools spread across the district.

Thanks to the hard work of Tupper Tech students led by teacher Russ Evans, a growing number of planter boxes and composters have been sprouting up on school grounds. But these new green "foundations" wouldn't be possible without the ongoing support from the VSB's grounds team.

"Kudos to the grounds team for encouraging, supporting, and allowing this enriched educational opportunity to happen," said Karen Larsen, a coordinator for Career Programs. "You guys rock. Working together for student success is alive and well in the VSB, thanks to the wonderful partnerships forged over the years."

Evans echoes these thanks.

"These guys are fantastic advocates for student engagement, tireless supporters of our youth and trades and their willingness to actively look beyond the immediate event to the long range benefits to the students has had a huge impact," said Evans.

Because of grounds support of these trades related programs, over 200 elementary students have experienced the joy of building planters and other carpentry projects outside their school this year. Students have learned the basics of how to measure with precision as well as how to work in teams safely.