Students in a community class at Dr JM Denison Secondary School played an important role in the design and development of new garden beds in Newmarket, helping to improve food access and accessibility in Newmarket through a unique partnership.
The students and their teacher Melanie French were recently recognized with an Applause award for their innovation and community engagement.
The project was part of a year-long partnership with York Region Food Network and Inno-Hive, and made possible through funding from the Peter Gilgan Foundation.
Students played a key role in designing new garden beds for the London & Main Community Garden, considering how people with different abilities and experiences navigate public spaces. Using prototypes, students developed concepts that emphasized accessibility, recreation rest and belonging. Their ideas were combined and incorporated into the final garden design, resulting in the creation of new garden beds that expand fresh food production while making the space more welcoming and accessible to a broader range of community members.
Students also gained hands-on agricultural experience by building Farm-in-a-Box growing systems and using them to germinate seeds and learn about sustainable food production in the classroom.