Ponoka Elementary School lands bursary for garden project

Published 1:00 pm Wednesday, February 4, 2026

A major garden project is in the works at Ponoka Elementary School, thanks to a recently-received bursary to the tune of $2,500.

Recently, the school received the School Garden Studio Bursary from the Alberta Motor Association (AMA). Students and staff couldn’t be more pleased with the news, and are excited to see plans take shape in the coming months.

“I was reading my favourite magazine which is the AMA Insider, and I saw this article that mentioned this School Garden Studio Bursary,” said Paula Wilkins, Grade 6 teacher and Indigenous Literacy Support Coach at the school.

Wilkins added that she has experience in grant writing as well, so seeing such an amazing opportunity like this for the school was nothing short of an instant source of inspiration.

“I went digging into the website, and saw that you had to become a member of AMA’s School Garden Studio, which is an interactive website where teachers can post on a blog page, and share ideas. That is cool in itself.”

From there, the application was completed for the bursary last fall, and just recently the school landed the news that the funds were on the way.

The bursary itself is supported by the AMA Community Foundation, she added.

The plan is to install several raised garden beds in the school’s spacious and fully-enclosed courtyard area, which already contains a greenhouse.

“The idea is to build (raised) garden beds around the area of the greenhouse. And we’ve already had a community member who saw our Facebook post, say they had some beds to donate!

“We will be starting the seeds growing in the greenhouse, and then have these beds to put them in.”

In the meantime, one of the first things students are tackling is designing a watering system for the project.

“What better way to involve our students then to create a self-watering system for the beds, which can all be funded through this bursary,” she said, adding students can also be involved with creating the garden beds themselves.

From several perspectives, it promises to be a rich learning experience.

“Our Courtyard Committee has a three-phase plan we are hoping to roll out,” she said, adding that the garden project are part of phase one along with a few other ideas.

She noted they will also need community support to bring the project to fruition, along the lines of labour, the provision of various materials, and even some helping hands in developing the overall watering strategy with the students.

Ultimately, Wilkins hopes to see the students explore general food literacy concepts.

“I want them to see they can grow their own food, and that they can also work with the community to make change happen. They need to see that they can make an impact.

“Projects like this spark a fire in me, and in the kids.”

According to the AMA website, “Explaining to a student how a tomato plant grows is one thing. Seeing that student thoughtfully cultivate a thriving indoor tower garden, sampling or sharing a bright red fruit right off a vine they’ve tended to themselves is a lived experience they won’t easily forget.”

Nathan McEntee, principal of Ponoka Elementary, said he’s excited to see the range of opportunities for outdoor learning for the students as well.

“Also, for the kids to be able to play in a natural space.”