Sacred Heart School principal Catherine Colvin said teaching the children how to garden not only gave them practical skills but it also taught them the importance of helping others and how to show kindness.
‘‘They’ve learnt about sustainability, recycling and the environment but we’ve also taught the kids the practical bit of being kind to other people . . . not just in words, but in actions,’’ Ms Colvin said.
The school’s community garden has been running since 2021 and produce grown by the pupils is donated to groups including St Vincent de Paul.
Sometimes excess fruit and vegetables was made into crumbles, jams and chutneys by the children and given to the local foodbank.
Gardening was the school’s way of showing the students their actions were ‘‘a practical way to live [out] their faith’’.
Teacher aide Lil Hyde was impressed with how the gardens had been maintained by enviro leaders within the school over the years.
She had seen first hand the difference in the school’s young gardeners’ well-being and a shift in their attitudes towards helping their community.
‘‘They’ve actually seen the donations given to those different organisations — and they’ve felt really proud knowing that they’ve made a difference,’’ Mrs Hyde said.
‘‘It showed that you didn’t always need money to help people, you could help in the garden and grow things.’’
The school’s garden started with a donated tunnel house, then two planter boxes were added years later and now the school has extended its gardening exploits to growing an orchard where over 150 trees fruit trees have been planted.
A special project led by the enviro group last year inspired the school to become educated on what the land was like before people arrived in Waikiwi.
Ms Colvin hoped further learning about composting and the environment would continue teaching the students about ‘‘caring for people and that hands-on help is a hand up not a hand out’’.
