Bert Church High School students and staff, alongside several community volunteers, broke ground on the school’s new reconciliation garden on Sept. 17.
The hope is the garden, erected with the intent to foster reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples, would bring healing and peace to the larger community of Airdrie.
“We are really hoping this is going to be a staple in the community, and a lasting legacy at the school the students are proud of,” explained Lara Bartsoff of Aris Landscape Design, who donated her time, alongside owner Michelle Aris, to lay out the plan for the garden.
According to Bartsoff, when finished, the garden will be shaped like a turtle and made up of only shrubs and perennials that are native to Alberta. The turtle shape is an homage to a traditional First Nations name for North America – Turtle Island.
Bartsoff said the space within the turtle’s “shell” would be dedicated to the growing of the four sacred medicines used in Indigenous culture and ceremonies: cedar, sage, sweetgrass and tobacco plants.
“We are so grateful for the community support we have had,” said Bert Church teacher Amy Stachniak, who is on the organizing committee for the garden. “I think it is meaningful for a lot of people. We recognize there are significant wrongs in our history, and that we are trying to find a place of healing and reconciliation.
“I think it is important we have the community support, and we continue to have our students’ support, and our families are coming out. I think it will be a really special place once it’s completed.”
Bert Church’s assistant principal Marie Cumberland was also on-site Saturday, and said she too hopes the garden will represent a lasting legacy for the high school’s students.
“It’s been in the making [for] just over a year,” she said. “It’s amazing to see something that started a spark [of an idea] just come to fruition. But this is a journey, and we will continue with this project over the years.”
For Bert Church Grade 11 student Jaidyn Gibbs, last Saturday’s groundbreaking felt extra special. Gibbs, who is Métis, was given the privilege of planting the first tobacco plant in the garden’s sacred inner circle.
“I am really happy to have been given this opportunity,” she stated. “This whole project has been very important to me. I have been coming to absolutely everything I can about it. It feels very unified. It gives me a sense of togetherness, and it makes my heart very full to see all this happening.”
About three dozen volunteers from the school and community, including volunteers from Fortis Alberta, came out to lay the groundwork for the project.
The official opening of Bert Church High School’s reconciliation garden is anticipated to take place on Oct. 12.
