Seven Community Garden Boxes Rebuilt For Prince Of Wales Public School Through Partnership With BWXT

To help students continue their hands-on learning experience of gardening and sustainability, seven new community garden boxes have been installed by BWXT volunteers for Prince of Wales Public School through a community initiative project on Wednesday morning.

All photos by David Tuan Bui.

BWXT purchased the materials and assembled the boxes, They were brought over by hand to be installed by BWXT volunteers.

“We've been looking to revitalize our gardens through the parent council school community and that was a perfect start,” said Brad Conlin, Price of Wales vice-principal. “The original boxes were constructed by GE Peterborough so it was a great connection to bring that back together as our new opportunity.”

GE Peterborough made the original boxes and have been in place since 2014. They typically hold flowers and plants and plan to add vegetables soon. According to Conlin, the gardens allow the students to learn about gardening, sustainability, and teamwork as they are responsible for their maintenance.

“We have a garden club within the school so they work to learn about new plant species and learn how to have sustainable gardening,” explained Conlin. “We do have classes come out, often in the spring, to learn about how to start planting right from seed and gives them the opportunity to do that right on site and see the progress that's made here.”

The gardens also help revitalize the school so students can be educated in a pleasant atmosphere and take pride in their institution, said Conlin.

“What we like about it too is that it's showcasing the beauty of our awesome school and having pride in it in making it so nice out here,” he explained. “They like to have that experience to be out here doing that.”

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Elementary School's Breakfast Club Gets Cooking After Donation of Two Ovens From Rotary Club of Peterborough

Prince of Wales’s Breakfast Club kicked off the school year on the right foot as they received two new ovens donated from the Rotary Club of Peterborough and unveiled on Tuesday morning.

Thea Chaput, Grade 6 (left); Camryn Chaput, Grade 5 (middle) and Sophie Bradley, Grade 7 (middle right) getting '“apple-loutely’ excited over the new overs with Colin Mackenzie, Rotary volunteer (Middle left) and Tommy Reburn of Leon’s Peterborough (right). Volunteers and Rotary Club members have been providing breakfast to the Prince of Wales students for nearly 30 years. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

An official ribbon-cutting ceremony commemorated the ovens and the Rotary’s work during breakfast hours at the school.

The program feeds roughly over 500 children according to Brad Conlin, Prince of Wales principal.

“The School Nutrition Program has a major impact on the safety, well-being and belongingness of our students,” he said. “Many students use the breakfast program not only as a place to fill their tummies for the start of their day, but it is a place that students can use as a soft-start transition from home to school.”

At the end of the last school year, the ovens began to malfunction, making it difficult to prepare meals promptly and efficiently.

“Faces of trusted adults and the impact of our volunteers goes beyond the needs of just the healthy breakfasts and lunches that are provided,” said Conlin. “The staff and volunteers always have a lens of inclusivity which fosters an environment of food for some, food for all.”

Peterborough Rotarian of the Year and volunteer Catherine Hanrahan contacted her fellow Realtor colleague at Century 21 United, Tom Reburn, who also owns Leon’s. His company supplied, delivered, and installed them free of charge during the last week of August.

“Leon’s is well known as a great community supporter so I didn’t hesitate to reach out to my friend Tom to see if he could hook us up two new stoves and a microwave.” says Hanrahan.

One Prince of Wales student highlighted the club's importance and how having breakfast can positively impact a child’s learning experience.

“This year, as soon as I saw the first person go in the Breakfast Club doors, I went in as well. I was hungry and I didn’t have a chance to eat breakfast. At my old school we had plain oatmeal everyday. At POW we have a variety of foods. A couple of days ago we had eggs, hash browns, and cereal. If we have eggs three days in a row, they are always cooked differently. The program is really important to me because in the morning sometimes I can make myself a hot chocolate but most of the days I don’t have time. After I eat breakfast, it helps me to focus better at school. There are a lot of community volunteers and they are always treating us nicely and coming to our tables to ask us if we want more. I would love to volunteer because I love to cook. Today I helped a little girl make her yogurt more tasty by squeezing an orange into her yogurt like the adult volunteer showed us how to do. Another day I helped that girl’s little sister when she spilled her drink all over herself and the floor. Children from every grade can eat breakfast together, whether they can’t afford it, or they didn’t have time that day. That is why Breakfast Club is important to me and the rest of the school.”

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