Despite students having been unable to take care of the plants since spring break due to COVID-19, the annual Peter Skene Ogden Secondary School plant sale will go ahead.
“Before Spring Break everything was pretty much ok, the students finished seeding the flowers, tomatoes and peppers, and then COVID-19 came and we had to rethink how to go on,” says teacher Claudia Morgenthaler. “I heard that lots of seed companies were either running short or out of seeds, plus lots of people were planning to become self-sufficient in this unprecedented time and do their own garden. So we continued as planned with the greenhouse.”
With students not attending in person, educational assistants at the school have finished the rest of the planing.
“They are doing such a fantastic job,” says Morgenthaler.
The money from the sale goes back into the program, to buy more seeds, as well as towards other programs at the school such as the woodshop, says Morgenthaler.
The change will undoubtedly be a bit of a bummer for some students. Normally, it’s an easy mark, says Morgenthaler, adding that they just need to be there and do the hands-on part and participate. Now, with students working online, they have to do some written assignments instead, she says.
When plants have been blooming she’s been taking pictures to share with them online, she says.
The sale will be on Saturday, May 23 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, May 24 from 9 a.m. to noon and continue during the week of May 25 to 29 until quantities last during regular school hours. However, there will be no students this year.
People are welcome to wear masks or gloves if that makes them feel more secure and people are asked to follow social distancing rules and to have only a certain amount of people inside the greenhouse at a time. There will be directional arrows and soap and water to wash hands. It’s also a good idea to have a shopping list of what you’re looking for so you can be done quicker, says Morgenthaler.
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