The Armstrong Elementary School Garden was built in spring 2025 through the combined efforts of our school community. What began as an idea from two AES teachers quickly became a shared vision, supported by school leadership, PAC, families, and the broader community.
This PAC-led special project was approved in early 2024, and construction took place over about three months in spring 2025. The garden was built to create a hands-on learning space where students could grow plants, explore nature, and connect with the outdoors.
The total construction value of the garden including materials, contractor labor, equipment, and infrastructure was approximately $50K. And without the hundreds of hours of volunteer labour, the project would have likely cost much more. Thanks to generous in-kind donations and discounts from local businesses, AES PAC was able to complete the project for a lower cash cost of about $42K. Funds were raised through PAC-led fundraising campaigns, community donations, and garden grant programs.
The garden was designed and built with the support of school staff, students, parents, and our Principal. While volunteers handled much of the build, like garden beds and soil placement, certain infrastructure (like fencing and plumbing) required professional contractors due to school district policies. Construction was completed in phases, and the result is a beautiful, functional outdoor space for students to enjoy for years to come.
Project beginnings
The Armstrong Elementary School Garden was built by our school community, for our school community.
This special project began with a shared vision from two dedicated AES teachers. They proposed creating an outdoor garden space where children could connect with nature, explore hands-on learning, and grow their own food. Principal Val Edgell embraced the idea and brought it to the Armstrong Elementary School Parents’ Advisory Council in early 2024. PAC enthusiastically voted to adopt the garden as a PAC Special Project and committed to funding, coordinating, and building the garden from the ground up.
To make it happen, several parent volunteers stepped up to lead key parts of the project:
- MJ was nominated as Garden Director to coordinate the overall project and ongoing garden operation.
- Sam was nominated as Construction Project Manager, organizing site work and infrastructure construction.
- Nadine took on the role of Community Donations Lead, gathering support from families and businesses.
- Michelle volunteered to lead grant writing efforts, seeking funding from local, regional, and national sources.
- Nanae volunteered to coordinate volunteers for construction of the garden.
Construction timeline
Meetings with the School District began in Spring 2024 to discuss logistics, site requirements, and district approvals. Design drawings and project plans were developed through Fall 2024. PAC submitted over a dozen grant applications and began fundraising in the community.
The first major construction milestone was the installation of the fence in February 2025, creating a safe and defined garden space. The main entrance gate followed in March.
The cedar garden beds were built during a community Work Party on April 12, 2025. Dozens of volunteers came together to build the raised beds from locally milled cedar lumber. Throughout April, the beds were placed into position and filled with certified-organic garden soil.
Planting officially began on May 12, 2025, as excited students began sowing seeds and transplanting seedlings into the garden beds. Classes continued planting throughout May, bringing the space to life with vegetables, flowers, and herbs.
The potting bench was installed on May 25 as students were finishing up initial planting. Then on May 30, during the school’s annual Spring Festival, families planted apple trees and helped work on installing the irrigation system. The watering system installation was finished by volunteers several days later on June 3, 2025.
Expenses of constructing the school garden
The list below shows the estimated value of major components of the Armstrong Elementary School Garden. While these figures reflect what the materials and services would cost, many items were donated in-kind by generous community members and local businesses. Many key items were also discounted by the supplier, significantly lowering the out-of-pocket cash expenses. Thanks to these donations, we didn’t have to raise the full cost amount in cash.
Total Estimated Cost = $49,400
Cost Breakdown:
- Fencing Contractor: $23,000
- Lumber Mill: $14,000
- Hardware Store: $4,000
- Soil: $3,000
- Fruit Trees: $1,800
- Garden Centre: $1,500
- School District Plumber: $1,200
- Equipment Rentals: $600
- Gravel: $300
Funding construction of the school garden
AES PAC fundraising campaigns were the main source of funding for the school garden, and were used to fund the ornamental metal deer fence as well as the cost of the lumber for the garden beds and potting bench. PAC worked to fund the remainder of construction costs through donations and grants. AES PAC applied for over a dozen grants and spoke with over a hundred local businesses to raise the money needed to build long-lasting garden infrastructure. We are extremely grateful to all our donors and supporters.
Total Cash Funding = $42,343.85
Cash Funding Breakdown:
- AES PAC Fundraising Campaigns: $27,893.55
- Community Donations: $6,950.30
- Garden Grants: $7,500.00
The cash totals shown above do not include any in-kind donations of materials, equipment, or labour. Only cash contributions are included in the funding numbers above.
Photos of school garden construction (spring 2025)
