PRPA Helps Build New Outdoor Classroom and Learning Garden at École Roosevelt Community School 

EFFECTIVE SEPTEMBER 18, 2025 

PRINCE RUPERT, BRITISH COLUMBIA – A new outdoor classroom and expanded garden are broadening opportunities for hands-on learning and food education at École Roosevelt Park Community School in Prince Rupert for the new school year. The Salmonberry School Garden project was developed through the latest partnership between the Prince Rupert Port Authority’s (PRPA) Community Investment Fund and School District 52.  

These new assets offer a safe and accessible place for educators, children, and families from the school community to engage in new experiences, gain knowledge, and nurture the skills to grow healthy food locally on the North Coast. 2025-2026 will mark the first full school year of operation for the redesigned space. 

Located on the east side of the school, the Salmonberry School Garden includes raised garden beds, planters, picnic tables, compost bins, a tool shed, and a greenhouse, which enables year-round growing, even in the damper and darker fall and winter months. After celebrating a grand opening in late June, over the summer break members of the school community were invited to help tend to the garden and share the food that they harvested.   

“Through all seasons, our goal with the Salmonberry School Garden project is to embrace conventional gardening practices and emphasize Indigenous Principles of Learning as we continue to develop and grow this space,” said Erika Bader, teacher and project lead. “Students from Kindergarten through Grade 5 will further strengthen their understanding for native plants and build confidence by contributing to the garden’s success.”  

“The Salmonberry School Garden project directly aligns with Community Investment Fund’s purpose, by enriching youth with practical knowledge and abilities that will serve them throughout their lifetime,” said Shaun Stevenson. “Each year, new students, educators, and families can share in its progress, be part of its evolving legacy, and support future food security in the Northwest.”  

PRPA committed $57,000 to the $117,000 project. This is the third time PRPA’s Community Investment Fund has collaborated with School District 52 to create an outdoor classroom or garden at a Prince Rupert public school. In 2023, PRPA partnered to build the ‘Syndooynm Na Ḵ’oom’ or ‘Garden of Hope’ at Conrad Elementary School. In 2022, PRPA supported the development of a sheltered outdoor classroom at Lax Kxeen Elementary School.