Students pollinate tomatoes right beside books in Ecole Leblanc’s library. Cucumbers, fine herbs, and lettuce also grow here. The high school in eastern Laval is home to 20 hydroponic towers. “When you take care of plants, you think more about school and exams. It feels good to just change the subject,” said student Lila Rehab. Teachers created the project in 2019 to introduce teenagers to urban agriculture. Teacher Mathieu Pelland says it’s rewarding when students who struggle in school get involved and see results. Around 60 students work with horticulturist Justine McLaughlin. She’s from a community organization called Coalition de l’Est. “They help me with the harvest, they help me with the seedlings. So they really help with all the parts. There’s not really anything that I do without them except for the planning,” said McLaughlin. Laval’s public health department funds the project, part of their initiative to promote mental health and prevent addiction among students. “When the school approached us with this project, it was obvious that it was going to be part of our, action plan,” said Julie Thibert, CISSS Laval Public Health Department Promotion Prevention Consultant. Some things grow faster than others. McLaughlin says it takes seven weeks for lettuce to go from seed to harvest. The high school tries to donate as much as they can. “We donate all of the food that we produce to the food banks of the east of Laval, which is another great thing. It has a direct impact on multiple people. We help about 200 families a month, with the harvest that we do,” she said. Students say it allows them to give back to the community but also prepare for the future.
