Growing Connections: How Hydroponics is Bringing Niji Mahkwa and R.B. Russell Students Together

For the third year in a row, a learning experience rooted in collaboration is bringing together Grade 4 and 5 students from Niji Mahkwa School and Grade 10 and 12 students from R.B. Russell Vocational High School.  What began as a small initiative with two hydroponic towers at the Inner-City Science Centre (ICSC) at Niji has grown into an experience that invites students to explore the world of horticulture.

How are we teaching younger generations about environmental sustainability? That question sparked the creation of this project.

Integrating hydroponics into educational settings not only helps students understand the technical processes behind growing plants, but it also allows them to appreciate the responsibility of caring for the natural world. Teacher Elena Mallin from the ICSC explains that the towers were introduced as a way for students at Niji to learn about plants, food security, Indigenous knowledge and hands on science with guidance from R.B. Russell students.

Since its first year, the collaboration has engaged nearly 50 students from Niji who plant seeds, set up the systems, and harvest the towers under the support of their high school partners.

Hydroponic towers at R.B. Russell High School.

Mallin shares that students from Niji are not only engaged but genuinely excited to care for the towers and spend time with their mentors. “Many students who were shy or acting out are more dialed in. They develop connections with people and the subject matter,” she explains.

By the end of the first session, some students are already asking to be paired with the same senior mentors again. Words of appreciation flow easily, and every so often a quiet “can I give you a hug?” reveals just how deeply this experience resonates with them.

During the sessions, students engage in different activities such as creating floral arrangements.

At R.B. Russell, the benefits are equally powerful. Louise Shachtay, teacher of the Horticultural and Landscaping Program, describes the project as a place where students learn to lead, mentor, and take pride in their skills. For her, the initiative helps to create an empowering space for both schools where students feel welcome, respected and excited to learn about the world of horticulture.

Watching her students grow into leaders is one of her favourite parts. She explains that students who begin mentoring in Grades 9 or 10 often start shy but become confident leaders by Grades 11 and 12. “I have observed siblings from one school mentor the other. The admiration grows overtime with the younger students wanting to be like the older students and work with them in the greenhouses or in the gardens” says Louise.

They also get to learn about traiditional plants and their benefits.Later in the school year, students will harvest the towers and come together to make salads and bannock pizza, turning their hard work into something they can taste, share, and celebrate.

Until then, each session becomes its own moment of growth and a chance to build a meaningful connection to the natural world. Shachtay reflects, “Perhaps this will help spark a wanderlust and curiosity in these young minds in the field of horticulture. Future horticulturists? Scientists? Farmers? Landscapers? Arborists?”

Projects like this can shift perspectives and shape futures, and for young people, whose stewardship of natural ecosystems will shape our world, this kind of hands-on learning is transformative.