It is her safe haven. A place she can turn to help bring her peace of mind.
That is what the new greenhouse at Kainai High School means to Lakita Across The Mountain
“If I have something that I need to forget or if I am stressed out in school, it is easy just to come here and do what you love” she said.
The greenhouse, which had been abandoned for 15 years, was resurrected this fall with the help of a student-led initiative to incorporate agriculture into the school’s curriculum. The 16-year-old said the class has opened her up to a whole new world.
“Not a lot of people can go to the a grocery store and it is easier just to plant stuff, so you can get your own food and you will know how to take care of stuff.”
The schools agriculture program is part of a larger initiative by the Blood Tribe to encourage growing local and overall sustainability across the Reserve.
Agriculture teacher Sarah Tricker explained the project provides students with skills they can apply to their everyday lives. “Sometimes children don’t really grasp where their food comes from and they take it for granted that we just go into a super market” she said.
“It’s really important they actually learn how to make food, where it comes from, grow it themselves.”
Tricker said the goal is to have the greenhouse up and running all year round, offering courses on nurseries, crops, gardening and landscaping.
“Not only is it about coming to the greenhouse and growing food for yourself. But it applies to the entrepreneurship, owning your own business. It applies to social studies when you’re looking at globalization.”
Lakita hopes the greenhouse produces more eco-warriors such as herself, creating more awareness about the importance of sustainability.
“The environment is all around us. We need to take care of it or we won’t really have anything else.”
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