Are you plotting your garden, or looking for a beautiful Mother’s Day gift? There are two ways to support the MEI Agriculture Program, while beautifying your space:
- Online ordering is OPEN > https://mei-plant-sales.myshopify.com
- In-person sale of any remaining hanging baskets and bedding plants will be on Saturday, May 8, from 12-4 pm. Location is in the MEI gravel parking lot across from the Elementary School. This will be a drive up cash sale. All proceeds will be to fund MEI’s Agriculture Program which grows fresh produce for the Abbotsford Food Bank.
Watch a short clip about MEI Agriculture
MEI Schools partnered with Devan Greenhouses Ltd. to get a head start on the season before turning on our own green house March 1? Grade 11 & 12 MEI Agriculture students have been putting together and caring for the plants in this sale, while learning about agricultural science, feeding the hungry in our community and brightening up gardens around Abbotsford.
OUTSTANDING TEACHER AWARD
AGRICULTURE feature in Connections Newsletter, May 2021
Submitted by Mark Thiessen, MEI Secondary Principal
Mr. Gary Funk has been selected for the Outstanding Agriculture Teacher Award for 2020 by the BC Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation.
Pictured are Agriculture Program leaders from our 3 schools; Gary Funk (center) with Lesley Willms (left) and Kalina Hein (right)
In March of 2018, on behalf of MEI, Gary applied for and was successful in attaining an Agriculture Enhancement Grant through the Abbotsford Community Foundation. Gary also gathered a small team of other teachers interested in agriculture around him to form the MEI Schools Agriculture Program (since re-named the MEI Ecological Stewardship Program). This team, under Gary’s leadership, has been very successful in building the infrastructure and curriculum for an agriculture program that now runs across the grades from Preschool to Grade 12 at MEI.
The opportunities for students are endless. Elementary students can grow plants from seed, middle school students can devise botany experiments, and Secondary students can take a Specialized Science 12 (Agriculture Stewardship) course for graduation credits. The first Agriculture Stewardship class was offered in February 2020 and grew produce for MEI’s Foods Department and local charities. Two of these classes are currently being offered at the Secondary this year.
Congratulations to Gary, his team members from the other MEI schools (Lesley Willms, MEI Elementary & Kalina Hein, MEI Middle), and to all of the other MEI staff who have helped to get our agriculture program off the ground and flourishing.
“Gary has gone above and beyond in his teaching of agriculture, linking it to curriculum and has been a leader and example in agriculture education for his colleagues and students!”
Pat Tonn, BCAITC Executive Director
“This award is really for all who contributed to the program. It is a real honour, and is much appreciated.”
Gary Funk, MEI Secondary Teacher (MEI Class of 1984)
