Nakoda Elementary School is home to a large and beautiful school garden. The garden features a prominent ground-level medicine wheel outlined with repurposed tires, where native bushes are growing. Beside it, there are nine raised garden beds arranged in a circular, medicine wheel-inspired layout, honoring Indigenous knowledge and symbolizing balance and interconnectedness.
The garden also includes a washing station and a set of rain barrels, supporting sustainable practices and experiential learning.
Similar to the Chief Jacob Bearspaw School garden, two local youth are hired over the summer to care for the garden under the Eco-Guardians Youth Training and Mentorship program. This ensures the garden is well maintained during the summer break and, come fall, students return to a thriving space where they can harvest fresh, locally grown food. Even more meaningfully, they can share this harvest not only with their classmates, but also with Elders and community members.
