Mont Fleuri primary gets plants to embellish its garden   |25 March 2022

Pupils Julia Pointe and Leah Jean reciting their poems (Photo: Joena Meme)

The Mont Fleuri primary school has received a selection of spice and vegetable plants from the Seychelles National Youth Council (SNYC) for its school garden.

It was SNYC’s representatives Sabrina Dick and Christopher Philoe who presented the plants to the school’s head teacher, Daniela Vidot, in a short ceremony that was held on Tuesday morning at the school in the presence of students, teachers, representatives of the school’s council and other representatives of SNYC.

The plants to embellish the school garden will be planted by the teachers and students of the school’s eco-club and by students doing agriculture classes in the technology enterprise curriculum.  

The plants came from Jacques Matombe Farm, Anse Royale, who generously handed them to SNYC, upon request, to be donated to the school.

Speaking about their garden, teacher Marie-May Vital stated that as a hands-on partner to classroom work, it provides a fun and engaging way to teach almost any subject – from science and maths to social studies and art – bringing lessons to life through direct experience and kinesthetic participation.

She added that the establishment of a school garden moves students to an understanding of the most basic life systems to understanding where their food comes from and fosters curiosity about the most majestic of the natural world’s processes.

“The garden engenders a spirit of wonder, sweetness, passion, awe, interconnectedness and a sense of place. In this micro-plot of ground, we hope our students will learn the macro lessons that will sustain them and the earth for the next generation,” she said. 

After pupils Julia Pointe and Leah Jean had recited their poems, written for the occasion, entitled ‘The Little Garden’ and ‘Vegetables’, teacher Betty Walters from the eco-club, thanked SNYC and Mr Matombe for partnering with the school to embellish their garden.

She expressed her wish for the partnership to continue for the success and development of the students.

Head teacher Vidot later said that the school had approached SNYC, as one of its partners, for plants to put in the garden as it needed some embellishment following the pandemic.

Ms Dick from SNYC said that, as a youth organisation, it is part of the council’s mandate to attend to and  facilitate the needs of students in schools and it is the reason why the council meets up with school leaders for discussion on youth issues within the school.

She added that through their discussion with head teacher Vidot, the embellishment of the garden was among one of the requests made by the school for the benefit of the students.  

Patrick Joubert