The PEPÁḴEṈ HÁUTW̱ Native Plants & Garden program offers weekly workshops for the students at the ȽÁU,WELṈEW Tribal School and W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Secondary. We teach students about growing, planting, and harvesting native plants like JSÁY (douglas fir), ḰȽO,EL (camas) and DEḴEṈIȽĆ (thimbleberry) as well as growing fruits and vegetables like kale, raspberries, carrots… and more!
Our workshops are taught on school grounds at PEPÁḴEṈ HÁUTW̱, which has been blooming and expanding for the last ten years. Students also participate in ecosystem restoration projects like the ȾIḴEL located on school grounds and the original W̱SÁNEĆ village site of SṈIDȻEȽ. We are expanding our restoration work and look forward to bringing students to even more special places in need of healing.
We also put on three exciting events for our students every year! The ĆENIȾEȽOṈSET (autumn) Harvest Feast, the ĆEN₭I,LES (spring) Earth Day Tea Festival, and the ĆENQÁLES (summer) Celebration are incredible opportunities for kids to enjoy healthy and traditional foods in a fun atmosphere, sharing all the cool plant knowledge they have learned with each other over the course of the school year.
Our unique program can be a model for programs across the region and beyond! Check out our lesson plans and resources that can be adapted and shared freely.
