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Growing Dome
Something exciting has sprouted on the shores of Lake Omar this year: Shawnigan’s very own Growing Dome! The Brew Creek Centre in Whistler generously donated this geodesic greenhouse to the School with the goal of promoting youth education and environmental connection around the important issues of food security, health, and production, and the School community has been eagerly awaiting its completion since construction began last summer. Following much anticipation, the first crops were planted just a few weeks ago!
This impressive structure differs from a traditional greenhouse in a few key ways. The round shape (ours is 40 feet in diameter) allows for sunlight to be evenly dispersed throughout the day; fans and solar powered vents work with the shape of the dome to support constant airflow; a pool inside the dome helps to stabilize the air temperature; and undersoil pipes maintain stable soil temperatures.
This fall, Shawnigan was delighted to welcome horticulturist Jasmine Bal to manage the dome. Her training in Applied Biology in Food and the Environment and prior experience managing a schoolyard farm, living on an organic coffee farm in Kona, and studying agriculture in Italy have made her a perfect fit.
“My interest in food began when I was in my teens and I thought I wanted to study nutritional science,” she shares. “But while I was in university, I discovered a passion for growing food.”
Jasmine has been tasked with both managing the Growing Dome and cultivating an educational program for the School. Her days are filled with diverse activities including monitoring and tweaking the dome’s micro-climate to ensure the perfect humidity, temperature and airflow are achieved, maintaining the organic garden already established on campus, and working with different student groups. This year she has discussed soil sciences with the Environmental Science classes, nutrition with the Health and Career classes, and perhaps most importantly, started the Sustainable Produce Under Dome (SPUD) 360.
“The best part of my week is working with SPUD on Mondays and Wednesdays,” shares Jasmine. “I do my best to have varied projects for students to learn about the many facets of growing organic produce in a greenhouse and outside.”
The SPUD 360 began in February of this year. Since then, they have worked incredibly hard to help set up the dome while construction was being completed. Their work this year has included building a vermicomposter (worm bin), inoculating mushroom spores, hanging all the special grow lights around the perimeter of the dome, seeding many crops, and planting and managing the School’s organic garden using all organic practices. Recently, they were able to enjoy the fruit of their labours by teaming up with the Cooking for Life 360 to pickle their homegrown radishes.
“SPUD is the backbone of the dome,” explains Jasmine. “While I do all the crop planting and most of the seeding, SPUD has been integral to getting the dome up and running. I save big projects for SPUD such as planting trees. We had a few cubic yards of compost delivered that would have taken me all day to move into the dome, but with the help of SPUD, we could do it in an hour.”
The Growing Dome is already a veritable cornucopia of produce, boasting a wide variety of fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, melons, peppers, cucumbers, eggplant, lettuce, onions, carrots and beets. The SPUD group even planted guava and passionfruit trees recently! All the produce grown in the dome will be used by the School; some of it will be used to supplement the main kitchen, but it will also be used by the Stag Café and the Cooking for Life 360.
“Most importantly, the dome will allow students an invaluable learning opportunity they will be able to take with them far after their time here,” says Jasmine.
“In September, the dome will be filled with fresh produce – please come and say hi!”
Shawnigan Lake School is adhering to all COVID-19 guidelines released by the BC Ministries of Health and Education, including those regarding learning cohorts, physical distancing and mask-wearing when appropriate.
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This fall, Shawnigan was delighted to welcome horticulturist Jasmine Bal to manage the dome. Her training in Applied Biology in Food and the Environment and prior experience managing a schoolyard farm, living on an organic coffee farm in Kona, and studying agriculture in Italy have made her a perfect fit.
“My interest in food began when I was in my teens and I thought I wanted to study nutritional science,” she shares. “But while I was in university, I discovered a passion for growing food.”
Jasmine has been tasked with both managing the Growing Dome and cultivating an educational program for the School. Her days are filled with diverse activities including monitoring and tweaking the dome’s micro-climate to ensure the perfect humidity, temperature and airflow are achieved, maintaining the organic garden already established on campus, and working with different student groups. This year she has discussed soil sciences with the Environmental Science classes, nutrition with the Health and Career classes, and perhaps most importantly, started the Sustainable Produce Under Dome (SPUD) 360.
“The best part of my week is working with SPUD on Mondays and Wednesdays,” shares Jasmine. “I do my best to have varied projects for students to learn about the many facets of growing organic produce in a greenhouse and outside.”
The SPUD 360 began in February of this year. Since then, they have worked incredibly hard to help set up the dome while construction was being completed. Their work this year has included building a vermicomposter (worm bin), inoculating mushroom spores, hanging all the special grow lights around the perimeter of the dome, seeding many crops, and planting and managing the School’s organic garden using all organic practices. Recently, they were able to enjoy the fruit of their labours by teaming up with the Cooking for Life 360 to pickle their homegrown radishes.
“SPUD is the backbone of the dome,” explains Jasmine. “While I do all the crop planting and most of the seeding, SPUD has been integral to getting the dome up and running. I save big projects for SPUD such as planting trees. We had a few cubic yards of compost delivered that would have taken me all day to move into the dome, but with the help of SPUD, we could do it in an hour.”
The Growing Dome is already a veritable cornucopia of produce, boasting a wide variety of fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, melons, peppers, cucumbers, eggplant, lettuce, onions, carrots and beets. The SPUD group even planted guava and passionfruit trees recently! All the produce grown in the dome will be used by the School; some of it will be used to supplement the main kitchen, but it will also be used by the Stag Café and the Cooking for Life 360.
“Most importantly, the dome will allow students an invaluable learning opportunity they will be able to take with them far after their time here,” says Jasmine.
“In September, the dome will be filled with fresh produce – please come and say hi!”
Shawnigan Lake School is adhering to all COVID-19 guidelines released by the BC Ministries of Health and Education, including those regarding learning cohorts, physical distancing and mask-wearing when appropriate.
We acknowledge with respect the Coast Salish Peoples on whose traditional lands and waterways we live, learn and play. We are grateful for the opportunity to share in this beautiful region, and we aspire to healthy and respectful relationships with those who have lived on and cared for these lands for millennia.
Shawnigan Lake School is an independent co-educational boarding school for ages 13 –18 on Canada’s beautiful West Coast. Our diverse, interdisciplinary and innovative programming helps shape the next generation of global leaders.
