Agriculture in the Classroom Canada announces Mission Explorium winner

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Winnipeg, MB (Rural Roots Canada) – A Grade 6 class from Templeton Academy in Meadows, N.L., has been named the national winner of Mission Explorium, a Canada-wide agriculture education program that challenges students to solve real-world food and sustainability issues.

More than 5,300 students in Grades 6 to 8 participated in the Agriculture in the Classroom Canada program this year. Students were tasked with designing a sustainable community on a deserted island while learning about agriculture, food systems, ecosystems and resource management.

Mercedes Unwin, manager of educational programs and resources with Agriculture in the Classroom Canada, said Mission Explorium combines agricultural literacy with hands-on learning and problem solving.

“Mission Explorium is a problem-based learning program where classes from all across Canada come together to compete and learn about the Canadian agriculture and food system,” Unwin said.

Students work through a series of challenges before applying what they have learned to create a sustainable island community. Classes first compete at a regional level before advancing to the national competition.

Templeton Academy’s winning video impressed judges with its creativity, storytelling and understanding of sustainable food systems.

Unwin said students used recyclable materials to build their island and carefully considered how climate, precipitation and available resources would affect agriculture and food production.

“They were very thoughtful in thinking about climate and what animals or plants would be able to grow on their island,” she said. “They also thought about food production and how they would build a sustainable farm system that could support their community.”

The winning class and teacher, Nicole Lovell, will receive an indoor garden donated by Plantaform. The prize is designed to help students continue learning about food production and sustainability in the classroom.

Beyond agricultural knowledge, Unwin said students develop many other skills throughout the program.

“They had to collaborate with each other as a whole class. They had to be creative, innovative, and problem-solve,” she said.

Mission Explorium launched in 2023 and just completed its third year. Agriculture in the Classroom Canada says the program will return in 2027 with new challenges for students across the country.

The winning Mission Explorium video can be viewed at this link.

Photo credit: Agriculture in the Classroom Canada.

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