A tea-riffic initiative

By Emmy Bailey Times Contributor

Students at Carseland School are setting a standard for what green really means.
The leadership students are running their own tea company, and for the last three years it’s only been gaining in popularity.
“We voted on the name Green Thumbs,” said Taylor Chatwin, one of the students involved.
The fifth and sixth graders have been working on this hands-on project since 2016.
The idea was first planted when they started their garden boxes, planting mint and chocolate mint. At the time the sixth graders were doing the Trees and Forests unit in science class, and were learning about plants and their uses in the area.
“Mint grows along the Bow River, and we learned the Blackfoot word for mint which is ka ki tsi moo. We also learned mint tea can help an upset stomach,” said Taylor about their initiative’s origins.
The students decided to make their mint into tea, and that into a company.
Alongside their teacher, Claire Wade, the students hold board meetings as a class to make decisions for their company. It’s run much like businesses in the adult world.
“I am one of the CEOs,” Kyle Ledger said. He also suggested the company’s motto: Cup for a cause.
The classes are all about giving back to their community with the project, using proceeds from each year for specific causes.
“This year, we are donating our profits to the Mustard Seed, the Carseland Library, and helping to purchase a basketball net for our school,” said Taylor.
Not only are they getting a good dose of science skills, the kids are gaining entrepreneurial skills from working as a team.
Since their rise in popularity, they have begun implementing new mint teas to sell, including spearmint, strawberry mint and even pineapple mint. With the initiatives taken by these business-savvy classes, Green Thumbs gets two thumbs up from the community.