On May 4, 2026, the second annual Student Plant Communities Film Festival was held at Tupper Secondary.  The film festival is the result of teachers who are passionate about outdoor and place-based learning. Inspired by a similar festival in the Sunshine Coast School District, Vancouver School Board (VSB) educators created their own event to showcase student learning, creativity, and connections to local ecosystems. Many participating teachers are members of the Urban Nature Inclusive Teaching Environment (UNITE), a Vancouver-based chapter of the Environmental Educators Provincial Specialist Association.

Building on the success of last year’s event, this year’s Indigenous plant-themed festival moved to Tupper Secondary to accommodate a larger audience. The festival also expanded, welcoming two additional schools.

One newcomer was Riley Martens, a teacher at Cook Elementary and a member of UNITE.

“I decided to get my class involved, and we've been really pushing for outdoor education—getting into the forest and learning about different plants,” he said. “We’ve been making plant pamphlets and extending that learning into videos.” This year, the eight participating schools were:

• Sir James Douglas Elementary
• James Cook Elementary
• Florence Nightingale Elementary
• Nelson Elementary
• Strathcona Elementary
• David Oppenheimer Elementary
• Edith Cavell Elementary
• Xpey’ Elementary

Through their films, students educated the audience about the many uses of local plants. For example, Ocean Spray may sound familiar as a brand of cranberry juice, but did you know that it is also the name of a beautiful shrub native to the Pacific Northwest?

“Ocean spray is fluffy with little flowers, like a cloud. Ocean spray branches can be used as fishing equipment,” said Maria from Nightingale.

At the end of the festival, judges awarded films in the following categories:

• Primary: Strathcona – Sitka Spruce
• Cinematography: Nightingale – Licorice Fern
• Informative: Cavell – Wild Strawberry
• Creative: Douglas – Stinging Nettle
• Future Filmmaker: Cook – Mushroom Murder

Thank you to all who submitted videos. Students, families and staff alike enjoyed the opportunity to share, learn, and celebrate together.