b'SARAH FOSTERPRESIDENT AND SENIOR SEED ANALYST, 20/20 SEED LABSSarah@2020seedlabs.ca @Sarah2020labs2020seedlabs.caWhy we Turned our Boardroominto an Elementary SchoolNEVER IN MY wildest dreams did I think ourSo, as you read this, children lab would become an elementary school. from Grades 1-8 are being Here in Alberta we recently had 16taught right here at our Nisku schools experience outbreaks of the novellocation. We have an area coronavirus.Thats a concern for many,for crafts, a painting area, a including several of our employees withkitchen for cooking classes to young school-age children. take place, and a reading area. The safety of our staff is paramount. IfThe kids are in class while their our staff and their families arent healthy,parents work in our lab from 8 we put one another at risk. By extension,a.m. until 4:30 p.m.we put our customers at risk, both inNo, were not in the business terms of reduced service and in potentialof educating children. Thats sup-exposure to the virus. posed to be the provinces job. So, with everyones best interests inBut COVID-19 has taught us that mind, we recently hired tutor Briannain times like these, our kids futures Moore, a trained child psychologist andbecome our own collective responsi-speech pathologist, to teach up to 11 chil- bility.dren in what used to be our boardroom. It feels strange to hear the laugh-Its funny to think of our Nisku loca- ter of children while we go about our tion as a rural schoolhouse. At one time,workday testing seed, but it one-room rural schoolhouses operatedsomehow feels right. Like all over the province, as they did in everyweve returned to a way of other province in Canada. As urbanizationlife that has sadly been lost picked up speed, one by one they shutas weve abandoned tradition down in favour of large schools based inin favour of doing things the more populated areas. modern way.In some ways, this represents theAt the end of the day, its natural evolution of our society. As manya testament to agriculture. rural villages died out, it only made senseWe can adapt to present to send children to more centralizedcircumstances by using the schools. But when a virus is going around,past as our guide to do suddenly big schools with big class sizeswhats best for our kids in become a liability and put public health atthe here and now.stake.NOVEMBER 2020 GERMINATION.CA 29'