As we were gaining momentum in the launch of our school garden projects, COVID hit the world.
In February 2020, we launched a partnership with Fort Caroline Elementary School (FCES) after getting a Whole Foods Foundation grant. As soon as the raised beds were designed and built, we had to shut down.
After a two-year hiatus, I’m super excited to announce my latest school collaboration. Now that the pandemic is pretty much under control, I wanted to get back to work. So, in addition to picking up where we left off with FCES, we have brought on a new school.
Arlington Elementary School is a wonderful school with a phenomenal principal who just “gets it”. She has a remarkable energy for this work. She understands the value of school gardens, and she is really motivated to integrate the garden into her elementary science classes.
Unlike the other schools that launched their gardens through a garden club, we will implement these school gardens through the science classes, with a STEM focus. Though Arlington Elementary is K-5, we will focus on the early grades.
Arlington Elementary is a historical school that recently celebrated its 100-year anniversary. This small, neighborhood school has so much charm and character. The school population as of the last school year was approximately 220 students.
There are two beautiful courtyards on the campus that are perfect sites to build upon. They are currently a bit overgrown, but there is so much potential. There is a plant garden with a reading bench to inspire the students to develop a love for reading. This project will be the school’s first edible vegetable garden. The project will launch in September.
We are fortunate to have the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences as our primary partner. They are providing some initial resources, including seeds and irrigation systems to facilitate the process.
Overall, our objectives are to implement an edible school garden with a STEM focus, inspire parents to consume more plant based foods, provide nutrition workshops with cooking demonstrations, and teach the students entrepreneurial skills through a harvest day farmer’s market.
We will keep you posted on this new project and our progress. In the meantime, if you’d like to donate to this project or sponsor a new school garden project, please click here.
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