It\u2019s not a full contact sport, but it is full contact, and thanks to a $2,000 grant from the Whole Kids Foundation, garden operations at MTS Elementary are engaging students to a higher degree.
\nYoungsters and teachers weed, pick, cook and eat fruits and vegetables from the garden\u00a0 behind the school and in a small greenhouse just inside the school.
\nSecond grade teacher Sonni Sylvester helps lead the charge, which includes a summer maintenance schedule for watering and weeding.\u00a0 Sylvester focuses on plant life cycles while fifth grade teacher Amy Gleason helps organize the garden and planting.
\nWhen harvest times come, students are allowed to eat as they pick.\u00a0 \u201cHalf comes in (to school) and half goes in your mouth,\u201d said Director Sheila Casey.\u00a0 Using the items that come in, students make veggie pizzas, applesauce and other palate pleasing creations.
\nCasey said students here typically don\u2019t see vegetables as they come out of the ground, so it\u2019s a completely different experience for them.\u00a0 \u201cI think it helps them to think outside of themselves with a community garden, and they\u2019re all working on it,\u201d she said.
\nThe variety of herbs, vegetables and fruits includes kale, lettuce, raspberries and apples.\u00a0 Grant dollars are being used for tomato vine fences, a rain barrel for water, seeds, planter beds and new lights in the greenhouse.\u00a0 The garden has a 10-year history and MTS Elementary is in its third year at the facility.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It\u2019s not a full contact sport, but it is full contact, and thanks to a $2,000 grant from the Whole Kids Foundation, garden operations at MTS Elementary are engaging students<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11818,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11452","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n