The Marion Institute’s Grow Education Farm-to-School program proves that, if children learn about dirt, seeds and the sun, they will live healthier lives. Some third-graders at Sippican Elementary School already know their way around a garden, thanks to their parents and, in some cases, grandparents.
“My dad has a garden in the back, and I help him all the time,” said Amelia Whinnem, 8. “He grows kale, carrots, beets, butternut squash, cucumbers … he grows tomatoes. … I eat plain cucumbers, I just cut off the top and I just eat them.”
“My grandma grows, like, pumpkins, cucumbers, tomatoes, squash,” said Amina Goodman, 9. “Me and my little cousin … we like to help. We even have our own little wheelbarrow and gardening tools.”
“My nana is a gardener, too, she used to have farm animals traveling and she had two horses,” said Abel Philbrook, 9. “Every single year she grows, like, every single vegetable including watermelon, cantaloupe and pumpkins.”
“My grandfather, he does all these tomatoes, and when he’s going on a trip we go and pick them, so we end up with all the tomatoes,” said Liv Chase, 9. “I used to eat too much candy, now I’m a fruit person.”
“My grandmother … she has a garden, and she mostly does tomatoes and flowers, but she also has strawberries, too,” said Rowan Berube-King, 8.
The five third-graders, with teacher Tracy Anthony, took The Wanderer on a tour of the Grade 3 gardening project that began at Sippican Elementary earlier in the year.
“Every class did something a little different,” said Anthony, who first joined fellow third-grade teachers Mary Jane Couet, Tracy Feeney and Kimberly Souza on a professional-development day. “When we went to the Round The Bend Farm (in South Dartmouth), they were telling us it’s about switching and trying to eat more vegetables and fruits that are grown locally to help with local farming.”
Convenience and price tags relentlessly compete against a plant-based diet, but third-grade classes at Sippican and in other districts such as New Bedford and Westport are more connected to their outside world and are increasingly cognizant of what they consume.
“I know that probably it would be good to, like, buy cranberries more often because we have a lot here in Massachusetts,” said Amelia.
When Nate Sander of the Marion Institute visited in the fall, he introduced many students to general gardening practices, and the outcome was the planting of garlic and clover in brand new, raised gardening beds. Protecting those seeds for the winter months required the planting of pees as a “cover crop.” Now, the beds look like they are covered in green grass or a layer of hay.
The students recalled that Sander brought blackberries that the students planted along the fence, and some of the students planted wildflowers including milkweed to attract Monarch butterflies. “Monarchs only like one flower,” said Rowan.
The students also planted blackberry bushes, and some helped construct the trellises on which the vines will grow next year.
“Every day we did it, it was like a half an hour maybe,” said Abel.
“The sun keeps coming out every time we go out there. We went out there once and it was raining, and then it stopped raining once we got out there,” said Amelia.
“We are thrilled to partner with Sippican’s third-grade teachers and the Marion School District to bring our Grow Education Farm-to-School (Grow FTS) programming to the Tri Town,” stated Liz Wiley, executive director of the Marion Institute in a press release. “These school gardens are microcosms of our regional food system where students learn about plants’ parts, lifecycles, and health benefits as well as the environment and its impact on local food. It is so important for our youth to be connected to their world in this way. We look forward to a great year at Sippican and to growing the partnership across the district’s elementary schools.”
Sander will present in two virtual field trips this winter, then return after April vacation to lead a study of the Monarch butterflies, preside over early-spring plantings before conducting the garlic harvest in June before the end of school. Sander will also be present to discuss the Grow Education project during Sippican’s Arts in Action night this winter.
“It’s wonderful to see our students participate in the Grow FTS program,” stated Sippican Elementary School Principal Marla Brown in the press release. “Having this hands-on learning experience fosters a connection to nature and promotes skills that extend beyond the classroom.”
“Witnessing the positive impact of our new partnership with the Grow Education Farm-to-School program has been truly inspiring,” stated Old Rochester Regional Superintendent of Schools Mike Nelson in the release. “Together, we’ve cultivated a learning environment that goes beyond textbooks by nurturing tangible skills and passion in our students.”
By Mick Colageo