Berkeley Leader

Berkeley County Middle College High School issued the following announcement on February 17.

Cainhoy Elementary is getting an exciting new educational tool that will benefit the entire school and provide a hands-on learning experience for students.

School librarian Brita Swenson, cafeteria manager Peggy Kirkland and school nurse Elizabeth Padgett recently applied for, and were awarded, the 2022 School Gardening to SC Educators Grant through the Clemson Cooperative Extension and the SC Farm to School Programs, meaning Cainhoy Elementary is getting a new school garden.

The garden will officially be established after the grant team members have all completed the required Clemson Extension course, which runs from March 2 through April 8.

Swenson serves as the team leader, joined by Kirkland and Padgett, as well as first-grade teacher Helen Withers-Ross, third-grade teacher Jennifer Rutledge and fourth-grade teacher Keisha Rose-Livert.

“I was notified via e-mail that our school had won this grant,” Swenson said. “Since we submitted the grant in November, I had forgotten about it, so when I saw the e-mail, I was very excited.”

Swenson said having a school garden is important to her for several reasons. The garden will give students access to a variety of fresh vegetables. It will allow students to gain an understanding of gardening basics so that they might one day start their own garden and educate others.

It also allows the school to educate students about the importance of healthy eating, and gives students a hands-on science lesson through garden maintenance.

As the team leader, Swenson said she is responsible for making sure all the school personnel follow the requirements put in place by Clemson Cooperative Extension, South Carolina Farm to School, and the SCDE. Once the garden is up and running, she will help the students plant seeds and assist them in taking care of the garden. She will also help the team members and teachers establish planting, maintenance and care schedules for students. 

Additionally, she will help teachers with standards-based lessons centered around the garden, food waste, composting, plants, and bees and pollination. 

Once the team finishes training, the school will receive a “Turn Key School Garden Kit.” The kit will include a variety of items including mulch, compost, flower and vegetable soil, fertilizer, hoses, hay and assorted gardening tools. Clemson Extension will deliver plants and seeds to the school four times a year.

Students will plant and harvest lots of different produce, including green beans, squash, carrots, beets, radishes, peas, lettuce, broccoli, kale, onions, collards and sweet potatoes.

Padgett said she is looking forward to the students being able to grow their own produce, and that she hopes it gives the students an opportunity to learn more about healthy and clean eating habits.

“I love the idea of helping them grow vegetables and them being able to see the progress they have made and the outcome of a tiny seed,” she said.” I am hoping this will teach them the value of caring for things and what a little bit of hard work and care can accomplish.”

Kirkland echoed similar thoughts.

"We cannot wait to see our garden grown and the children learning along with it," she said.

Monica Kreber

kreberm@bcsdschools.net

Original source can be found here.