Middle School

 We are a new Waldorf methods based charter school in Colorado Springs with Agricultural Arts and Cooking Nutrition as an integral part of our curriculum.  Although 33% of our students qualify for free and reduced lunch, we have chosen to be independent of state/federal program - our students brown bag snacks and lunch. We plan to expand our gardens and growing spaces (which started on a parking lot bed) to help support a locally sourced school food and our existing cooking program.

 Students meet once a week during the school year after school. We plant potatoes, tomatoes, garlic, tomatillos, carrots every spring, starting everything from seed. We had a good summer harvest this year. Once school started we sold tomatoes to staff and faculty and donated tomatoes to a food pantry. We also have 4 hens who live in their coop in the garden so they fertilize and rotatile the soil for next spring's garden.

FEAST Asheville promotes healthy eating choices and makes them accessible to people of all income levels through hands on cooking and garden education that encourage and empower participants by teaching skills needed to make wholesome and tasty food.

FEAST classes focus on:

• Problem solving, communication and teamwork

• Connection to fresh, locally grown produce

• Gaining confidence by exploring different ways to prepare fresh produce

• Creating and changing recipes, substituting ingredients

Each school (6) in our district have Gardens that the student's planted. We serve the fresh garden vegetable for our school lunch and on our salad bars. 

We have nutrition education classes, where our nutrition and wellness coordinator goes into classrooms to interact with students and teach lessons on nutrition and food.

We are also starting a cooking club for students of all ages this fall to get involved. We will have taste tests to have the students more involved in what goes on the menu.