Emerald Thumb Garden Club

The EMERALD THUMB GARDEN CLUB was created during the 2007 school year at the Lockhart Elementary School (St. Thomas, Virgin Islands). The club, maintained under Mrs. Juelis Hodge, provides students with extracurricular learning opportunities on horticulture and nutrition.  Students volunteer their time afterschool and during lunch to cultivate the garden and learn new techniques to maximizing product yield. The club is also used in behavior modification plans for some students recommended by administration.

The school garden is supported by members of the We Grow Food, Inc., a group of established farmers in the islands. It's Mrs. Hodge's goal to maximize her efforts and the support of community to develop such a program into a school wide, and eventually district wide initiative.