Addison Elementary School
We have an established Garden Program at Addison Elementary School with a vibrant 17 year history. We are very concerned that a large percentage of our existing garden beds were originally constructed of pressure treated wood which makes us unable to allow the students to eat the fruits & veggies of their labors.- limiting the full impact and benefit of teaching the "farm to table" concept in a school garden setting. We are in the process of rebuilding or repurposing our existing garden beds to make them safe for edibles. Our existing beds are also at grade or very close to grade making it difficult for students, teachers, and regular volunteers with mobility issues to fully and actively participate in the garden. This past summer we recycled the materials from one of our few raised beds constructed of cedar to test a new higher bed configuration which will be at table height for the Kindergarten and First Grade students. The bed height will enable our wheelchair bound students and teachers and community volunteers to actively engage the students in an accessible environment.