Airport Heights Elementary School Farm to School Project

Airport Heights Elementary School has a school garden where they grow carrots, potatoes, and flowers in raised beds constructed by the students. The garden is tended by the Aiport Heights Garden Club, Marcy Jasper's 2nd grade class, and Summer Library students. Emily Becker's 5th/6th grade class has also worked with a local landscape architect, Johny Hayes from Bettisworth North, to design improvement projects for the school grounds.

Airport Heights Elementary School school garden is an Alaska Farm to School 2012 grant recipient. With the Alaska Farm to School Mini-grant money they recieved the students from these classes were able to go on farm tours of two local farms, Vanderweele's Produce and Glacier Valley Dairy. They were able to tour the two facilities and learn about the farming, harvesting and production experience. The school garden has been highly successful in allowing children to see and experience plant ecology. But the real farm experience helped the students gain background knowledge to comprehend what they read in textbooks about plants and food.