Manchester Elementary School

The goal and the purpose of this garden program is to provide a sustainable source of fresh produce to the student body, staff, and community. In addition to consumption purposes, the garden will be used for the students to gain hands-on gardening experiences, develop nutritional knowledge, and increase produce intake that will pave the way for them to make healthier lifestyle choices. The School Garden grant will provide the inputs necessary to establish a large enough garden to introduce additional fresh vegetables into students' diets through taste-testing, school event snacks, and eventually into the lunch program should the garden expand. The garden will work in tandem with the existing greenhouse and will help ensure sustainability through the off-season. Moreover, the garden will provide a forum for increased parent and community member engagement in student learning. Parents and community members will volunteer to support the preparing, building, planting and maintaining the garden under the leadership of Mr. Collins and student gardeners. In addition, garden volunteers will be engaged in additional Farm to School activities such as the composting activities beginning in the school cafeteria and in healthy eating at home activities in development. This series of activities revolving around the school garden will enrich student and community learning about agriculture and the environment as well as nutrition and healthy lifestyle habits. This will contribute to efforts tackling the significantly high rates of obesity in Clay County.