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Community Food Intiatives (CFI) and the Trimble Local School District have partnered since Spring 2005 to incorporate school gardens into the classroom. In 2005, we planted a 30x200 ft. garden with corn, tomatoes, potatoes, and herbs. Also, the preschool class planted pumpkins and sunflowers and the 4th grade math class planted carrots and winter squash. In 2006, we worked with the SHAC to get gardening into the wellness policy and the school health action plan, legitimizing the use of the gardens in the classroom. This spring, we were awarded a $2,000 portion of the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation Grant to re-locate the gardens and increase teacher buy-in. We put in a small pre-school garden where 60 students grew lettuce, chard, carrots, and radishes. We also hired a student-teacher who gave 6 gardening workshops to the pre-school class. At the high school, the Environmental Plant Biology teacher used some of the OHF money to fund 8 large raised beds. The science teacher incorporated the gardens into his curriculum and taught 75-100 students how to grow their own food. He also gives them extra credit if they attend any of CFI's Healthy Food Preparation and Preservation workshops. CFI decided to do this project because we see the Glouster/Trimble/Jacksonville area as a large population center in Athens County that needs increased food security, health education, and sustainability. To evaluate the project's success, we calculated how many students had direct contact with the gardens and the number of hours in the classroom. We hope to calculate how many pounds of produce from the gardens are used in the high school cafeteria. Our biggest challenge was the maintenance staff. We needed to relocate the gardens and they were unwilling to work with us. Finally, the science teacher and principal were able to break through. Some other obstacles we faced included money, underground power lines, and flood plains. The main lesson CFI learned while implementing ESP was how to work efficiently within the current health education system in order to have the most impact. CFI's plan to continue the project includes transitioning the high school ESP into an agriculture program, connecting the students with the Glouster Farmer's Market, creating local jobs, and food security.
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