3rd Place Organic Bronze Award
Hollywood Elementary School
Stevensville, Michigan

The garden began in 1994 when a group of fourth graders decided that they wanted a garden. From the beginning, we were committed to an earthfriendly approach for the creation of our living classroom. This is a garden created by children for children and reflects the efforts of all of our students. Each year, a little more sod was removed until the garden grew to its present size of 19,000 square feet. Currently, all of the classes from pre-school through grade 5 are involved with the garden. Parent volunteers make it possible for us to explore in small groups. The PTO funds our garden coordinator who works closely with the teachers to address science, math, art, social studies, and language arts objectives in the garden.

Organic methods are used to keep our garden beds thriving. Students actively patrol the garden to keep on top of pest problems. Attracting natural predators has helped a lot with the pest management. For example, our broccoli has been free of cabbageworms since the parasitic wasps arrived. Mulching helps prevent weeds. Weeds that do sprout are pulled and the quantity of weeds is routinely weighed by the students. We compost lunchroom scraps and several classrooms have either vermicompost bins or compost buckets. Cover cropping with red clover enriches the soil and keeps our rabbit happy! In recent years, we have begun experimenting with companion planting. Roses Love Garlic and Carrots Love Tomatoes are the two newest books in our garden reference collection. We order organic seed potatoes and purchase seeds from catalogs that offer organic varieties. We have also begun saving our own seeds. We have discovered that seed saving provides the children with a wonderful counting experience.

During the summer, parents, students, and teachers meet on Tuesday nights to care for the garden and the new prairie, which features native plants. After our work session, we enjoy the fruit or vegetable that is in season, beginning with strawberries in June and concluding with melons, tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers in August. Sometimes we share a story or use the flower presses. In mid-September we hold our annual fundraiser, the Harvest Festival. The evening includes a dinner featuring locally grown food prepared by a parent, Chef Ali Barker, who is assisted by students and volunteers. For example, the children pick apples at a local farm and help prepare the apple crisp. Last year, over 600 people were served. The festival includes games, a scarecrow raffle, a garden scavenger hunt, locally made crafts, and a sale of produce donated by local farmers. It’s a lot of fun and raises funds to keep our garden growing.

We find many different ways to use the produce. During the summer, the Tuesday night gardeners harvest ripe vegetables to take home. The strawberries, blueberries and raspberries are usually enjoyed on the spot. Surplus vegetables are shared with the local food pantry. Our fifth graders have also set aside a 15 x 15 foot section of the garden to grow food for the hungry. The fifth graders brainstormed to determine how they could grow the maximum amount of food in this area. While their favorite garden choices would have been sweet corn and watermelon, they chose zucchini, tomatoes, peppers and pole beans because these crops would produce a greater amount of food to share. During the school year, the children learn to prepare the garden produce. They are learning that food has a season and that cooking is a good use of one’s time. Favorite recipes include potato soup, stir-fried broccoli, butternut squash, pasta with tomatoes and fresh basil, and believe it or not, Brussels sprouts — sweetened by the frost and sautéed with olive oil and fresh garlic. Extra cherry tomatoes are served in the school lunch room.

One of the scarecrows in our garden wears a shirt featuring the logo of the Michigan Organic Food and Farm Alliance. It reminds the children that “Local food feeds people, sustains communities and heals the environment.” The children at Hollywood School are learning to recognize the impact that their food choices have on their own health, the health of the farms in southwestern Michigan, and the health of their planet. Watching a sparrow building a nest, seeing a goldfinch feeding on a sunflower, investigating the life under a log, or observing a ground squirrel nibbling a crabapple allows the children to experience their connection with all of life. Through their experiences in the garden, the children are deepening their sense of wonder and cultivating a love and respect for the earth.