Special Recognition Award
Vincent Elementary School
Spring City, Pennsylvania

Vincent’s garden is located in a once grass-filled courtyard. Through the work of many students and parent volunteers, the courtyard continues to expand into a living, learning environment. The garden and courtyard habitat provides a rich source for learning for students in many subject areas. In all grades, students learn from it, work in it, and enjoy it.

All grade levels participate in many activities involving the garden and are each responsible for planning, planting, and maintaining a crop bed. Students plant a variety of crops such as lettuce, garlic, onions, tomatoes, and carrots, and also take part in planting pretty kale and pansies. Students’ work in the crop beds — preparing the soil, planting, maintaining the beds, and harvesting the crops — helps them understand the plant life cycle and appreciate their role in its health.

The garden is also the perfect place to learn how classroom lessons are connected to the environment. The harvesting of sunflower plants provides kindergarteners an opportunity to practice counting and measuring. First graders engage in a study of butterflies and use the garden to identify food that different insects eat, while second graders use the garden to work on their mapping skills. Third grade students have their own herb garden, which includes over twenty edible herbs and fruits, helping them to learn the importance of herbs in Colonial times. They also learn about the plant life cycle and cross pollination by growing their own plant. Fifth graders investigate the soil, rocks, and minerals, examining everything using microscopes. The Wind Garden is used to guide students in learning about weather and how it affects our environment.

While each grade level works to maintain the garden, the fourth graders take on the responsibility of maintaining the compost bins. In the fall, students clear our pumpkin patch, sunflower and crop beds, adding the debris to the compost bins. Maintenance includes routine turning of the debris in the bins, further addition of debris, and checking and maintaining adequate moisture. The students’ work in the garden coordinates with their study of ecosystems. Students make their own terrariums containing native plants, isopods, crickets, snails, and guppies. From this activity, they learn, on a small scale, how plants and animals interact in our garden and depend upon each other. Learning about the problems caused by acid rain, pesticides, and fertilizers in an ecosystem helps students appreciate the positive impact their work has on our garden.

The maintenance of our garden is a community effort and goes on year round. Thirty parent volunteers work to help maintain our garden. Each week, several parents work with students to weed, mulch around the plants, and care for the plants. In the fall, they help students to plant bulbs for the spring. Girl Scout troops also participate in the maintenance of the garden, meeting after school to rake and bag leaves, weed, and plant flowers. When spring arrives, students in kindergarten, first, and second grade pull weeds, spread mulch, and plant seeds and young seedlings. Third through fifth graders also weed and spread compost in the crop beds in preparation for planting. During the summer, families volunteer to weed, water, and take care of the garden plants.

Vincent School has many ways of using its produce. Kindergarteners harvest produce for their annual Salad Days. They work in rotating centers to pick lettuce and other greens, tomatoes, and carrots, and to wash, cut, and prepare the vegetables before sitting down to enjoy a healthy salad. Vincent’s produce is also enjoyed by the community. During the summer, community members and volunteers in the garden can pick from twenty edible herbs and fruits, and delicious vegetables such as peppers, tomatoes, beets, carrots, and beans. A wide variety of birds also visit the garden, attracted by the delicious sunflower seeds. In the fall, students harvest pumpkins, using the pumpkin seeds to help with counting. Seeds are harvested and preserved for use in planting the following year.

Our garden is also an inspiration for artistic pursuits. Senses are explored through a sensory garden. The arbor seating and stage provides a shaded classroom with the garden as the set and backdrop. Teachers use the area for lessons, presentations, student skits, reading, journaling, and art. The PTA taps students’ garden inspirations by sponsoring both a haiku and photography contest. Last year, an art contest resulted in a Monet-inspired mural painted on the shed. Scarecrow building accompanies the fall harvest, with each class working together to build and stuff a scarecrow.

Working, learning, and growing, we discover that it takes everyone to keep the garden growing and thriving. We discover our connectedness to the earth and accept our responsibility to nurture it. Most importantly, we discover that the power to make a difference lies in us. For the sake of the earth, we must.