Parkside Elementary Gets Captain Planet Garden Grant

“We have a lovely space here at Parkside that was constructed years ago, and thanks to a new crop of dedicated parents, it is coming back to life,” said Principal Caitlin Sims. “With the grant from the Captain Planet Foundation, we can transform the space to a true learning garden.”

The PTA Building & Grounds Committee, with support by Coach Armelia Braddy, has been working to clean up the garden and start a few plantings. The group also recently recruited a Master Gardener to help them develop a plan. With funding from the Captain Planet Foundation, the committee will spend the next few months building raised beds and filling them with fruits, vegetables and herbs. Captain Planet will also maintain the garden over the summer.

It is well-documented that gardens provide a context for multidisciplinary learning in subjects ranging from nutrition and science to social studies, math and language arts. According to the application, the Learning Gardens program offers schools strategies for building effective and long-lasting garden-based learning programs. In addition to assisting with the garden, CPF will provide teachers with hands-on training, lessons aligned to national curriculum standards, lesson kits filled with supplies, a fully-equipped mobile cooking cart, and participation in the summer garden management program.

“We want to have a place to engage the kids not only on the planting and harvesting, but tasting and learning,” said Coach Braddy, who applied for the grant to bring the CPF Learning Gardens program to Parkside. She also brings the Parkside Wellness Ambassadors to the garden to work occasionally.