Community Schools “Seed to Table” Program
The Seed-to-Table Program was piloted at Community School South during the summer of 2006. The mission of the program is to foster in students an understanding of where their food comes from and how their food choices affect and impact their environment and their health. Through experiential learning in both the garden and kitchen, students have the opportunity to organically grow their own fruits and vegetables, and then take their harvest and prepare healthy and nutrious dishes in the kitchen. Students are literally taking the seeds they’ve grown and cultivated, to the table. Their hands-on work is supported by a curriculum that explores plant biology, environmental science, food justice issues, and nutrition.
The San Mateo County Office of Education, Community School South, and the Boys and Girls Club of EPA worked collaboratively to carve out a small section of the Boys and Girls Club’s lawn to establish the 2,100 square foot garden. Currently the garden is in its final stages of completion and contains a 3-bin compost, both raised and in-ground beds, an irrigation system, and a tool shed. The students have been eagerly anticipating the completion of the garden so they can begin planting their winter crop. Future plans for the program include a greenhouse; the establishment of a native-plant garden at a local non-profit, YUCA (Youth United for Community Action); field trips to local farms and urban gardens, and collaborations with other local school garden groups.
Views of the raised garden beds (top) and the tool shed (bottom). 17th District PTA will be helping to support this program, using Student Aid donations from PTA units throughout San Mateo County.
After the Winter Semester
The Garden Class at Community School South (CSS) just completed a successful fall semester! Students learned about the impacts of global warming and that one fifth of our fossil fuel consumption goes towards the harvesting, processing, and transportation of our food. We emphasized the concepts of eating seasonally, locally, and organically through our class curriculum, field trip to the Redwood City Farmers’ Market, and seasonal recipes which were prepared in the kitchen. In addition, students broke ground in the garden, planting the garden’s first crops, which included cabbage, cauliflower, bok choy, and strawberries, to name a few. Below is an excerpt from a student reflection on the semester.
“I am a student at CSS and I have been in Garden Class for a semester. I have learned about how global warming affects the earth. I have also learned how to properly plant plants. One more thing that I learned was how to cook. These things are important because it gives me experience for the future with skills that I can use. My favorite part of Garden Class is learning about the earth because now I know that I have to take care of it. I decided to take another semester of Garden Class because I know it is a good experience for me.”
We are looking forward to the spring semester where students will focus on human, plant, and soil nutrition and have the opportunity to harvest the winter crops and prepare the garden for summer.
