Page 8 Students First North Vista Garden Club grows more than just veggies During the 20172018 school year, North Vista Elementary School was awarded a grant for raised flowerbeds from the City of Florence along with the Eat Smart Move More initiative. The goal of Eat Smart Move More is to get young children to consume more fresh fruits and vegetables. In March of 2018, raised beds were built on North Vista’s campus. Geneva Brown, a Lower Montessori teacher, is the coordinator of the school-based garden club. Ms. Brown had a desire to have a garden at school due to the limited access to fresh fruits and vegetables. Research has shown that without a balanced portion of fresh fruits and vegetables many person may experience health issues such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and nutrition related diseases. According to the National Initiative for Children’s Health Care Quality, 33.7 percent of South Carolina’s children are overweight or obese. Having a school garden will give students hands -on experience along with the exercise of growing fruits and vegetables. In addition to learning about the art of growing a garden, students are taught how to make informed decisions about what they are eating so they can get into the habit of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Students will be experimenting and working with foods grown in the school garden as part of mastering state standards and learning about nutrition and health facts. Hands on learning promotes success across the curriculum and develops collaboration, critical thinking, social and language skills, and subject matter including STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Music). The goals of the Garden Club are: •To get students involved with gardening at school and beyond the classroom •To acquire a love for gardening •To introduce students to the art and science of gardening using STEAM and writing skills •To help foster students’ leadership skills that may lead to future hobbies and career opportunities •To teach students about healthy lifestyle choices by exercising through gardening; the nutritional value of eating fresh fruits and vegetables •To enter an exhibit in the Florence County Agricultural Fair •To establish neighborhood and community connections •To increase awareness of the environment, natural resources, ecology, conservation, composting and recycling •To help raise standard test scores, especially in Science
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