WEST ELEMENTARY’S GARDEN PROJECT

warding and fun activity during their school day.

The garden was established when previous MSU employee, now project manager and geologist with Seres Engineering and Services, LLC., Kelsey Crane, Ph.D., noticed some of Starkville’s city schools had gardens, but West did not. She states, “I was motivated to provide some equity to our equally deserving rural elementary school students.” And so, she partnered with OP McCubbins, Ph.D., agriculture professor at MSU, whose primary focus is to prepare the next generation of secondary education agriculture teachers. Together, in collaboration with West Elementary, they worked to establish the garden for students to learn and benefit from.

To start this endeavor, Crane and McCubbins recognized the need to obtain funding, so they drafted a grant proposal that “sought to enrich undergraduate education for Geoscience, Agricultural Educa- tion and Landscape Architecture students with the intent of facilitating future community engagement components of courses at MSU,” McCubbins said. The grants and donations that they received, which totaled to approximately $9,000, provided them the opportunity to break ground on the garden. Little did they know that turning this unused field into a bountiful garden would benefit everyone involved in far more ways than they initially imagined.

Crane, who is a parent of a student at West Elementary, emphasizes how valuable it is to implement gardening into the children’s education. She says, “Our kids get to see food grow, study life cycles of pollinators and practice art outdoors.”

Not only does the garden teach students about plant life and growth, but it also instills important life skills in them. McCubbins agrees saying, “It promotes physical activity, teamwork and social skills, helping students develop patience and problem-solving abilities.” He also emphasizes that through being exposed to healthy foods and natural growth, students cultivate a natural connection to their food sources. McCubbins said on the emotional satisfaction that students gain from working in the garden when he says, “encourages healthier choices, and offers a calming, engaging environment that can reduce stress and increase motivation to learn.”

Another essential benefit the garden provides is to McCubbins’ AG Education students. McCubbins emphasizes the impact this project has had on his students by pointing towards the opportunities they have in building their identity as an educator. Whenever the MSU students visit the garden at West, they are able to practice different teaching methods in an authentic learning environment by designing and facilitating learning experiences for the students. He also noted that they assist in maintaining the garden as well as help to foster an accessible environment by building the benches and

School gardens enrich students’ education and personal development in a holistic way.

- OP McCubbins

picnic tables to be placed throughout the area. This allows the students or members of the community to observe the garden, benefiting from the natural, healthy atmosphere it has created. Through this collaboration, the future AG teachers are able to learn from this experience to develop their own curriculum, hopefully implementing gardens or programs like it in their future schools.

Crane recognizes how the garden has had a positive effect on the community as well. She says, “When the garden overflows with food, we post it on Facebook and let the community know to come pick.” Therefore, not only does the garden provide an enriching learning environment for West’s and MSU’s students, but it also provides the local community with fresh, organic produce.

The harvest from West Elementary’s garden is numerous and evident throughout the community. From a Sturgis family’s home-cooked meal to the flowers in the offices at the school, or even the cherry tomatoes that the elementary students have as a snack, the benefits from this project are abundant. This agricultural development will have a lasting affect not only on the elementary students’ lives but also the community surrounding them.

The garden was designed with an arbor and outdoor seating which is often used as an outdoor classroom to facilitate group learning and demonstrations. Middle: (L

R) the Bug

Outfitted with bricks, wooden beams drilled with holes, sticks and other natural elements, the structure is designed as an optimal environment for insect habitats and offers an up-close opportunity to see a variety of insects in action. Above: