Emeril’s Garden Takes Root at Starlight Elementary

COMMUNITY NEWS

Emeril’s Garden Takes Root at Starlight Elementary

More than 500 children at PVUSD’s Starlight Elementary will soon be chopping, measuring, digging and harvesting while learning math, science, language arts and life skills in the spacious new Emeril’s Culinary Garden and Teaching Kitchen nearing completion on their Watsonville campus.

The kitchen building will be finished soon and garden construction will begin, on track to bring new hands-on learning opportunities to hundreds --and eventually thousands-- of PVUSD students.

Set in motion 18 months ago by a $500,000 grant from celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse’s private foundation, Starlight’s new 30-student kitchen and adjoining 8,000 sq. ft. garden inspired a $1.4 million community fundraising campaign to augment PVUSD funds and complete the $3.14 million project.

As of Sept. 10, a total of $2,291,610 had been raised via gifts from individual donors, businesses and foundations.

To raise $110,000 and reach the goal, Driscoll’s, Inc. announced a $55,000 ‘challenge grant’ to spur a matching amount in community donations by Oct. 15.

“Driscoll’s has been an active supporter of various educational initiatives, but Emeril’s Culinary Garden and Teaching Kitchen is a first of its kind,” says Lucas Flowers, Northern District manager for Driscoll’s. “It’s a unique opportunity to bridge our local ag community to the culinary arts. We’re really excited to see this state-of-the-art learning facility in our community.”

Starlight’s new kitchen/garden is one of only five such projects in the United States, all using curriculum developed by Santa Cruz-based Life Lab, a leading educator in garden-based learning.

Life Lab will reach all 9,000 elementary students and their teachers as PVUSD expands school gardens to all 16 elementary schools by 2024.

The new learning center’s benefits continue to grow across 19,000+ students of PVUSD through field trips, mentorships with middle and high school teens, after school and summer programming, as well as countywide teacher training opportunities. When students reach high school, they can develop connections to new college and career learning pathways offered through the district’s Career Technical Education programming, earning credits at Cabrillo College and the UC and Cal State university systems.

Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Michelle Rodriguez, says the expansive kitchen and garden represent “the District’s unwavering commitment to our students. Every day in these instructional spaces, students will engage with innovative learning that enables them to explore their passions, cultivate their interests, amplify their talents and have transformative experiences that prepare them for their futures in the Pajaro Valley.”

The new learning center at Starlight also expands community food resources and health education, providing facilitiessharing opportunities for nonprofits including the Community Health Trust, an anchor donor, Second Harvest Food Bank, and other groups whose programs and services advance well-being through health, wellness, and nutrition education.

“PVUSD is proud to invest in a project that aligns with the vision, goals, and core values of our district and our community,” Rodriguez added. n •••

Tax-deductible gifts can be made securely online at cgtk.pvusd.net, by donating to a special fund at the Community Foundation Santa Cruz County, or by mailing a check, made out to CGTK at Starlight Elementary, to the attention of Andrea Carlos Willy, PVUSD, 294 Green Valley Road, Watsonville, 95076. For information call 831-786-2323 or visit cgtk.pvusd.net.

“Lost Luggage” from page 9

First, SAS wanted a picture of the bar-coded tag they’d given me in London. I checked my boarding pass, and there wasn’t one. Then it asked for a picture of the duffle bag. In my hurry to leave London, I’d forgotten to take a picture of the bag and its contents.

The system also asked for a temporary address in Norway. But I didn’t have one. I was a passenger on the MS Polarlys, a coastal supply ship operated by Hurtigruten. There were so many missing items that I had to file the claim by email instead of using the web form.

My final newbie mistake, of course,

The maximum baggage liability for most international flights is approximately $1,780 under the Montreal Convention.

was failing to place an AirTag in my bag. Why didn’t I? No excuse. Of all people, I should have known better.

It didn’t take long for SAS to figure out that it had lost a travel columnist’s bag. A crew member on the Polarlys told me that a few minutes before our departure, a breathless baggage handler screeched to a halt at the dock and hurled my found duffel bag across the water to a deckhand. Well, maybe it wasn’t quite as dramatic, but my bag was missing for fewer than 24 hours, and I’m both grateful and embarrassed. (Everywhere I went, AirTags were out of stock. That’s my excuse.)

But my pain is your gain. Track your luggage, take pictures of it and make sure you have proof that you checked your baggage. The more information you can furnish your airline, the faster it can find your missing luggage. n •••

Christopher Elliott is an author, consumer advocate, and journalist. He founded Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that helps solve consumer problems. He publishes Elliott Confidential, a travel newsletter, and the Elliott Report, a news site about customer service. If you need help with a consumer problem, you can reach him through his consumer advocacy site or email him at chris@ elliott.org. This story originally appeared in the Washington Post. © 2022 Christopher Elliott.