Virginia Highland Elementary has had a strong focus on a STEAM-focused curriculum since opening in 2023. A relatively new way for students to further their STEAM education was introduced when the school opened its first student-grown vegetable garden.
The garden is the result of the school partnering with non-profit Captain Planet Foundation and logistics and automation supplier Dematic. The school was awarded a learning grant called “Project Learning Garden” to fund the garden. There are more than 600 learning garden projects across the country.
“The vegetable garden is a fun and engaging way for students to gain real-world knowledge and experience,” said Thomas Freeman, a first-grade teacher at Virginia Highlands and project helper. “By helping out in the garden, students learn a lot about growing and sustaining their own food. [a garden]Maintaining a garden is not just about managing an organization; [the students] And their classmates. We are very excited about this opportunity.”
All VHE students can get involved in activities around the garden, actively helping with the maintenance of the garden and learning about what is needed to maintain the garden in the future.
“It's a project-based learning program, which means that depending on the grade level, students will be working on different garden-centered projects,” Freeman said. “For example, fourth and fifth graders will focus on how to maintain a garden in an urban climate. Because we live in a city, the garden is technically an urban garden and has different specific needs, and that's what the kids will learn.”
Every project involving the garden is based on sustainability.
“Students are taught to engage with the garden in an effective, down-to-earth way using sustainable methods,” said Virginia Highlands STEM coach Jessica Correa. “We want to focus on sustainability, especially with food, and the importance of the produce they're growing.”
Schools waste more fruits and vegetables than anything else, at a rate of 50% of food is wasted. The key to food sustainability is to avoid waste wherever possible.
“We hope that this garden will inspire children to be more interested in healthy eating and the benefits of vegetables and fruits,” Correa says. “Having them eat fresh vegetables that they have grown will help with that. Getting children interested in what they grow will encourage them to eat the vegetables and fruits they have grown, and it also teaches them to minimize waste.”
Students don't just eat what they grow in the garden; part of the experience is learning how to turn basic crops into different, more interesting foods.
“A big future goal for the garden is to eventually become a farm-to-table organization,” Freeman said. “The kids learn how to turn the raw produce they're growing into something they can be more aware of and interested in. For example, they help turn the basil they've grown into tomato sauce, which they then share with other students around the school, bringing everyone together and promoting the garden.”
Along with a focus on sustainability, the garden’s main goal is to encourage students to work together to maintain the garden.
“Executive function is one of the most important things we teach kids. It involves dividing up tasks, managing tools and staying on track,” Freeman said. “Kids must learn how to relate to each other and work together to maintain a shared space.”
Currently, the garden is home to a variety of crops, including flowers and carrots, and students plant their own seeds for these plants during class workshops.
“This is a great opportunity for kids because they get to see where their food actually comes from, they get to literally plant seeds in the soil and watch them grow,” Correa said, “and they're more likely to find a way to share the food they grow with others in their community, so they learn the importance of giving back.”