Learning down on the ‘farm’

In an effort to connect healthy eating habits with classroom learning and real-world experiences, the Lawrence School District is partnering with its Islandia-based food service provider, the Whitsons Culinary Group, to create a “farm to table” educational initiative.

The program will include the planting of gardens at the high school and middle school that will be tended by students. The vegetables they grown will be used in the meals produced by Whitsons and served at the schools.

“We would like to promote the consumption of vegetables as part of a healthy and balanced diet,” said Lisa DePaola, Lawrence Middle School’s assistant principal. “The organic garden will expose students to a wide array of vegetables that the students may have never seen or eaten before.” “Farm to table” refers to the steps in the production of food, from planting to eating.

While the students will till the soil to plant a variety of vegetables, they will also be challenged by coursework that will align with the Common Core Learning Standards, and the design, creation, maintenance and harvesting of the gardens will be part of their science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, curriculum, along with Home and Career classes.

Plans for the gardens have not yet been finalized, but district officials said that the middle school garden would most likely be on the west side of the school, in the rear, and that the high school would make use of its courtyard.

“It’s about getting the kids to learn to eat healthier and make better food choices,” said Dr. Jennifer Lagnado, principal at the high school.

Plans for the gardens began with a committee comprising district administrators, teachers, members of the Whitsons staff and parents. Whitsons has partnered with five school districts in New York, including Uniondale and Greenport on Long Island, as well as schools in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Bill Whitcomb Jr., the company’s chairman and chief executive officer, said he is passionate about the program, which connects students to “the complete food experience.”

“It’s not just about getting food on the tray anymore — it’s what behaviors are being created,” Whitcomb said. “Can we really show children that this fresh arugula is something they will ask for outside of school?”

DePaola said that the project planners have not yet decided what will be grown in the gardens, but Whitcomb said that fresh herbs, such as basil and oregano, different varieties of lettuce and squash, along with kale, beets, radishes, carrots, garlic and onions, have been grown at existing gardens. These vegetables were chosen, Whitcomb explained, because they are less susceptible to blight than tomatoes or potatoes.

“No matter what they grow, we can find a way to get it into the café,” Whitcomb said. “Our mission statement is ‘enhancing life one meal at a time.’ School gardens connected to the school cafeteria can enhance for a lifetime.”

DePaola said that businesses in the community are being encouraged to help supply tools, and that planting is planned for April. After the gardens are up and running at the middle and high schools, she added, the district hopes to get its three elementary schools involved in the program as well.

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