| September
'06
|
The Menu
(Cafeteria)
Celebrating
Cafeteria & Community: Chicopee Public School's
Annual Harvest Festival
(Community)
Starting
a School Garden: A Parent’s Perspective
(Curriculum)
Educating
for Change:
Lessons from MAC
(Bites)
Local Events, Announcements
(Gleanings)
Regional and National News
|
I
may have said this before and I will likely say it again:
celebrate your farm to school work! Just as school starts,
fall's colors creep into our Valley and pumpkins line up
along roadsides and porches signaling the end of our major
growing season. This makes for a perfect chance to celebrate
the changing of the seasons, the harvest, and all of the
work that goes into any farm to school project.
This
month’s articles talk about farm to school celebration
from a variety of angles. In the Cafeteria article, Claire
Morenon writes our last installment on Chicopee’s
school lunch program “Celebrating Cafeteria &
Community: Chicopee Public School's Annual Harvest Festival.”
Margaret Christie shares a parent's lessons in starting
and celebrating a school garden in our community article
and in curriculum, and I review Massachusetts’s Agriculture
in the Classroom's educational offerings, "Educating
for Change: Lessons from MAC."
Don't
forget to check out the local announcements and news sections
and remember past issues are archived on our website www.buylocalfood.com.
As always, I invite you to share your own Farm to School
story ideas, event announcements, or articles. And have
fun.
Grow
well,
Kelly
Coleman
(Back
to the Menu)
(Cafeteria)
Celebrating
Cafeteria & Community:
Chicopee Public School's Annual Harvest Festival
By
Claire Morenon, CISA Program Assistant
Harvest
corn.
(Photo
by Keith Weller, courtesy of ARS)
|
This
article marks the final installment of a three-part profile
of the Chicopee Public Schools’ food service program
which, thanks to food service director Joanne Lennon’s
guidance, has a strong commitment to serving locally grown
food in their cafeterias. For Chicopee families, the local
food experience does not stop at the lunch room, however.
Each year, Chicopee community members are invited to celebrate
local agriculture through school district’s Harvest
Festival, which will be held on October 25th this year.
The annual Harvest Festival, now in its third year, is a
wonderful opportunity for community members to come together
and celebrate the harvest season. It’s also a chance
for parents to enjoy the same fresh, local food that is
served to their children in Chicopee Public Schools cafeterias.
Joanne Lennon says, “the most valuable part of this
event for us is to heighten the awareness of the quality
of our lunch program and the fun we have working together.”
The festival is advertised through a flyer that is sent
home with students, on the local cable channel and in local
newspapers. Proceeds from the event, which costs five dollars
for adults and two dollars for students, go towards Jimmy’s
Stuff the Stocking Campaign, which is an annual drive to
provide holiday gifts to Chicopee families in need. Last
year, the Chicopee Public Schools’ Harvest Festival
raised nearly $1,300 for the Stuff the Stocking campaign.
This
community-wide event is planned and executed by the Chicopee
School Lunch Program. Each school in the district prepares
a component of the feast, with food-service workers volunteering
their time to make the event possible. The Harvest festival
was held in the Chicopee Moose Family Center, which donated
the use of the space. Last year’s menu included a
baked potato bar, kielbasa, and vegetable side dishes of
cabbage, butternut squash and sweet carrots. The vegetables
are purchased from local farmers and the kielbasa is provided
by Chicopee Provision, a local meat producer. Joanne Lennon
noted that the food at this event is not like the food at
most fundraisers; the fact that it is all local really makes
a difference in the way it tastes.
Last year’s event brought in close to 500 people.
In fact, they had to open up a second room to allow space
for everybody. With the combination of a good cause, delicious,
fresh, in-season food, door prizes and the whole community
coming together to celebrate this special time of year,
the Chicopee Food Service program’s Harvest Festival
promises to be a success once again this year!
Harvest
Festivals, during or after school, are a great way to incorporate
local food into your menu.
If you need help sourcing food for a one-time event feel
free to give Kelly at CISA a call, 413-665-7100.
(Back
to the Menu)
(Community)
Starting
a School Garden:
A Parent’s Perspective
By Kelly
Coleman and Margaret Christie, CISA
Students
in Whately's School Garden.
(Used
with permission from Margaret Christie and parents.)
Students
in Whately's School Garden.
(Used
with permission from Margaret Christie and parents.)
|
Starting
a school garden can be a great activity for parents who
want to be involved in their child’s school, but it
takes time. I spoke with Margaret Christie, CISA’s
Program Director and founding parent and manager of Whately
Elementary School’s garden to glean some advice for
prospective school garden parents. See Margaret’s
recommendations below:
Don’t
be afraid to start small.
One of the great things about school garden projects is
that they can start small. The Whately garden includes two
beds of vegetables and one new strawberry bed, tucked into
a sunny slope against a classroom wing. Now three years
old, the garden is primarily a 2nd grade project. Each year
the garden’s harvest of salad greens is made into
a fresh salad for Field Day. Small gardens are easier to
manage and take less money (see below for more thoughts
on funding.)
Figure
out who your allies are.
Which teachers garden at home? Which ones have wanted to
garden at school, but haven’t managed to start yet?
Which ones like to cook? Think about the nurse, custodian,
aides, and the principal, too. Ask around to find parents
and grandparents in the class or school who might have valuable
information, experience, or resources. Start off by working
with the people who already think this is a great idea.
The garden in Whately is mostly a 2nd grade activity because
the 2nd grade teacher really loves the project and helps
to make it happen.
Think
about sustainability.
Think about who will carry the work of the garden and garden-related
activities over time. Will it largely be parent-supported,
or do you expect that the teachers will take on primary
responsibility eventually? Do you want initial or on-going
support from a garden educator? How will the garden project
be maintained when important parents, teachers, or administrators
move on? In Whately, most garden activities take place when
a parent volunteer joins the 2nd grade with a planned food
or gardening-related activity. Other teachers and classes,
however, are beginning to use the garden space for activities
of their own, as well. (perhaps MC – you can tell
me what you have done and I can take a stab at adding a
sustainability piece.))
Recruit
help.
Once you’ve found some allies, work together to talk
to other key people. Catherine Sands at Fertile Ground in
Williamsburg notes that the support of the school custodian
or grounds-keepers is important, because they have to mow
around—not over—the garden. Find parents or
grandparents to come in to help with bed preparation or
planting days, to lead a classroom food or agriculture activity,
to help care for the garden over the summer, or to host
students at their own farm or garden.
Consider
your financial needs.
In Whately, we’ve gotten by with volunteer labor,
donated materials, and one small grant of about $150 per
year. The advantage of going this low-cost route is that
it’s not too hard to find continued funding, but the
disadvantages are clear, too. For a garden project to really
impact the culture of a school, and be integrated into the
curriculum and the cafeteria, it needs more attention and
support than the average parent-volunteer can provide. For
instance, Whately's garden program would really benefit
from the regular participation of a garden educator, but
finding on-going funding for gardens with larger budgets
is a challenge.
Have
fun.
Starting (and maintaining!) a school garden can be a lot
of work, but it can be very rewarding as well. Margaret
notes that she often wishes that the Whately garden project
was more integrated into the activities and curriculum of
the whole Whately School. "But when I'm actually in
the second grade, planting or harvesting or talking about
the kids' experiences on farms or in the kitchen with their
parents, I realize what a success the garden is for this
class." At the end of the year, the class harvests
salad and makes salad dressing to serve to parents, staff
and students at field day. "They are so excited about
the salad. They especially love to taste the spicy mesclun
greens--when we go out into the garden, they all say 'can
I taste that one? Can I try this?' They make a big sign
that says "Grown by the 2nd Grade." Sharing and
celebrating the work with parents, other grades in the school,
and the community has been an important part of making this
program a success.
To
learn more about starting a school garden and integrating
garden education, check out local web resources like MAC
and Seeds
of Solidarity.
Or contact CISA for a list of experienced garden educators.
(Back
to the Menu)
(Curriculum)
Educating
for Change:
Massachusetts
Agriculture in the Classroom
By
Kelly Coleman
A
sample library.
(Used
with permission from CISA)
|
When looking for agriculture curriculum support, you needn’t
look far: Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom or
MAC provides a number of resources for Massachusetts teachers
and garden educators. This article, the second in our ‘Educating
for Change’ series (our
first article was on Seeds of Solidarity), reviews MAC’s
many teacher resources.
Farm
Field Trip Manual
This manual was designed for farms that want to start or
expand their on-farm field trip offerings. But it is equally
useful to teachers that want to visit a farm that does not
have an established field trip program. The manual includes
suggestions on how to organize the field trip from meeting
space ideas, amenities, and student dress code, pre-and
post-field trip activities for the classroom, and connections
to the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks.
Eight
Lessons about Agriculture and the Environment
"Eight Lessons about Agriculture and the Environment:
for elementary and middle school classrooms" is a booklet
geared for 2nd and 7th grade classrooms. Each lesson provides
back ground and activities for teachers. Topics include
soils, water use, and land use.
Schoolyard
Gardens and Their Community Partnerships
This handbook provides resources to facilitate cooperative
gardening efforts between schools, local community groups
and businesses. The manual includes: an outline for starting
a school gardening program, case studies of successful partnerships
and resources. To write the manual, Diane Syverson interviewed
numerous educators, green industry professionals and community
resources people who have been involved in successful school-gardening
partnerships. Eight gardens are showcased in the manual.
It’s
Your World
"It’s Your World" is an older publication
that offers twenty agricultural lessons for grades K-12.
Each lesson looks closely at an agricultural issue or product
with the goal of helping students gain an understanding
of and appreciation for agricultural in our daily lives.
The lessons focus on agriculture and agricultural products
from all geographic areas of the state, though lack much
of the background material a teacher would need to fully
understand the issues presented.
To find out more about MAC visit www.aginclassroom.org
and be sure to check out their archived newsletter.
(Back
to the Menu)
(Bites)
Local
Events and Announcements
Events
Sunday,
October 22-Monday, October 23
Milk and More: Making Dairy Discoveries
around the Farm
For farmers and non-formal educators. Discover exciting,
hands-on ways to develop agricultural education programs
for school groups and bring farming to the classroom with
easy-to-use activities from PROJECT SEASONS. Focusing on
agricultural and environmental topics, workshops are designed
to cultivate an ethic of stewardship and an appreciation
of agriculture in student. For more information click
here. To register contact Julia Hammond at 802-985-8686
ext. 41 or email jhammond@shelburnefarms.org.
Saturday
and Sunday, November 4 & 5
12th Annual CiderDay
Celebrate all things apple! Orchard tours, cider pressing,
apple and cider tastings, workshops and more. The world's
largest artisanal cider event. Info: www.ciderday.com.
Announcements
State
Legislation
Local food given a boost in state bidding process
This
past July, language was passed in the state’s economic
stimulus package requiring state organizations, such as
schools, to buy local agriculture products unless competing
bids for non-local products are 10% or more cheaper. What
this legislation means on the ground for your school depends
on the exact language of the procurement regulations, which
should be released by the end of this year.
Award
Healthy Sprouts Awards
These awards support school garden programs that use the
garden to teach about nutrition and the issue of hunger
in the United States. Sponsored by Gardener’s Supply
Company. In this grant cycle awards will be presented to
25 schools or organizations. Each will receive a $200 gift
certificate to Gardener’s Supply Company and a curriculum
package from the National Gardening Association. Apply
by October 15, 2006.
Award
SeaWorld/Busch Gardens/Fujifilm Environmental Excellence
Awards
The 2007 SeaWorld/Busch Gardens/Fujifilm Environmental Excellence
Awards will recognize the outstanding efforts of students,
teachers, and community groups across the United States
who are working at the grassroots level to protect and preserve
the environment. Deadline
November 30, 2006. Visit the program's Web site for
complete application information and examples of previous
award winners.
Award
Organic School Garden Award
The Rodale Institute's Kidsregen.org is proud to announce
the 2006 Organic School Garden Awards. School students nationwide,
grades K through 12, are invited to enter this competition.
If you're a kid who believes that you can improve your health
and the health of the earth by gardening, this contest is
for you! Any school within the 50 United States with an
organic garden may enter the contest. Schools must register
and submit an essay and poster, with entry forms. First
place award is $1,000. Proposals
are due October 31, 2006.
(Back
to the Menu)
(Gleanings)
Regional
and National News
Research
Children
Say Yes to Free Fruit but Shun Vegetables
The first analysis of the highly-touted Fruit and Vegetable
Pilot Program is in and the results are mixed. Eighth and
tenth grade in Mississippi children ate more fruit when
it was offered free throughout the school day, but fifth
graders actually ate less produce, according to a study
by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) released on September
8, 2006. The research examined consumption patterns and
attitudes towards fruits and vegetables among 725 students
in fifth, eighth, and tenth grades in five Mississippi schools
during the 2004-2005 school year. For details from the CDC
study, visit: www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5535a1.htm.
“School
Lunch Report Card” Released
Another national advocacy group released its assessment
of school meals recently and concluded that its “Results
show that school lunches are increasingly healthful in many
districts.” A “School Lunch Report Card”
from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM)
in Washington, D.C., released on August 24, 2006, analyzed
lunch menus at elementary schools in 18 major districts
around the country. “Childhood obesity is a bigger
threat to kids than the schoolyard bully, so lunchrooms
must provide healthful, low-fat vegetarian fare,”
said PCRM nutritionist Dulcie Ward, R.D. “The biggest
change our report found this year is in much greater availability
of vegetarian and vegan options.” For additional information,
go to: www.pcrm.org/news/release060824.html.
News
School
Fundraiser Links Children to Local Farms
An innovative fundraising and educational project is netting
money for schools and local farms in Michigan. Instead of
selling candy or magazines, fourth graders at Central Lake
Elementary school in Kalkaska, Michigan are selling local
farm products such as jam, maple syrup and fresh apples
to raise money for their school. Their class curriculum
includes field trips and projects that engage children in
farming and the business of producing food. Read more about
how parent Pepper Bromelmeier organized this project that
brings local farms and schools together for mutual benefit
at www.mlui.org/growthmanagement/fullarticle.asp?fileid=17084.
Local
Produce Makes the Grade
If you live in the Pioneer Valley, check out today's Recorder
for Jeremy Dirac's article "Local Produce Makes the
Grade: Farm fresh in local schools" and his article
on local milk. These articles are on their
webpage today only.
(Back
to the Menu)
Funding
for CISA’s 2006 Farm-to-School program is provided
by CISA’s community and farm members and by a grant
from the Lawson Valentine Foundation.
Pictures
in header are used with permission from The Food Project,
CISA's Local Hero Campaign, and parents.
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Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture
One Sugarloaf Street, South Deerfield MA 01373
Tel: 413-665-7100 Fax: 413-665-7101
http://www.buylocalfood.com
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