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Students to sow seeds on Saturday
YOUNGSTOWN
Students will sow seeds for science Saturday morning throughout the Youngstown City School District.
They will install more than 80 raised-garden beds from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Chaney school campus, Paul C. Bunn Elementary, Programs of Promise at Wilson, Harding Elementary, Taft Elementary, Williamson Elementary, William Holmes McGuffey Elementary, East High, Martin Luther King Elementary, Discovery at Kirkmere and Discovery Transition to Careers at Volney.
The beds, built by Choffin Career and Technical Center students at no cost to the district, will contain several different plants including lettuce and tomatoes.
CEO Krish Mohip said school gardens are innovative teaching tools.
“It lets educators incorporate hands-on activities in a diversity of interdisciplinary, standard- based lessons,” he said. “It’s a living laboratory where lessons are drawn from real-life experiences rather than textbook examples allowing students to become active participants in the learning process. School gardens will help facilitate and support the mental, emotional and social development of youth.”
Specifically, having the gardens will help teach students both academics and healthy lifestyle lessons.
“A garden provides a place to study weather, insects, soil and other environmental matters,” Mohip said. “Gardens [also] provide opportunities to teach mathematics, history-social science, English-language arts and visual and performing arts, as well as, providing broader life lessons including contributing to students knowledge of how to maintain a healthy lifestyle. ... Through the gardening program, students gain firsthand experience with fresh fruits and vegetables.”
Pat Lowry, district director of strategic initiatives, said although the community gardens project has a great core of volunteers – including students, parents and community members – there is always room for more. To volunteer, call Parent Pathways 330-740-8776.