43
Photo
Neighbors | Zack Shively.Market Street Elementary School's Sprouting Spartans CLub had a plant sale on May 23. They grew the plants they sold. The sale benefitted the group in hopes of making the club more self-sufficient. Pictured is the group with advisors and leaders Natalie Winkle and Angela Burns. An advisor not pictured is Kim Noday.
By ZACK SHIVELY
Market Street Elementary’s new gardening club had a plant sale on May 23 to raise funding for the group.
The school’s Sprouting Spartans Club had plants inside and outside of their greenhouse for community members to purchase. The group is run by Ford Service Director Natalie Winkle, the school’s nurse Angela Burns and BHS food worker Kim Noday.
“We want to make our Sprouting Spartans to be healthier and make better choices,” said Winkle. The group grew many fruits and vegetables in the greenhouse during the last eight weeks school year.
The group began this year when Burns approached Winkle about it. The school previously had a PTA-led organization similar to the club, but it had ended a while ago. The greenhouse at the school sat vacant for years until Burns asked Winkle to make the club.
The students got to plant different fruits and vegetables and see them grow over the weeks of the club’s existence. They ate some of their plants; for example, they made salsa from the tomato plants.
They wanted to raise money during the sale to make their club more self-sufficient. In addition to a table of plants for sale, they also had a prize table where people could enter a raffle to win a planting growing inside of ruby slippers.
The group consists of mostly third and fourth grade students, though it is open to all students at the school. They meet after school each day for an hour.