VERO BEACH — The students of Vero Beach Elementary gathered next to their garden of tomatoes, celery, carrots, peppers, cabbages and more, eager to share their experiences with members of the Education Foundation, which made their garden a reality.
Nine-year-old Alex Rivera, a fourth grader, said the best part of the school’s vegetable garden is spending time with his friends planting.
Rivera didn’t used to like vegetables, he said, until he started gardening – then he had a personal stake in the plants.
“Now I like them all,” he said, adding he couldn’t choose a favorite.
Fellow fourth grader Emma Frazier, 10, said she loves the garden. The best part for her? “Getting dirty and planting,” she said.
“I’ve always wanted a garden,” Emma said. She explained that she wanted a garden at home but hasn’t gotten one yet. The one at school fills the need – for now.
Vero Beach Elementary received a grant from the Education Foundation to establish the garden, which consists of small boxed planters, a large area for family gardening, and a hydroponic greenhouse.
Principal Ainsley Seeley told those who gathered Monday morning during the garden dedication that she has adopted the gardens from her predecessor – retired Principal Bonnie Swanson, who worked to get a larger garden at the school, improving on the small one at the former campus.
“You adopt a child as if it were your own,” Seeley said. “You love and care for it as your own.”
The garden, she will care for as though it were her own – “It is my promise,” she said.
Pat Donovan, president of the Education Foundation, said she was impressed with the students’ enthusiasm for the garden.
“That garden has already taught us a lot,” she said. “More than that tomatoes don’t come from cans!”
The garden taught the administration – and students – about teamwork, flexibility, problem solving, patience, and appreciation.
The timeline for the garden, as well as its location, was shifted and shifted, and shifted again – flexibility. The plants aren’t growing: too much water, too little water, bugs? – problem solving. Red leaf lettuce hasn’t sprouted and it was planted in January – patience.
Along with the garden, the school received a grant from Impact 100 to create a nutrition and kitchen lab, where students learn how to turn their organically grown produce into meals.
Their parents are invited out for Wellness Nights, where they, too, learn the importance of healthy cooking.
“Children learn by doing,” Physical Education instructor Patricia Marek. For example, Marek shared a moment when she was helping a student with her math homework. The student was asked what would fit in a thimble – 1 teaspoon of salt or 1 cup of water.
Marek reminded the girl of when the students made pizza dough – they used a teaspoon of salt and a cup of water. The student had her answer.
“The best time to learn for kids is when they don’t realize they’re learning,” Marek said.
Art teacher and garden coordinator Wendy Alexander said the garden will be used to teach even more than gardening and healthy eating. Fifth graders will be in charge of managing the hydroponic garden, determining what plants should be sold – at what price – and what should be kept for the school’s use.
“They’re going to handle the business side” of the garden, Alexander said.
As a thank you to the Education Foundation for its support, the students presented bottles of garden-grown herbs infused in vinegar.
“There are so many life lessons,” Education Foundation Executive Director Cynthia Falardeau said of the gardens. “They’re a great tool, something everyone can get involved in.”