It was not the typical ribbon cutting at Pearl B. Larsen Elementary School for the grand opening ceremony of Pearl’s Edible Schoolyard, Forestry Trail, and Elder’s Garden Wednesday.
The sixth-grade students in Jose Perez’s class led a dozen officials, educators, volunteers, and horticulturists on a hike reconnecting with nature in the schoolyard.
“Children and gardening, no better way to start the morning,” Commissioner of Agriculture Louis E. Petersen Jr. said. “Gardens and youth both speak to the future.”
It began as a normal ceremony in the auditorium with songs, words from officials, and a gift of a compost bin, on behalf of First Lady Cecile deJongh, who promotes education on healthy living.
Then the ceremony moved to a sunny hillside overlooking the Larsen campus, where students are learning about all about produce—from preparing the soil to eating the fruits of their labor.
The first stop was Auntie Janice’s Corner in the cool shade of a huge mahogany tree with boulders around it for seating. Janice Tutien, local storyteller and Pearl B. Larsen teacher, told her mom’s favorite old tale “Cow Dance,” a story on vanity. The ribbon was cut by dignitaries and Junie Bomba blew the conch horn.
Folks in dress shoes and sandals, dresses and ties, were led on a hike up the gravel Forestry Trail and over to Maria’s Way to Restoration Point. The trail was lined with papaya, tamarind, coconut, genip, sea grape, and cassava. Gov. John deJongh Jr. added to the school’s trees and got into planting a governor plum tree with the help of students and Petersen.
Twice a week during health class, students and teachers work together to prepare the beds, compost, sow seeds, transplant, water, weed, and harvest the organic garden. The project is designed to connect to the core curriculum.
Garden Director Vilma Bigelow said her visualization of Pearl’s Garden began in 2005 after she saw an edible schoolyard while visiting the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. In April 2007, school officials broke ground and had the ground blessed. The long-range goal, Bigelow said, is to eventually utilize the acre available and produce enough vegetables to sell and use in the cafeteria.
The garden has a greenhouse covered with a mesh tarp and there is a butterfly tower. The Elder’s Garden is where elderly from the community work with students at planters made of stacked tires, so there isn’t any bending over for the seniors.” It is very important to be with older people,” Bigelow said. “They can give back to us in so many ways.”
The students have planted and harvested tomatoes, lettuce, mustard greens, cabbage, herbs, and more.
“Working in the garden has taught me about eating healthy food and to trying not to eat junk food,” said sixth-grader Lucketa Cole.
There is also a fitness course in the garden where students learn physical activities for a healthy lifestyle.
The garden was funded by a $20,000 grant from the U.S. Forestry Department.
It is amazing what a group of dedicated, teachers, students, volunteers and locals involved in horticulture can do to educate the students about healthy living on the earth.