What’s Growing On? October 2021 News from Grow Southcoast

This October, Grow Education celebrated the construction of another six New Bedford Public School gardens with the Pulaski Elementary school community!  State Representative Paul Schmid helped to organize the event which recognized the funding support we have received from the New Bedford Community Preservation Act (CPA) and the USDA Farm to School grant. These funds will be used to build school gardens at each of New Bedford’s 19 elementary schools and educational programming in the classroom and community over the next two years.  Also, there to celebrate was the local City Councillor Brad Markey, NBPS Central Administration, the Arcadia Foundation, and representative Jacob Miller from State Senator Montigny’s office.

Adam Davenport, Grow Education’s Program Manager, began the event by leading a garden introduction and educational experience for the students. Pulaski students were instructed and able to do the inaugural planting of seeds into their new garden beds. Students were excited to know that they will be back out in the garden to plant garlic seeds in early November and will be harvesting that garlic next year!

This month, we will begin the second round of professional development for NBPS teachers in the form of a 21-Day Challenge. Through a 21-day series of emails, teachers will do a deeper dive on Grow curriculum topics such as: health, sustainability, agriculture, food systems, and farm to school. This information will be used to help teachers connect MA state frameworks to these important topics, while using their gardens as outdoor classrooms!