Posted: 7-7-2009
Extension helps students excel in Florida School Garden Competition
The winners in this year’s Florida School Garden Competition have something in common – help from their local extension offices.
Eight of the top nine schools looked to extension for information and advice, said Tom Wichman, an IFAS environmental horticulture extension agent in Gainesville who coordinates the annual competition. All elementary schools statewide are eligible to enter.
“This contest focuses on incorporation of gardening into the school curriculum, so it recognizes teachers who are creative,” said Wichman. “It’s great that so many teachers have looked to extension for help, because extension has a lot of resources available to schools – their horticulture agents, Master Gardener volunteers, publications and more.”
For extension offices, offering help with school gardens can be a great way to reach out to local school systems and the community, said Sharon Treen, Flagler County extension director. Her office coordinates the first-place winning Bunnell Elementary School garden as part of the office’s family nutrition program.
“I recommend it (coordinating school gardens) with the caveat that it takes considerable work and funding,” Treen said. “It can definitely be approached as an interdisciplinary program where you get agriculture, horticulture, family and consumer sciences, and youth development activities all involved.”
Treen added that grants are available to assist county extension offices with school garden projects, and it’s also possible to secure support from businesses and organizations.
Here are the top-ranked gardens:
Entire School Garden
1st place: Bunnell Elementary School, Bunnell
2nd place: Camelot Elementary School, Orlando
3rd place: Sand Lake Elementary School, Orlando
Multiple Class Garden
1st place: Endeavor Elementary School, Cocoa
2nd place: Tavares Elementary School, Tavares
3rd place: Washington County School District Gifted Ed. Program, Chipley
Single Class Garden
1st place: Wekiva Elementary School, Longwood
2nd place: Altoona School, Altoona
3rd place: Gene Witt Elementary, Bradenton
Each entry is evaluated by a team of judges, who consider three main factors: the garden’s educational relevance, the school’s level of involvement in the project and the quality of the garden.
The Florida School Garden Competition has been held annually since 1998. It’s sponsored by the Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival, Florida Federation of Garden Clubs Inc., Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association and The Perfect Garden Tool System.
The call for 2010 entries will be announced in fall 2009, Wichman said.
More information on gardening with kids and the Florida School Gardening Competition can be found online at http://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/schoolgardens/
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