Before students at Longfellow Elementary were farming fresh tomatoes, strawberries and cucumbers, they gazed out their classroom window into a waste land.
“It was basically a junk yard full of old desks and computers,” said troop leader, Martha De Young. “I knew the troop needed to do a significant project for the year. We thought, wouldn’t it be great if we could turn this junk yard into their project?”
Last year, Girl Scout troop 213 was awarded the Bronze Award, the highest award granted to a Junior girl scout, for their work implementing the Longfellow Elementary Teaching Garden. About 20 girls (and a few dads) cleared the junk filled courtyard, assembled planter boxes, and planted seeds to make way for their newly awarded garden.
Currently the garden is heavily used by the kindergarten classes at Longfellow, however they hope to expand garden based lessons to the whole school in the coming year.
While most of the girl scouts will move onto junior high this year, the Longfellow garden will help many students learn about healthy food, nature, science and more.
Great job troop! We’re so proud of your dedication, work ethic and spirit. Thank you for teaching your community about the value of hard work and heart health!
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