Students at Jordan-Small Middle School are fortunate to have a way to stay connected to gardening all year long. Thanks to the school’s greenhouse, community members, staff, and students all have access to freshly-grown vegetables right at their fingertips.
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| Spinach grown by students is about ready to be harvested at the Jordan-Small Middle School greenhouse in Raymond. The healthy crop is part of the Healthy Pickins gardening program offered at the school. PHOTO BY RYAN RODERICK |
“Healthy Pickins Garden was built in 2010 and that along with the adjacent greenhouse has been active since then. It came about through a grant that Dennis Woodruff and John Keller had obtained that furnished the funding to build the greenhouse and furnish supply tools, bags of soil, fencing, and seed packets,” he said. “Lori Dibiase-Gagnon also played a key role in getting the first vegetable garden started and since 2010, thousands of pounds of vegetables have been grown for the school lunch program with lots of help from the JSMS students.”
Roderick said that the greenhouse is home to several crops including melons, assorted varieties of lettuce, and spinach. In addition, several herbs such as chives, lavender, rosemary and sage are cultivated.
The greenhouse and garden are primarily run by JSMS fifth grade science students. However, JSMS students in grades six to 8 also partake in the fun, helping out with various tasks during the school day and with an after-school Garden Club.
In addition to providing a wholesome educational experience, the greenhouse and garden yields harvests that help the school and benefit the Raymond community.
Roderick said that giving back to the community is important to the students.
“The greenhouse supplements the larger JSMS Healthy Pickins Garden. These fresh organic grown vegetables have provided hundreds of healthy and delicious meals to the students and staff at JSMS over the years,” he said. “When there has been a surplus of harvest, the vegetables have donated to the Raymond Community School and other schools in the district, as well as the Raymond Food Pantry.”
Roderick assists in recipe development, menus, and staff training as well as helping to ensure nutrition guidelines and food safety for RSU 14 are followed. He also occasionally works directly with students in cooking and nutrition education, and in sampling and taste testing.
“I don’t have much of a hand in its implementation outside of coordinating with our kitchen staff to receive and process the vegetables to be used in the school meals,” he said. “I have annual meetings with our garden team to discuss what crops to plant, which ones are favored by the students and which ones are reasonable for us to process. We also pay for the vegetables we receive from the school garden, the proceeds go directly back to the garden to buy seeds, soil amendments, and tools. But the bulk of the work is very much thanks to our gardeners, teachers, and volunteers.”
Originally spearheaded by community members Sheila Frappier and John Keller, the JSMS greenhouse and garden are the product of many years of dedication, effort, and lots of folks putting their heart and soul into the program’s success.
Frappier and Keller have recently retired from their roles, and new coordinators and members at the school have stepped up, including Lynne Latham, Manami Hammond, Santa Rodriguez-Lopez, Amanda Kamba, and Michelle Brann, to name a few. The program is in a transitional period integrating new coordinators who organize and lead the program including students, staff, and volunteers.
“It was wonderful working with the kids. I have run the program for the last 12 years,” said Frappier.
The gardening program brings immeasurable value to everyone at JSMS and the community.
“The School Nutrition Program and our students greatly benefit from the work and dedication of the gardening team. (It) teaches students about agriculture, nutrition, and life skills as they can learn how to grow vegetables for the rest of their lives. Also, school gardens just help promote healthy lifestyles,” said Roderick. <
“The greenhouse supplements the larger JSMS Healthy Pickins Garden. These fresh organic grown vegetables have provided hundreds of healthy and delicious meals to the students and staff at JSMS over the years,” he said. “When there has been a surplus of harvest, the vegetables have donated to the Raymond Community School and other schools in the district, as well as the Raymond Food Pantry.”
Roderick assists in recipe development, menus, and staff training as well as helping to ensure nutrition guidelines and food safety for RSU 14 are followed. He also occasionally works directly with students in cooking and nutrition education, and in sampling and taste testing.
“I don’t have much of a hand in its implementation outside of coordinating with our kitchen staff to receive and process the vegetables to be used in the school meals,” he said. “I have annual meetings with our garden team to discuss what crops to plant, which ones are favored by the students and which ones are reasonable for us to process. We also pay for the vegetables we receive from the school garden, the proceeds go directly back to the garden to buy seeds, soil amendments, and tools. But the bulk of the work is very much thanks to our gardeners, teachers, and volunteers.”
Originally spearheaded by community members Sheila Frappier and John Keller, the JSMS greenhouse and garden are the product of many years of dedication, effort, and lots of folks putting their heart and soul into the program’s success.
Frappier and Keller have recently retired from their roles, and new coordinators and members at the school have stepped up, including Lynne Latham, Manami Hammond, Santa Rodriguez-Lopez, Amanda Kamba, and Michelle Brann, to name a few. The program is in a transitional period integrating new coordinators who organize and lead the program including students, staff, and volunteers.
“It was wonderful working with the kids. I have run the program for the last 12 years,” said Frappier.
The gardening program brings immeasurable value to everyone at JSMS and the community.
“The School Nutrition Program and our students greatly benefit from the work and dedication of the gardening team. (It) teaches students about agriculture, nutrition, and life skills as they can learn how to grow vegetables for the rest of their lives. Also, school gardens just help promote healthy lifestyles,” said Roderick. <
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