Gardening Extracurricular

Extracurricular activities are a great way for staff members to teach their areas of passion outside of the school day, and for students to be a part of some life long learning opportunities. For many people, summer time fun equals gardening. Spending afternoons in the sun with their hands in the soil is a great way to connect with the earth. Months later, your efforts are pulled from the ground and end up on your dining room table. For Ray Olson, teacher at Woodward Academy, exposing students to the finer art of gardening is a life skill worth exploring

Thanks to a $2,000 grant received from Whole Foods grocery stores, the gardening extracurricular was able to have a plentiful harvest this fall. With the money, they purchased some great gardening equipment and fencing, with the rest allocated toward landscaping. In all, they planted 9 different vegetables and have been reaping the rewards for weeks. With a lifelong agricultural background, Olson hopes to extend this extracurricular beyond the fall harvest. He noted that during the winter, students could do some indoor planting and learn more about weed identification, fertilization, and soil testing. He will also be exploring the possibilities of additional grants next year.