A grassroots education

In an effort to reconnect with its agricultural roots, Spokane’s East Valley School District has turned a vacant lot into a garden that will be used by both students and the public. The community garden is part of the district’s Farm to School program, which was launched last June. The program is the next phase of East Valley’s health initiative, which works to promote healthy eating habits and consumption of locally-grown products. The Farm to School program seems fitting; nearby community names like Greenacres, Otis Orchards, and East Farms are reminiscent of the area’s pastoral history. Today, pastures, small farms, and orchard remnants mingle with subdivisions. Readying the garden, located on vacant land between the high school, at 15711 E. Wellesley, and East Valley Middle School, has been a community effort, says Lynette Romney, a parent volunteer and chairwoman of the Farm to School committee. EVHS students are growing starts and working on the raised beds, and members of a local tractor club have used their equipment to prepare the site. Eldon Jons, owner of Otis Orchards-based AC Starr Farms, is on the Farm to School committee and has provided expert insight and advice plus donated time and equipment on the garden. “I have gotten the local tractor club involved in a ‘plow day’ where we plowed the 3.5 acre field that will be part of the school garden,” he says. “I have hauled 168 concrete railroad ties (donated by CXT) onto the site, which have been used to create 14 raised garden beds. I have also hauled in approximately 75 yards of topsoil (donated by Van Jacobson of Green Bluff) to fill these beds.” Members of student clubs have helped hand out fliers about the garden to the public. Romney, a gardener herself, has pitched in, too, picking up trash on the site and organizing the effort. She says she got involved in the Farm to School initiative following a district meeting, after which she found herself asking a series of questions: Why aren’t we buying produce for the district from our local farmers? Why don’t we grow food local farmers can’t provide? If the East Valley district is so agriculturally rich, why is there no agricultural program at the high school? She raised these questions to Superintendent John Glenewinkel, and the resulting Farm to School program and garden partly address those questions. “I got involved with this project to help with Lynette’s goal of improving the school lunch program by purchasing locally grown foods where possible,” Jons says. “This has branched off in the area of increasing the community awareness of how locally grown products can benefit the kids and the community as a whole. As a local producer, I have a stake in the increased awareness and demand for locally grown food.” About 4 acres will be used for planting crops, and the remainder contains the beds; each 50-foot-long bed contains five 6-foot by 10-foot plots, Romney says. Eleven beds are spoken for, but there are plots left for individuals to reserve. “The people we’re finding who are most excited about this are living in apartments, or people who have gardens but don’t want to dig up any more of their yard,” she says. Individual plots are available for free. “The only thing you have to provide if you’re going to plant there, is the seeds and labor. We will provide water and hoses and some expertise,” Romney says. “Gardening in this area is different especially with all the rocks.” What crops the school district will grow still is being discussed and depends on the demand and amount of labor involved. Romney has been working with the head of the district’s nutritional services to determine whether there’s a crop that it could use in the food it serves. John Savage, assistant principal and career-technical education director at the high school, has been working on developing the connection between the school and the garden, trying to build classes around it, and get members of the community and students involved. He believes the garden will create a “strong connection between community and school. Kids can take classes related to plants. (We) hope to use the plants in kitchen and classes. Gardens like this have built a strong bond between older and younger community members.” Initially, classes that will be involved in the garden for learning purposes will include the high school’s botany-horticultural science class, special education, culinary arts, and middle-school science classes. “(The) possibilities are endless as it catches on,” Savage says. Romney says a portion of crops grown will be donated to the Second Harvest Food Bank here. “We hope to make a big contribution to their shelves this summer.” In addition to the garden, members of the Future Business Leaders of America club at the high school will develop a business plan and operate a farmer’s market on the site. The Farm to School organizing committee includes Romney, Savage, and Jons, along with Chris Hilgert, of the WSU Master Gardeners program; Pat Munts and Gary Varrella, of WSU Extension; Dawn Wieber, of Second Harvest Food Bank. It also includes East Valley staff members Georjean Kuntz, Barbara Cruse, Joe Kostecka, Superintendent Glenewinkel, and Jodi Brown. While much of the work on the garden has been done by volunteers, the program has received a couple of small grants. It hopes to apply for more and eventually buy some gardening equipment. An irrigation system also is being built, and a fence will be installed to protect the plants from deer and other animals. “Next year, we hope to streamline the operation and increase student involvement in our operation,” Jons says. “A positive result would be to get the school kids interested in growing produce and return the area to a more agriculturally oriented local source of food in the future. With increased exposure, we can convince the public to buy more locally produced commodities and promote sustainable agriculture in the area.” There still is much to be done, but Romney isn’t daunted. “It’s a lot to think about, but I’m always amazed at how beautifully the community comes together.”