WNBA and PLT Help Elementary Students Plant School Garden
Elementary students from Barnard Elementary School in northwest Washington, D.C. teamed today with Mystics players and other community volunteers to plant their school garden.
Working hand-in-hand with Matee Ajavon, Ashley Houts, and Jacinta Monroe, three of Washington’s professional athletes, the students prepared raised beds for organic gardens in their school yard, and planted a variety of herbs and vegetables.
As part of WNBA's "Go Green!" week, the Mystics players assisted the students with growing vegetables that will be donated to Martha's Table, a local community organization that provides needy children and families with nutritious meals.
The Washington Mystics players worked with 30 students from PreK through 4th grade to help green their school. Master Chef and Gardener Mark Haskell helped lead activities in which students learned the basics of planting a garden and the importance of proper nutrition. "You have to dig the hole about 12 inches," a 2nd grader told me before planting a tomato plant.
"This was a great group of kids--they were the stars today," said Matee Ajavon. Ashley Houts agreed and added "The teamwork, and the chance to teach good habits, like eating healthy, were highlights for me."
This community project was supported by Project Learning Tree (PLT), the environmental education program of the American Forest Foundation, the U.S. Forest Service, the sponsor of PLT’s GreenSchools! program in Washington, D.C., Home Depot, and HSBC Bank USA, N.A. as part of its ‘Greening the Capital City: One Schoolyard at a Time’ program with PLT.
For the past year, Barnard Elementary teachers have been receiving ongoing Project Learning Tree professional development in environmental education to teach them the many ways they can get their students outdoors and learning about nature, while also helping them meet D.C. Public Schools learning standards. Today's project helped Barnard Elementary complete another step towards becoming a Project Learning Tree GreenSchool!
"A garden gets kids outside and active," said Mark Haskell, "but more than that, you can teach anything using a garden--from mathematics and science, to design, art, and singing."
"Today's service-learning community event ties right into the school’s values, which include providing students with immersed and authentic learning experiences," said Dr. Grace Reid, assistant principal at Barnard Elementary.
