By WILL PERKINS
Glasgow News 1
Matthew Estes and other members of Barren County High School’s Future Farmers of America chapter visited Red Cross Elementary on Thursday to help the younger students start a new garden and fruit tree orchard behind the school and raised flower beds out front.
“I really liked seeing the people that aren’t from the farm really be able to get their hands dirty and get to work,” Estes said, adding that he really enjoyed how inquisitive and excited the younger students were to participate in the process.
When he told the elementary students they would eventually get to eat the vegetables, their eyes lit up.
“That was a really cool moment,” Estes said. “They thought that was pretty special, that they’re planting what they will be eating in the cafeteria one day.”
The plants that went into the ground originated at the high school, said Alana Houchens, who is currently in the greenhouse class.
“I personally touched almost all of these seeds,” Houchens said, adding that as the plants got bigger, they would transplant them to larger containers. “That’s like a daily process in the greenhouse. We’ve probably been seeding since we came back from Christmas break.”
Red Cross Elementary students plant vegetables on Wednesday in a new garden behind the school. Barren County High School FFA students collaborated on this project as they started the plants in their school’s greenhouse and helped the younger students construct the garden. Will Perkins/Glasgow News 1
Houchens said it was very rewarding to see all her hard work come full circle.
“We were planting those cauliflower and I was like, ‘I remember seeding these for the first time, and now these kids are planting them,’” Houchens said.
Estes said this was a unique experience since they usually sell the transplants produced from the greenhouse during their annual sale.
“We never actually go back in and plant them,” he said. “So I think it was pretty cool that we were actually able to put them in the ground.”
Andy Moore, agriculture teacher and FFA adviser at the high school, said this project was a great opportunity for his students to demonstrate their knowledge and leadership skills.
“I think everything about today would be a dream for any ag teacher,” Moore said. “I’ve gone from fruit trees to flower beds to the garden and watch the high school kids just take charge and use what they’ve learned at the high school level.”
Moore said the theme of this garden is to have “cold crops,” and included cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, kale, lettuce, spinach, radishes and peas.
“My students started all of the green slips from seed,” Moore said. “So it really is a Barren County school system collaborative effort.”
Red Cross Elementary students interact with Barren County High School FFA members on Wednesday as they collaborate to build a new garden behind the school. Will Perkins/Glasgow News 1
Red Cross Principal Josh Maples said they chose to plant vegetables that will hopefully be ready for harvest before the end of this school year, adding that the elementary students will be able to watch the entire process.
“The kids really love it,” Maples said. “The kids are going to learn about planting crops, how to tend to them, and the value of hard work and that it pays off.
“Some of this stuff they’ll be able to harvest, and then the crops that aren’t ready yet, our summer camp will be able to take care of that.”
While the older elementary students helped with the garden and orchard, the younger ones helped plant the flowers in front of the school.
“The cool thing about that is the planters are outside their classroom,” Maples said. “So they can see them grow, tend to them and water them.”
Ashley Hendrick, assistant principal at Red Cross, said some of the high schoolers have already worked with the elementary students on projects earlier this year.
“So they formed relationships with our younger students,” Hendrick said. “It’s just been really neat to see those high schoolers guide them, especially in the planting process.
“We have students that I don’t think have ever held a plant or a seed, so it’s just been eye-opening for us to see that connection there and for them to see how our food is grown.”
Hendrick said some of the school’s science standards are based on planting and the process of planting.
“So they’ll be able to look out their window and see exactly what they’ve learned about,” she said. “They’ll see it in action.”
Red Cross Elementary students plant vegetables on Wednesday in a new garden behind the school. Barren County High School FFA students collaborated on this project as they started the plants in their school’s greenhouse and helped the younger students construct the garden. Will Perkins/Glasgow News 1
