FSP - MMLA School Garden

The Mid-Michigan Leadership Academy Garden Program
consists of a 27 x 27-foot garden at the school, which serves
students in grades K-8. The garden is incorporated into the
curriculum and teaches students how to grow food for
themselves, how to prepare healthy foods, and the
importance of healthy food choices.

Mid-Michigan Leadership Academy Garden History:

2006/2007 School Year: Garden plowed and planted.

Summer 2007: Summer School classes utilize and maintain
garden.

2007/2008 School Year:

Garden

Coordinator hired to help

teachers

incorporate garden into curriculum and

to enhance

the use of the garden. The

Garden Project donated a shed,

which

was blocked off for the students to

create individual

diverse murals. MSU

donated loft wood was used to

formulate eight garden beds into which

a variety of fruits,

vegetables and herbs

were planted.

Summer 2008
Summer school classes help to maintain the garden,
prepare and sample zucchini bread and make four food
group salads.

2008/2009 School Year: Currently all grades K-8 are
enrolled, 9 classes and 177 students! We visit classrooms
each week to teach grade appropriate nutrition. Students
prepare and eat a variety nutritious food samples every other
week. So far this year, students have prepared and/or
sampled fresh mint, chives, cherry tomatoes, fried green
tomatoes, roasted pumpkin seeds, and fresh salsa. Over 16
pounds of tomatoes were harvested from the MMLA garden
for the tomato lessons!

Summer 2009: Over 20 students enroll and attend Summer
Garden Camp.   Summer Garden Camp kids continued to
care for the garden over the summer, did arts and crafts,
played games and sampled over thirty different foods.

2009-2010 School Year: Over 200 students are enrolled for
monthly nutrition education visits with plans to begin After
School Garden Club in spring 2010.