For Lauren Woodson, the idea sounded fairly straightforward. Create a school garden on the south side of Nashville so her students could experience what it’s like to harvest vegetables.
Lauren Woodson, a teacher for 5th-7th grade special education at Valor Collegiate Academy, originally thought of the idea when she saw other school’s examples and how beneficial it was for their students. The students were able to learn more about the science of a garden, but it was also an avenue of therapy for them.
According to Woodson, about eight students with disabilities are enrolled at Voyager, Valor’s second Nashville campus. The school chose to pair each student with disabilities with another student. This way, students get one-on-one attention and model inclusion. A total of 16 students helped with the garden last semester.
Jason Adkins, environmental projects coordinator for the Trevecca Urban Farm, was recruited to help with the project early on. Adkins was involved most Fridays, and was able to teach the kids lessons about plants. He showed them what they were growing, how plants grow, what it’s like to be a gardener and other lessons.
The first harvest was in late October, and Adkins was there to show the students how to harvest. The students then got to prepare and eat a salad from the vegetables they’d grown and harvested.
Adkins still stops by the school every Friday to teach and lead the “garden expedition.”
“Jason Adkins is a great guy and has been such a great resource for the kids and the school,” Woodson said.
Woodson didn’t have to wonder long if the garden would be a success. Her students have been quick to talk about their favorite parts of the project.
“They really liked to put the dirt in the boxes because they got so dirty,” Woodson said. “Anytime they got to get their hands dirty was really, really cool.
“There were also these little green worms that camouflage themselves to look like the leaves. The kids started finding them and began calling themselves ‘worm hunters.’” Woodson continued. “They also like watering with their mentor groups. One group was assigned each week to water, and usually they ended up spraying each other with the water hoses. They also enjoyed being outside. They do have ownership over the project, and they really enjoy that.”
Because of her students’ excitement for the program, Woodson expects that Valor students will be gardening long into the future. In the next few years, she hopes to plant different vegetables for a fundraiser. A few examples are a salsa or pizza garden.
“If we could have more specifically laid out gardens in order to raise money for our classroom, the garden or school, it’d be cool to give the community that opportunity to give back,” she said.
By Rhiannon Peterson
Media contact: Mandy Crow, mmcrow@trevecca.edu, 615-248-1695