EASTHAMPTON — Students at the former White Brook Middle School were no strangers to dirt-stained clothes, earned while harvesting fruits and vegetables in a vibrant garden just past the athletic field. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic struck and the new Mountain View School was constructed shortly after, the once-cherished plots fell into neglect.
That is, until this past Wednesday, when a seventh-grade class helped usher in a new beginning at the garden as the first students in more than five years to learn hands-on gardening — a new addition to the school’s health class curriculum.
“I have multiple gardens at my house, so I like gardening and I am excited about this,” said Mountain View student Ezra Mangones while potting a strawberry plant.
Mangones and other students started the garden rebirth process by working together to assemble plant beds and pot strawberry roots. The learning actually started the day before in the classroom when students read a chapter about strawberries in the book “Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults” by Monique Gray Smith. The students will also read the book “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life,” which details how to grow and eat locally sourced foods.
The new piece to the curriculum and the revival of the garden is made possible through a Massachusetts FRESH grant of roughly $29,000. The district is one of 24 to receive funding through the state-funded program this year.
“Do you all remember the word reciprocity?” asked the school’s garden educator Hope Guardenier. “Strawberries are like a gift, something that you are given that you appreciate. Reciprocity is when you give back in return.”
Students noted that the strawberries rely on reciprocal care — namely water, healthy soil and regular attention — to thrive. But Guardenier said that strawberries are only one example of the different plants students will grow and learn about — they will also help care for apple trees that were planted next to the garden in the early 2000s and have survived since.
“These apple trees are going to get pruned this spring. When you come back in eighth grade they will hopefully be producing apples,” Guardenier said to students. “We will be harvesting them and then delivering them to the kitchen and hopefully they will be making applesauce and dried apples.”
“Apple pie!” one student suggested.
Middle School Health Teacher Anne Talley said one of the goals of the program is to use the food produced from the garden inside the school’s cafeteria for students to enjoy. Talley said the lessons are incorporated into the nutrition unit of her curriculum. Previously, she has not been able to offer hands-on learning, making this an exciting opportunity.
“We’re trying to teach them about growing local and growing our own food,” Talley said.
“The partnership with Anne Talley has been incredible,” said Director of Curriculum and Grants for the district Julie Anne Levin. “She’s doing lessons … the garden will be part of the curriculum, so that will also influence students’ wellness choices and nutrition. It feels like exactly the right combination.”
Levin noted that the elementary school garden has previously grown crops like corn, which was used to make popcorn for the students. She said it is exciting to extend those identical hands-on opportunities to middle schoolers.
In addition to the grant, the district was selected to participate in the Massachusetts School Wellness Coaching Program for the current school year, which will provide coaching to help boost the school’s wellness policy. The district has already created a revised draft of its wellness program that will be presented to the School Committee for review.
Superintendent Michelle Balch said the revised program will strengthen student health and wellness by aligning with state guidelines and establishing clearer expectations for nutrition, physical activity and overall student well-being.
“These two opportunities are deeply connected,” Balch said about the grant and the program. “They allow us to link healthy food access, wellness education and sustainable practices in ways that benefit both students and the community.”
