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Mabelvale Garden Update »Mabelvale Garden Update This past week, Karl Heinbockel and fellow Delta Garden Study interns have had the opportunity to escape the fluorescent lights of the office and work in the bright sunshine at the Mabelvale Magnet Middle School gardens and greenhouse. In spite of the oppressive heat, there is still much to do to prepare for the coming school year at Mabelvale Magnet Middle School. We are removing the residue from last year's crops (and weeds!) and replacing them with a buckwheat cover crop to revitalize the soil. The buckwheat cover crop suppresses weed growth and once tilled in will add important organic material back into the soil. This allows new plants the ample nutrients necessary to blossom with great vigor. Healthy soil has been our focus this summer. In the fall, we will concentrate our efforts at producing a variety of food crops with the help of our students at Mabelvale! In the coming weeks, we will be continuing to clean up and organize the garden and greenhouse spaces so that this school year will be a great one for Delta Garden Study's showcase garden - Mabelvale!

FrontPage Article »See the Progress on our New Gardens! Don't forget to visit our Garden Schools’ webpages for pictures and stories about the progress of our new gardens. Liana, Kevin, Ryan and Cale have been busy developing their sites, planting a late summer garden, and getting to know their communities. Many thanks to all of their community members who have donated materials, equipment and labor!

About The Delta Garden Study »About The Delta Garden Study The Delta Garden Study is a $2 million research study funded by the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service designed to prevent childhood obesity and social risk behaviors, and improve academic achievement, in middle school children in the Delta and Central regions of Arkansas.

FoodCorps

FoodCorps is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in New York City. It was developed through a yearlong planning process facilitated by the National Farm to School Network, a joint program of the Center for Food and Justice at Occidental College and the Community Food Security Coalition.

Five of FoodCorps service members will work closely with DGS team members to design and build four additional, and maintain one existing, organic school gardens, and teach the interactive science-based curriculum developed specifically for use with the garden. The FoodCorps member based at our offices at ACHRI will be involved in our farm to school grassroots and advocacy efforts.

Meet Our FoodCorps Service Members

Harrisburg Middle School

Jill Zartman

Hello! I am Jill Zartman from Huntersville, NC. A graduate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill May 2011 from Gillings School of Global Public Health. I majored in Nutrition and minored in Chemisty in the school of public health and harnessed a passion for improving health care and serving communities throughout my undergraduate career. My past experiences range from planning children's events in NC Children's Hospital to clinical research in the UNC Lineberger Cancer Center to nutrition intervention for a Weight Wise Weight Loss Program. I could not be more excited to serve Harrisburg Middle School through the Delta Garden Study this upcoming year!

Marshall High School

Rachel Spencer

Though Rachel's college career wound a winding path through the study of international affairs, human geography, epidemiology, and assorted other things, she recently graduated with a degree in Environmental Health Science from the University of Georgia. At UGA she helped lead efforts to start the campus community garden UGArden, bring Real Food Challenge's Southeast Youth Food Activist Summit to Athens, GA, and establish the university's Office of Sustainability. Interning at that office and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Environmental Health Services Branch led Rachel to develop a passion for work at the intersection of sustainability and public health, interests that she is excited to explore further by working with the Arkansas Delta Garden Study. Outside of all things food related, Rachel enjoys taking flights of fancy through books, capturing moments of life on film, marveling at the elegance of the periodic table, and one day aspires to be as saucy as Lauren Bacall.

Highland Middle School

Jackie Billhymer

I am thrilled to be working at the Highland Middle School as part of the Delta Garden Study in AR. After growing up in St.Louis, MO, I moved to the brisk tundra of MN where I earned my B.S. in Nutrition at the University of Minnesota. While teaching youth about healthy eating through urban farming as an intern for Growing Power, Inc. and instructing yoga in Minneapolis, I witnessed the joy and motivation that health education elicits in people. Consequently, I am dedicated to continue building and empowering communities by providing access to holistic nutrition education.

Monticello Middle School

Katy Brantley:

I am from Nashville, Tennessee and spent the last four years in Conway, Arkansas working towards my bachelors degree in environmental studies at Hendrix College. I will be spending the next year in Monticello, Arkansas, working at the Monticello Middle School. I am thrilled to tend to the garden and work with students, using the garden as a unique opportunity for hands-on learning of the science curriculum.