Highland

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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.

Progress at Highland Middle School

Last week we reported being glued to the weather and the reports of lowering temperatures. Well colder temperatures AND snow were what we received!! As a result, we only covered one lesson in the classroom this week which was focused on weathering and its affect on soils such as that in our garden. If we don’t receive any frozen precipitation next week we’ll get back on track with two lessons. In the garden, we have been preparing beds that recently had all of the old foliage removed. On Friday we planted over 300 lettuces outside. We have been battling aphids both inside the greenhouse and outside which is likely an outcome of such a warm winter. Finally, we continue to make minor modifications to our spring garden plan and are in the thick of propagation so that we’ll have plenty of transplants ready to go out as soon as the weather seems to indicate the hard freezes have passed.

Highland Featured Student: Winter Waters

My few months in the garden have been fun! Well it’s also been messy, but hey that’s nothing. Planting the plants is hard and dirty work, but it’s for a good cause. The best thing to do for the garden that I like to do is rake the rocks because I like to tear them up and break them. It’s Fun! In the spring of the garden study I’m looking forward to those strawberries we planted. In the garden there can be many opinions, but my opinion is not bad but good. Garden study helps your grade when you take quizzes with them. So that’s why I love it, but I can’t wait to do more garden. My name is Winter Waters and I’m an official garden study girl.

Garden Program Specialist

Kevin Keen

As an Arkansas native, I am extremely excited about the opportunity to teach students about various aspects of raising their own food, living a healthier lifestyle, and enjoying outdoor education. I am shocked each week when I visit the grocery store to purchase vegetables (I just moved to Cherokee Village in June and have not had time and/or space to develop my own garden) at the high price of food to feed just myself.

FoodCorps Service Member

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.

Meet the Staff

Pictured from left to right: Mr. James Floyd, Superintendent – Dawn Trivitt, 8th grade Science Teacher – Carrie Shell, 7th Grade Science Teacher – Martha McClure, 6th Grade Science Teacher – Mrs. Inez Lunsford, Middle School Principal

Highland Middle School Website

To find out more about Highland Middle School and their garden study, visit their website at http://highlandrebels.k12.ar.us/.

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