Manila Middle School

Latest News

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.

Stipend Received

Manila Middle School recently received the first half of their $2,000 stipend for participating in the Delta Garden Study as a control school. Pictured are Manila Assistant Principal Mrs. Helms (left), Manila Principal Mr. Case (center), and Delta Garden Study Data Processes Specialist Erica Benton (right).

Manila Middle School

Manila Middle School Chosen as the Control School

ACHRI scientists determined that Manila Middle School was an appropriate demographic pair-match for Highland Middle School and will show how their data - including student BMIs – compares to Highland Middle School’s data after the pilot study ends.

Manila Middle School Website

To find out more about Manila Middle School, visit their website at: http://mps.crsc.k12.ar.us/schools/manila_middle_school.htm.