Lawrence Public Schools' Farm to School program logo

As each of the Lawrence school district’s elementary schools undergo renovation and expansion projects, also planned into each new layout is an empty space on the school grounds. These spaces — all with water access — won’t stay that way. They soon will be the sites of school gardens.

Half of the district’s 14 elementary schools have gardens in the works for the upcoming school year: Prairie Park, Hillcrest, Cordley, Quail Run, New York, Woodlawn and Langston Hughes. The gardens are part of the district’s Farm to School program, one of the goals of which is to increase students’ knowledge of food and nutrition, said Crystal Hammerschmidt, the Farm to School coordinator.

“I think being in the garden gives them lots of sensory input and the ability to experience food in a different way,” Hammerschmidt said, adding that planting seeds and taking care of the garden offers students a hands-on experience.

The Farm to School program was initiated last school year, funded in part by a nearly $100,000 Healthy Living grant from the Kansas Health Foundation. As part of the program, student work in school gardens is coordinated with health, science and nutrition curriculum in the classroom, said Denise Johnson, the district’s K-12 health and wellness administrator.

“The connection that we’re really working toward is making this an outdoor classroom,” Johnson said.

Farm to School, a district-wide Kansas Department of Agriculture program, already helps support school gardens at all of Lawrence’s middle schools, and Johnson said the district hopes to expand the program to all of its elementary schools in the next two years. The fruits and vegetables grown in the gardens are given to the school cafeterias, and middle school students also sell some of the produce at local farmers markets.

“We want each school to have these same opportunities,” Johnson said, adding that if someone is interested in getting a garden started at their school, Farm to School can help them through the process.

The key component of launching a school garden is having a teacher or parent who will serve as the garden coordinator, as well as other support systems such as garden workdays and garden clubs to ensure the garden is sustainable, Johnson said.

“Because school is only in session nine months of the year, it needs to be a communal effort,” Johnson explained, noting that planting, weeding and harvesting are year-round needs. “We can’t stop the garden once it’s planted, and you’ve got to have people working it the entire time.”

Garden coordinators can be teachers or parents. Charlie Bryan, a parent at Quail Run, will be the school’s garden coordinator next year. The community health planner for the Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department said that when his daughter was set to enroll at the school, he saw the role as a chance to help create a healthier community as a parent.

“If kids are helping you grow it, it becomes fascinating to them,” Bryan said. “It makes a connection to where it comes from, and they are more likely to try something new — more so than if it just comes to them on their lunch tray.”

Maleah Phommaseng, an eighth-grader at South Middle School and member of the garden club, said she has always enjoyed gardening with her family, but that one of her favorite parts of working in the school’s garden is the social aspect.

“It’s nice because we meet new people, working in the garden with other kids,” Maleah said, adding that she hopes to help elementary students with their new gardens.

“Some kids are all into technology,” Maleah said. “So it’s always nice to have a school garden, so kids can learn more about plants and be outside.”

An indirect benefit of school gardens Hammerschmidt has seen is the building of students’ confidence.

“It’s amazing to see within a season, with kids that start off very shy and become proud and confident in what they are doing,” Hammerschmidt said, noting that students will start sharing information they’ve learned with friends.

If parents or teachers are interested in coordinating a garden at their school, an application is available on the Farm to School website.