Grow Your Own

As states and school districts deal with major budget shortfalls, programs are being cut. Such may possibly be the fate of an innovative gardening initiative involving North Hollywood High School students in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Here in this little-known oasis, Mud Baron and urban teenagers with a heretofore unknown penchant for rare flowers toil under a blazing sun to raise lemon verbena, tomatoes, lettuce and other greenery that hundreds of Los Angeles schools will use to jump-start their gardens this fall. They also cultivate exotic plants, including exuberantly colored dahlias the size of dinner plates, to sell at farmers markets.

Mud, known among administrators as Los Angeles Unified School District's "Johnny Appleseed," and his close-knit crew of North Hollywood High students are scrambling not only to help the district's fledgling gardening program grow, but also to save it from joining other new programs in the compost heap.

Read more about it in this story from Sunday's Los Angeles Times.

You have read this article budget / gardening / Los Angeles / school with the title school. You can bookmark this page URL http://apt3e.blogspot.com/2008/08/grow-your-own.html. Thanks!

Shoot First, Ask Questions Later

This story comes courtesy of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in the Lone Star State. Surprised?

When classes start Aug. 25 in the tiny Harrold school district, there will be one distinct difference from years prior: Some of the teachers may have guns.

To me, it seems much more likely that one of these gun-toting teachers will accidentally or intentionally shoot someone rather than prevent an armed assault on the school. Not so, says the school district superintendent. He blames the supposed rise in school shootings on the federal government's policy to restrict guns in American schools.

"When the federal government started making schools gun-free zones, that’s when all of these shootings started," Thweatt said. "Why would you put it out there that a group of people can’t defend themselves? That’s like saying 'sic ’em’ to a dog."

So, Mr. Superintendent, is there performance pay available for teachers who hit any available targets?

UPDATE: Enjoy a much wittier post than mine on this same topic -- which I discovered just after completing my post -- from the one and the only Kevin "Red Dawn" Carey.

You have read this article gun / school / Texas / violence with the title school. You can bookmark this page URL http://apt3e.blogspot.com/2008/08/shoot-first-ask-questions-later.html. Thanks!

The Edible Schoolyard

I just returned home from the opening day of the Madison (Wisconsin) Farmers Market (spring starts late here!). And it got me thinking about how to connect food and education. No, not like culinary school, smarty pants. But getting younger kids to appreciate the bountiful harvest in their own backyard.

Fortunately, others have not just thought but acted upon this idea. The best and longest-standing example perhaps is The Edible Schoolyard in Berkeley, California. Established by Alice Waters--the award-winning and world-famous chef and owner of Chez Panisse--the nonprofit Edible Schoolyard teaches middle school students how to grow, harvest, and prepare seasonal produce through the use of an on-site garden and kitchen classroom. It's been in operation since 1997.

Here in my backyard of Wisconsin a similar effort is in existence. Wisconsin Homegrown Lunch is a partnership of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems and the Madison-based nonprofit, REAP. It provides locally grown produce to elementary school cafeterias. According to FarmToSchool.org, it's one of an estimated 1,115 farm-to-school programs in 34 states. One of its related initiatives is Cooking Healthy Options in Wisconsin (CHOW), which brings L'Etoile chef/owner Tory Miller into a Madison middle school to teach kids about fresh, local ingredients through cooking. Looks like Madison could have some Top Chefs in the making!

For those of you who are no longer school-aged but are interested in supporting local, sustainable agriculture, buy local and eat local! Check out the web sites of Local Harvest or Slow Food USA or consider joining a local CSA.

You have read this article Alice Waters / Berkeley / Chez Panisse / CSA / Edible Schoolyard / food / L'Etoile / Madison / nutrition / school / school lunch / Slow Food / Top Chef / Tory Miller / UW-Madison / Wisconsin with the title school. You can bookmark this page URL http://apt3e.blogspot.com/2008/04/the-edible-schoolyard.html. Thanks!