School Garden Sprouts at Shepherd of the Coast

Some kids probably hate it when summer comes to an end and homework season rears its head like Putin visiting Alaska.But we'd bet the kids over at Shepherd of the Coast in northeast Fort Lauderdale don't feel quite as deprived of fun. They've put together a big community garden, growing...

By Jeff Stratton

September 13, 2010

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Some kids probably hate it when summer comes to an end and homework season rears its head like Putin visiting Alaska.

But we'd bet the kids over at Shepherd of the Coast in northeast Fort Lauderdale don't feel quite as deprived of fun. They've put together a big community garden, growing

everything from radishes to peppers, corn, peas, potatoes, tomatoes,

cucumber, eggplant, zucchini, lettuce, cabbage, beans, onion, and garlic

-- these kids are going all out.

And when harvest

time comes (starting in early November and lasting til February),

instead of hoarding the fruits (and veggies) of their labors, this gang

will be all about the sharing. They'll host a big dinner for the

community, and they're giving a portion of the crops raised to a local

cooperative food program here in Fort Lauderdale.

Every student, from prekindergarten all the way up to eighth grade, is working in the garden twice a week.

The garden is still in its infancy, with little sprouts only just starting to shoot up. "As

I look out my office window, I can see the beanstalks are starting to

grow and the cucumbers have taken off quite a bit," says Nikki Sorren,

admissions counselor for the school.

Sounds better than diagramming sentences. Why didn't they do this when I was kid?

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