Students harvested organic tomatoes, green onions, mint, and more from the Rosarian Academy garden at 8:45 a.m., February 2, and donated them to benefit the homeless of Palm Beach County. News Channel 5 reported live from the school and featured the story on its morning news program and 6 p.m. news show. The story has also been posted on its website.
https://www.wptv.com/community/rosarian-academy-students-gardening-program-benefits-homeless
Rosarian Academy has partnered with Fresh Rx to grow these vegetables in irrigated garden boxes on campus. Fresh Rx is an organization that teaches children how to grow food with organic practices that focus on soil quality, which will produce more nutrient-dense foods. Elissa Gonzalez-Davis of Fresh Rx and Mildred Acosta and Cassie Klein of Rosarian Academy lead the school’s program in which Rosarian Academy students in the first through sixth grades enjoy an outdoor science class in the garden at least once a week. The irrigated garden boxes and other materials necessary for the program were donated by the school’s sponsors, the Adrian Dominican Sisters. Through the gardening program, students learn about the life cycle of plants, make connections between their food and health, gain knowledge in gardening best practices, learn about soil nitrate and phosphate levels, and even get to harvest their own vegetables!
Once harvested, Rosarian Academy has partnered with The Lord’s Place to donate the fresh, organic produce to Joshua’s Deli, a deli and catering program that is a part of The Lord’s Place’s Culinary Transitional Work Experience Program. This program gives the formerly homeless real-world culinary experience to help them transition back into the workforce.
Through the Rosarian Academy gardening project, Rosarian students have been able to live out the school’s mission of service and community, while also incorporating real-world educational experience and instilling an appreciation for and sense of the importance of nature and the environment. Thanks to the partnerships with Fresh Rx and The Lord’s Place, the fruits of the students’ learning are benefitting those in need within the community, as well.
