School Garden Week 2013

             During the week of June 2, 2013 schools in Leelanau, Grand Traverse, Benzie, and Antrim Counties celebrated an inaugural School Garden Week, increasing community attention to the diversity of school-based gardening projects in the Grand Traverse, Michigan, region.  During June 2-6, members of the community visited schools for “Garden Tour Days” to learn more about these projects, participate in fun garden activities, and meet the staff who help to run these programs.

Michele Worden, one of two newly hired Farm to School Educators working with the Michigan Land Use Institute, expressed the hope that teachers and parents other school gardens and gain inspiration to take back to their own school communities. Each school hosted its own unique day throughout the with support from the Farm to School and FoodCorps Team based out of the Michigan Land Use Institute. Pam Bardenhagen, another Farm to School Educator in Leelanau County, Mary Brower with ISLAND in Antrim County, as well as Kirsten Gerbatsch and Daniel Marbury of FoodCorps, and several teachers and Master Gardener volunteers gave tours and spoke with visitors.  

Suttons Bay Schools, Northport Public School, Leland Public School, and Leelanau Children’s Center in Leelanau County at both the Northport and Leland locations; Platte River Elementary in partnership with Grow Benzie in Benzie County; Central Lake Public School in partnership with ISLAND and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in Antrim County; and Interlochen Elementary School, Traverse Heights Elementary School, Central Grade School, The Greenspire School, and the Children’s Garden at the Traverse Area District Library in Grand Traverse County all participated. Thanks to the enthusiastic efforts of all participants, school garden programs significantly expanded and flourished during the year; the outlook for 2014 is more promising than ever!