Agricultural education to also fight food insecurity
The 17 acres of outdoor space at Summit Township Elementary School are to be filled up with fruits and vegetation.
A schoolwide project kicked off last fall that had students build and plant gardens outside to grow crops such as apples, strawberries, lettuce and even Christmas trees.
The project was spurred by an initiative from the Butler Area School District, but David Andrews, instructional coach for student engagement with the district, said a $70,000 grant allowed the school to take on a project that would help fight food insecurity.
“The Moonshot Grant really was written for some of the food insecurity in the district,” Andrews said. “Some of the produce and agricultural product are going to come to Broad Street Elementary. Someday, we could have farmers markets at Summit.”
According to Chad Broman, principal at Summit Elementary, the school formed a development team last spring made up of staff and parents to come up with a signature project for the school. Students also filled out a survey about their interests and what they might like to do for a schoolwide project.
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