Planting Seeds of Success with Culver Community Schools

The next level of local eating has come to Culver, Indiana. Last year, Culver Community Schools, composed of an elementary school and a combined middle and high school, received a grant from the Indiana Grown for Schools program, allowing them to build and cultivate a vibrant school garden for the middle and high school students.

A sixth-grade student gets a hands-on lesson about seed starting during an agriculture class.

Second-grade teacher Janet Baker talks to a student about the different parts of pears during a weekly fresh food lesson.

An eighth-grade student carefully tends to new seeds planted in one of several grow trays.

Students pay close attention as they learn how to start lettuce seeds from agriculture teacher Robin Broeker.

Dedicated teachers were able to offer enhanced learning experiences for middle and high school students in the agricultural classes, and under their guidance, enthusiastic students engaged in planting seeds, learning about different vegetable varieties, and caring for seedlings for the garden. Different varieties of lettuce grown by the students will even be incorporated into the school cafeteria menu, offering a fresh and nutritious “garden-to-lunch table” experience.

For the students, it’s a chance to get their hands dirty. For the school, it’s a way to make healthy eating easier. “Hands-on learning is fun and more interesting than just sitting in the classroom,” says Hanna Croy, Communications Director for Culver Community Schools. “They can get involved and be a part of it. They get to physically go from the beginning to the end and reap those benefits when they eat the food they grew in their lunches.”

During the first year with the program, Culver Community Schools leveraged the grant funding to build garden boxes, purchase seeds and plants, and source soil from a local landscaping company. While the first year came with its challenges, including a late start due to unpredictable weather and unfortunate wildlife encounters, the program's impact has been undeniably positive.

“Students are amazed at how easy and fun it is to start a garden,” shares Robin Broeker, one of the agriculture teachers involved with the garden project. “They have been inspired to plant different flowers and vegetables at home.”

For many students, being able to grow different plants in the garden has changed the way they feel about eating fresh food. “Multiple students have shared that they hate vegetables, but yet when we grew green beans, everyone was excited to try them and couldn’t believe how great they tasted,” says Broeker.

The impact of Indiana Grown for Schools extends beyond the classroom. The school aims to contribute some of the harvest to their Blessings in a Backpack program, providing produce to families in need. “Our goal is to take some of the fresh fruit and vegetables that we grow and put those in backpacks for the kids to take home on the weekends so they have fresh food that they may not have access to otherwise,” says Croy.

Culver Community Schools is committed to the long-term success of the garden and plans to increase its size next year. The addition of a greenhouse will extend the growing season, enabling students to start seedlings earlier in the year and avoid any nasty weather surprises. Fencing will also be installed to cut back on the number of crops lost to wildlife.

Fresh food is not limited to the older students – the elementary school participates in a separate grant initiative that provides education about fresh fruits and vegetables to students once or twice a week. Each session highlights a particular type of produce. “The day they did pears, the students learned about them, where they’re from, and about the different varieties, and then everyone got to try one,” recalls Croy. “It was really funny watching their faces as they bit into the pears. You could tell some of them had never had one before.” With the additional growing space in the garden, the school hopes to use student-grown produce in future lessons.

Thanks to the Indiana Grown for Schools grant funding, Culver Community Schools can encourage healthy eating habits and foster a connection with local agriculture in the youth of the town. It’s also helped them develop skills that will allow them to be successful in other aspects of their lives. “I believe watching things grow and develop can translate into so many different life lessons,” explains Broeker. “When things don’t grow as expected, we use problem solving and research skills to find solutions. Maybe it was the planting depth or maybe the soil was poor, so we’ll try to amend it and give it the nutrients it needs to grow.”

Nurturing the garden has allowed students to grow right alongside the plants they tend to. “Caring for things outside of ourselves makes us more compassionate and caring people,” says Broeker.

Culver Community Schools’ involvement with Indiana Grown for Schools has made it easier for them to provide valuable resources, enrich educational experiences, and promote healthy eating. As the school expands its garden and shares its produce, the staff looks forward to continuing its positive impact on students, families, and the local community.