Used primarily by Life Skills students, Youth & Family Link’s after school program, and Sarah Wirtz’s science class, the Cascade Middle School Garden will soon be looking to expand.
Also in the works: Increased partnership and mentoring with neighboring Columbia Heights Elementary, which has a larger, more established garden.
Contact Sarah Wirtz if you like to help or have any questions.
“Help Grow Our School Garden” is our current motto!
The Rose Valley School Garden is currently in its preparation phase with plans to plant in the spring of 2013. Macy Grafton, a 3rd grader at the school, is organizing the project with the help of fellow students Addie Schierscher, Gracie Gann, parents & teachers, principal Dr. Mark Connolly, and Ian Thompson from LCSG. The garden will offer an outdoor classroom where students can develop a love for gardening while learning hands-on science, math and nutrition.
If you are interested in volunteering or have any questions please e-mail us at rvschoolgarden@gmail.com.
Looking for some good news? Look no further….
Taking advantage of a window of clear weather, we broke ground at Huntington Middle School in Kelso this Saturday, clearing a space for a new 70′ x 100′ garden.
Once again we are thankful and completely humbled by the community support. Jammie’s Environmental donated the use of the tractor and 2 expert (think “heavy equipment ninjas”) operators; Watkins 
Tractor donated the use of the excavator for the day. ECS donated the silt fence. There was a great turnout of volunteers.
Huntington Garden is off to a good start with funding from Weyerhaeuser Foundation and Kaiser Permanente, as well as Huntington PTO and some private donors. Help is pledged from Kellogg Gardens (soil and amendments), 5 Rivers Construction (concrete forms), and Cowlitz Fence Co.
Kids and volunteers 
are anxious to start digging. I guess I’ve been saying this for years now, but these are exciting times.
Good stuff, people.
The Daily News recently featured the new school gardens in Kelso at Carrolls and Rose Valley elementaries and Huntington Middle School. Our 16th school garden at Butler Acres Elementary in Kelso will come soon.
The St. Helens students had the opportunity to experience a Harvest Fest on October 16th. A celebration of the garden, an opportunity for members of the Lower Columbia School Gardens and St. Helen’s parents to teach students how to prepare food, music, games and a really great time.
Click the image to go to the schools website to see more images.
Check out this short video from KATU featuring our very own Ian Thompson:
“Wednesday, Sept. 12 was the annual United Way “Day of Caring” and volunteers from Norpac spent the day with our students in the school garden. Activities included painting more signs for the garden, spreading mulch, and making tasty snacks from plants and vegetables. It has been a wonderful experience for the volunteers and students. Thanks goes to Ian Thompson for coordinating the day and working with volunteers on the project.”
Click the image to go to the St. Helens School website and to see more pictures.
“Most any Thursday afternoon you will find us in our garden. Advised by Mr. Smith and the expertise of Mr. Ian Thompson, we have a pretty good garden! We’ve had the garden for a couple of years and this time of the year we get to harvest the ‘fruits of our labor.’”
Click the image to go to the Monticello School website and to see more pictures.
Kids teamed up with a local restaurant to provide the meal; heath agencies dished on school gardens, healthy eating at school and at home. If you weren’t able to attend the Healthy Child Growing Mind workshop at Northlake in September, check out the Daily News article with some great photos and back story on Lower Columbia School Gardens. http://tdn.com/lifestyles/article_77dc1e02-ec99-11e0-8847-001cc4c002e0.html
Did you know that Mint Valley has a Student Leadership Council? This team of students, along with some VERY passionate and dedicated teachers and families, have helped plan the garden at Mint Valley Elementary. Longview School District quickly approved the plan so we are cleared for takeoff! As soon as some money comes in, construction will begin, starting with the fence. We have applied for a few grants and are waiting to hear back. This garden will be unique in that all the raised beds will be placed directly on existing pavement – no muddy feet makes for happy custodians!
FUTURE GARDEN OUTLINED BY MINT VALLEY KIDS