Thank you for your commitment, MSGN Board!
A community led organization made up of committed volunteer leaders who believe in the profound importance of teaching youth to garden and the far reaching value of adding a gardening curriculum to schools, the MSGN Board of Directors have a deep understanding of the importance of school gardens and how to successfully manage them. They give their time and knowledge to provide guidance and support to anyone who works with educational gardens in Maine. Their experience and skills are in such diverse fields as education, nutrition, horticulture, agriculture and soil science, farming, environmental studies, integrated pest management, community building, resource management and more!
MSGN Board members not only attend six Board meetings a year and serve on Committees, they also enjoy attending events to meet school garden coordinators to learn first hand about their wishes and accomplishments, so that they can use that knowledge to better support youth gardening in Maine.
Here are their comments from the 2025 Annual Meeting for your information:
I can’t believe another year has come and gone! I am very proud of all of the hard work Susan, Rachel and the board have done. Everyone’s dedication to the organization is commendable! My highlight of the year was being able to tour the school garden at the Belfast Community Outreach Program in Education. It is a beautiful space and is well loved. The teachers and leadership are passionate supporters of their students. It is inspiring! (Brittany Russell, Board Chair and Director of Health, Wellness, and Safety for RSU 22)
I really enjoy serving on the Maine School Garden Network Board. I truly enjoy visiting school gardens and having conversations with the school garden coordinators and volunteers. The work that this community does is incredibly impactful for cultivating happy, healthy, and curious learners and inspiring a love of agriculture, science, flowers, plants, and local foods.(Michelle Webb, Board Vice Chair and Director of the Agricultural Resource Development Division (ARD) within the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry’s (DACF) Bureau of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources)
My favorite part of our year is always Maine School Garden Day! So great to visit a local school and see their program and actual gardens, and to meet with a wonderful group of garden teachers. And to share great experiences and food! (Kat Coriell, MSGN Board Member since 2008!)
I feel so proud to be a part of the Maine School Garden Network board. A few highlights rise to the surface for me. First, our staff, Susan and Rachel, put so much creative energy into our partnerships and programming. They truly drive our mission of supporting school gardens forward. The calendar fundraiser and seeing Rachel juggle programming and pregnancy were impressive. Second, Maine School Garden Day will forever be a favorite day of mine. The rich networking makes my heart sing. Maine Grains pizza garden kits in tiny pizza boxes?! Talk about cool collaborations. Lastly, I enjoyed hosting a MSGN Summer Garden Tour in Waterville with Maine Ag in the Classroom’s Summer Teachers’ Institute group. I strapped on my baby and carried my toddler for an adventure with cool garden people, and local ice cream for dessert. What could be better than that?(Samantha Grenier, Consultant with Healthy Northern Kennebec)
It is such a privilege to be part of such a group of creative thinkers who are constantly looking to the future while utilizing the knowledge gleaned from our past endeavors. I believe that the Maine School Garden Network is crucial to maintaining the infrastructure of continuing and growing school gardens in our state.(Laurie Bowen, UMaine Cooperative Extension)
As a new board member, my highlights were getting to know the “behind the scenes” of MSGN and being part of the bigger picture of what is happening in Maine in school gardens. I’m glad to be supporting this group! (Katie Wuori, Garden and Nutrition Coordinator at Stratton School)
I have been most excited about the 2026 School Garden Calendar project. As one of the committee members who had the honor to review and choose the images, it was wonderful to see so many happy, smiling faces. This visual manifestation of many months of work by educators, students and the Maine School Garden Network gives context to school gardens as places of learning, understanding and joy. (Ivonne Vazquez, Native Plant Nursery Owner at Bas Rouge Farm & Forge)
Getting to review the school garden caretaker grants and reading about all the inspiring projects. (Anna Libby, Board Secretary and Community Education Director at MOFGA)
This year Maine School Garden Network really surpassed my expectations! My top highlight for 2025 was welcoming Jacqueline Briggs Martin, author of “Farmer Eva’s Green Garden Life” to Maine School Garden Day at Messalonskee High School. After placing over 1000 books into classrooms it was so wonderful to have her share her secrets about writing in and about gardens with the educators there!(Willie Grenier, Board Treasurer and Executive Director of MAITC)
The Board meets 6 times a year on Tuesdays at 10 am via Zoom. Interested in finding out more information about joining the Board? Fill out our online volunteer form or email info@msgn.org.
