Mt Ararat High School

Project GROW (Garden Roots and Outdoor Wellness) is Mt. Ararat High School’s collaborative school garden program, designed to provide a variety of environmental learning opportunities for all students. With a vegetable section, raised beds (including a large ADA-accessible bed), a Maine natives area and small class-meeting place, the program aims to provide vegetables to the school lunch program and to area families in need, in addition to offering a classroom learning-lab and place for relaxation and healing.

Although Project GROW. is organized and managed by a group of staff and students, the site is available to any classroom in the building for a variety of learning objectives.

Health classes, particularly Fit for Life, accesses the vegetables to use in cooking class.
- See Recipe of the Month article in this newsletter for more information.
Art classes use the space for drawing and painting,
Special education programs can access their own garden beds to use throughout the growing season,
Biology classes do soil studies and more!
- See Lesson Plan of the Month in this newsletter for more information.
Math classes use the garden for measuring and layout/design. In fact, a math teacher was instrumental in measuring out the initial garden plan with students!

The possibilities are endless, which is their vision and hope. As the project develops, they hope to incorporate a compost program, grow foods specific to the needs of their food service program and explore the possibility of a farm stand.

When school’s out for summer, the collaborative group made up of staff and students each volunteer to adopt a week of garden care. With connections to area landscapers, the Brunswick Rotary, Merrymeeting Food Council and UMaine Cooperative Extension plus funding from Maine Environmental Education Association and Maine Ag in the Classroom, this new school garden is off to a running start!

Note: They have a large, clean water tank to give away to a school garden!!