Stratton Farm to School Garden Program

The Stratton School Farm to School Garden Program, started in 2011, seeks to create a sustainable garden and nutrition program to develop lifelong habits that will enable students to nourish themselves, their community and the environment. With a school garden project that spans over a decade that is a part of several larger initiatives, they are well on their way to realizing these goals!

2011

In the spring, Dave Richards (a member of the Eustis School Board) and Millie Howard (then the after school coordinator and now Food Director for Stratton School), wrote a 5210 Let’s Go grant to build six raised experimental beds.
Tabitha Emery (then a first grade teacher and now the principal) along with Katie Wuori’s fifth-grade social studies class, helped pull up the grass and dig the outline for the beds, making way for volunteers to place the rocks and add the soil.
Then the prek/kindergarten started planting!

2015

The food grown in the school garden was being incorporated into the lunch program, donated to the local food pantry and used by fine dining restaurants.
Three days of the school year were dedicated to gardening and nutrition: seed planting, transplanting, and cooking for their annual potluck Harvest Fest.
They added a vermiculture program where all classrooms had worms, made “worm tea” and composted classroom food scraps through grant funding.

2020

The school garden program expanded again with nine organic raised beds to supplement the school food program.
Due to the pandemic and schools closing worldwide, Anne Flight and Katie Wuori planted the beds and hoped that the students would return to a garden in full bloom. They collaborated with local businesses to get pallets, soil, and seeds donated to give to families who wanted to try gardening at home.
They made videos posted on the school website guiding beginner gardeners through the summer season with their pallet gardens.

2021

In spring, the garden program gained momentum and expanded again! With more staff and teachers onboard to get outside and create experiential learning opportunities for students, FoodCorps came to the school!
The Garden Team joined a year-long cohort with Laura Hoeft (The Great Franklin County School Garden Coordinator) through the New England Farm to School Program.
Katie Wuori, along with three other county teachers in Franklin County, began to collaborate through the Greater Franklin Food Council (GFFC) initiative to support school gardens called SING (School Integrating Nutrition and Gardening).
They revised and expanded the ten-year-old “Growing Gardeners Curriculum” by Selina Warren of Kingfield Elementary School to be a K – 8 grade cross subject curriculum for schools to use.
Collaboration between FoodCorps and the classroom teachers was successful!
They built a three-season growing dome through Growing Spaces.
The Middle School created a Student School Garden Team called the Chaotic Carrots who met weekly and took over managing the dome, watering, and planning other projects for the younger grades.
They began a collaboration with Green Farm, a local organic greenhouse business who sold flowers and vegetables. Gale Merrill helped plant 100 hanging baskets, a yearly occurrence to raise around $2,000 for maintenance of the growing dome and other garden expenses that are not in the budget.

2023 and Next Steps

They “graduated” from FoodCorps.
As a result, the school board approved the addition of a School Nutrition and Garden Coordinator year-round job to support the integration of outdoor learning which has become embedded into the culture of the school!
Joined the Maine Farm to School Network.
Participating in a case study on the community with The Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance about Harvest Fest to showcase how schools and communities can work together to create healthy living choices.
Collaborating with ReTreeUS to add a 200X200 yard orchard to the school grounds in the summer and fall of 2024.
In the Pre-K to Fourth grade front, “experiential beds,” students are planting herbs for teas to harvest, dry, package and sell as a fundraiser for our garden program or specific classroom project with ties to outdoor/experiential learning.

Note: This year Maine School Garden Day held on Saturday, May 18th at Kingfield Elementary School, has expanded to include an optional extra day of programming on Sunday that will feature a tour of the Stratton Farm to School Garden Program, a hike with Maine Guide Katie Wuori, overnight accommodations at the Hostel of Maine and more!