Instructional Resource Teacher, Susan Crawford, describes how the school community at Fogo Island Central Academy has worked together to make their dreams of having local, healthy and fresh food come to life with dedication from students, teachers, parents and support from an experienced farmer in Fogo:
“We are an island community located on the Northeast coast of Newfoundland. As teachers here, we recognize the importance of sustaining our natural resources and empowering our students with knowledge and skills that will allow them to be self-sufficient in the future. As all of the produce sold on this island must be brought over on a ferry for distribution, it is not always fresh. We have been working on creating a school garden which is planted and cared for by all of our students. Not only have our students learned how to grow vegetables through this process but we are consistently making curriculum connections and tying this learning into our classrooms, through reading, writing, and science outcomes. This has also instilled in our students a real interest in carrying this learning into their personal lives. Families are starting their own gardens, and growing things locally. We are so proud of what we have started.”
We commend the caring teachers, community members and students who’ve brought Farm to School to life on Fogo island and look forward to seeing what they do next!
Keep reading for a creative composition that shares the story of the fun they had on their Farm to School journey. Needless to say, they’ll be back at it as soon as this snow melts away.
In the Spring of the year,
With seeds in hand,
We headed to the FICA garden.
We wanted to plant,
a bountiful crop,
So to do so we called, Farmer Osmond.
With guidance and care he showed us the way,
to plant our seeds row by row.
Each plot would need watering, weeding and sun,
the recipe to make the “veg” grow.
In the fall of this year,
our garden did yield,
Onions, carrots, potato, and cabbage.
Pumpkins, beet, turnip and cucumber,
The vegetables had grown ‘something savage’!
The students were excited, pulling up crops,
Some had grown to twice their size.
Ripe and juicy and very sweet,
Exciting and such a surprise.
Not onto the feast prepared from our crop.
We diced, peeled, chopped, and simmered.
Parents helped out, a collaborative team,
Delicious soup was served for dinner.
Now we’re excited for the Spring of the year,
To plant and see what comes.
From seed to crop and crop to soup,
We’ve developed quite a ‘green thumb’!
