Stark Community Foundation
| Special to the Canton Repository
In partnership with The Repository, every Monday, Stark Community Foundation highlights positive happenings in our community. Here’s to Good News Mondays!
Alliance Middle School students are digging into a new kind of learning this year — literally.
The school launched a Garden Club this year that brings science lessons to life through hands-on learning. Under the guidance of science teacher Nathan Morrison, the club teaches students about plant varieties, growing seasons and the care and patience it takes to cultivate a thriving garden.
Morrison, who grew up gardening, is passionate about passing along his agriculture knowledge to his students. He strives to teach them about the importance of sustainability, self-sufficiency and the science behind how things grow.
During the warmer months, students plant, tend and harvest a variety of produce like cherry tomatoes, lettuce and radishes — some of which they’re tasting for the very first time.
“The students love the idea of the gardens,” said Morrison. “Almost every day, they ask to go outside and take a look or tend to the garden. It’s a great way to take a break from the classroom and the day-to-day grind while still getting some science and agriculture worked in.”
The club complements the eighth grade science curriculum, covering vegetative reproduction, heredity, genetics and other topics.
Funding for the Garden Club comes from the Stark County Health Department, and the outdoor garden was made possible through a generous donation from the Grove family.
Morrison hopes the program will continue to grow — both in size and student leadership.
“My hope for the future of the Garden Club is that, throughout the year, we are able to teach students how to maintain the garden, and it then becomes completely student-led,” he said.
Eventually, Morrison hopes the Garden Club can supply produce for Alliance High School’s new culinary arts program, opening this fall.
Stark Community Foundation helps individuals, families, businesses and nonprofits achieve their philanthropic goals through a variety of charitable funds and strategic initiatives. Ranked in the top 10% of community foundations in the country, the foundation and its family of donors have granted nearly $275 million to nonprofits since 1963. Learn more at www.starkcf.org.