SUMNER — After much planning and anticipation, the West Tallahatchie Community Schools Committee officially broke ground on a new community and school garden at Bearden Elementary School here on Oct. 13.
The West Tallahatchie School District Community School Group includes teachers, school support staff and community members including Coach Corey Grayson, Janice Citchens, Felechia Martin, Michael and Dianne Plez, and Scott Little.
The Community School initiative is designed to strengthen connections between the school and the broader community by offering services and support.
The West Tallahatchie Community School Group was established during the 2024-25 school year. Its first major project is the development of a community garden, with additional plans underway to create a food pantry and clothing closet to further support students and families.
The project aims to cultivate hands-on learning opportunities for students while strengthening local connections to fresh, healthy food. The garden will be tended to and enjoyed by students across R.H. Bearden Elementary School and West Tallahatchie High School, grades 5-12, making it a collaborative, districtwide project.
The Mississippi Farm to School Network, a statewide nonprofit dedicated to connecting students and communities with where their food comes from, donated six raised garden beds to kick off the garden.
Sherry Clark, Harriet Catoe, Judith Mitchener and Julia Turnipseed of the Plantation Garden Club participated and guided the students in planting cabbages, broccoli, cauliflower and several other fall crops.
The seeds planted that day represent more than just a new garden, they mark the beginning of a broader effort to enrich the lives of residents across Tallahatchie County and the West Tallahatchie School District.
Mississippi Farm to School Network Associate Director Sydney Turnipseed, a Sumner resident, helped organize the recent community and school garden planting day alongside community partners and school staff.
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