Features

Growing Green

The old adage goes, “give a man a fish; feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and feed him for a lifetime.” The same could be said for teaching a man to grow a garden.
Dobyns-Bennett’s Agriculture Science and Culinary Arts classes are growing green, working in partnership to design, plant, raise and harvest vegetables and herbs from farm to table.

Ag Science Teacher Kerrie Bradford had a vision to transform an unused green space behind the Career and Technical Center into three raised gardens. A PTA grant, along with community donations from businesses and two local gardening clubs helped make that vision come to fruition.

The curriculum will run full circle, Bradford said. Students will design the garden and raise the plants. Both culinary arts and agriculture students are peer tutoring to develop and prepare recipes utilizing the harvest.

“We’re really excited about the possibilities,” said Bradford. “We hope this project will be a teaching tool that will continue to grow.”

It’s not just edibles in the Ag Science plan, holiday plant sales support the programs financial
needs and give the students real-world experience.