Saint Gilbert Teacher Gets Community Garden Grant

Ms. Dana Bishop, 3rd Grade teacher at Saint Gilbert Catholic School was recently awarded a $100 Grant from the Meemic Foundation. The Meemic Foundation Grant funds curriculum-enhancing ideas submitted by educators. Ms. Bishop’s grant will help fund her classroom garden.

Ms. Bishop started the garden project to teach students in third grade they can help give back to the community. She wanted a project that at their age, didn't require additional help from parents. They grow plants from seed, watch them grow and then harvest the produce. All food grown is donated to the P.L.A.N. Food Pantry in Round Lake. Once harvested, they weigh each donation and watch the amount of food donated increase each week. Last year, her classroom donated over 150 pounds of zucchini, tomatoes, beans, cucumbers and peppers. Ms. Bishop ties the project to her curriculum by teaching students the nutritional value of fresh produce, plant life cycles, how to meet the needs of plants, and the importance of bees/pollinators.

Students love working with the plants and in the garden and the student’s excitement and passion inspire her to continue the project. “It is good to help as many people as possible so that they can get food when they don’t have any,” says Natalie, one of her students. “It is good to help others because that is what Jesus did”, added Keira, another of Ms. Bishop's students. Preston noted that “we have food every single day and others might not have that opportunity”.

You can watch and follow Ms. Bishop’s classroom garden on her classroom website at: https://goo.gl/JLcESp