Growing Veggies for Lunch at Elizabeth Haddon School

Students, faculty and parents have planted the first spring crops in Elizabeth Haddon’s school garden.

The two-year-old garden has grown into one of the most beloved programs at the school, according a news release.  The New Jersey Department of Agriculture’s Division of Food and Nutrition recognized and featured the garden and school salad bar during Jersey Fresh Farm to School Week, and honored Elizabeth Haddon with a visit by the division director.

“Elizabeth Haddon School is a successful model on how a school garden can be integrated into the curriculum, as well as the school cafeteria,” said New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher.  “Children are learning the value of eating fruits and vegetables and hopefully will go on to live healthier lives.”

The garden was spearheaded by team of PTA parents, teachers, students and the school principal.  The garden’s eight raised vegetable beds and three butterfly and herb gardens serve as an outdoor classroom to enhance the existing curriculum and provide hands-on learning experiences for the 16 classes in the school.

This year, Nutri-Serve food service management company, in collaboration with the National Farm to School Network, chose Elizabeth Haddon School for a pilot salad bar and organic/farm-fresh school lunch program.  In addition to healthy salad, the program features seasonal food tastings made with fresh products from the garden.

“The children are so anxious to try anything they grow, even raw chives,” said Dana Gollotto, school food service director. 

The students have just planted leaf lettuces, kale, mesclun, arugula, carrots, peas, kale, radishes and a number of herbs.  They have also pruned and cleaned up the two large butterfly garden beds that feature native perennials.  Haddonfield Memorial High School environmental sciences students are now working with the school to create joint lesson plans and field trips.  Students of all ages gather in the garden to conduct classroom lessons, including math, science and even history. 

Last week, Mrs. McGroarty’s first grade class learned that the oldest discovery of peas was in caves on the border between Burma and Thailand in 9750 BC!  They also learned there is a legend that Ulysses’ soldiers ate carrots to quiet their rumbling stomachs as they waited inside the Trojan horse as it entered the City of Troy during the Trojan War.  And William Shakespeare was apparently inspired by the beauty of pansies like those the children planted around the edge of their garden.