Community garden helps Richmond students grow

RICHMOND, Va. -- It would be hard for you to find someone more excited at John B. Cary Elementary School than the principal Michael Powell.

"We have our core values here at the school,” Principal Powell said. “One of our core values is that we teach our children how to be service driven."

Ever since the school was chosen as a No Child Left Inside Eco-Campus, the energy has ramped up on building a community garden.

"One of our students actually came up with this process where they wanted to give back. And we had a project, that service project, that we had to do with our National Elementary Honor Society students, and they came up with the idea of the community garden," Powell said.

The service project means these raised gardens will grow vegetables to help support six area churches. It is something that attracted VCU student Jasmine Renoso to volunteer.

"Especially because of COVID,” Renoso said. “We've seen how food insecurity affects populations. And this is one way I can personally help."

And it will help students learn.

"They're looking at soil samples. They're learning how to be able to use the math and the science connected to planting a garden. They're learning how to give back, how to use space and utilizing perimeter and area, and connecting all of those project-based learning activities."

Building these gardens is Building Better Minds.