Russell County Students Get Hands-on Experience in Outdoor Classroom

by Cherry Littleton, District Administrative Coordinator, Phenix City Field Office, AL

“How does your garden grow?” We have all heard this saying, but it has become a part of the curriculum for the students in Joy Ross’s 6th grade class at Phenix City Intermediate School. Plus the fruits of their labor are being used to help those less fortunate in the community.

Mrs. Ross, a teacher of special needs students, received a grant from Wiregrass RC&D to create a 35 raised-bed outdoor garden. Her students, as with so many inner-city youth, have had very little exposure to the wonders of nature.  Through this experience, they not only learn of the world around them, but also gain potential job skills.

The students were involved in all phases of the project. They began by clearing the land of trees and debris and then building the beds. In each bed, Mrs. Ross and her students mixed half top soil and half super soil to provide excellent soil conditions for growing vegetables. Super soil is a mixture of organic matter compost and manure with a high nutrient component.

Their first planting last April consisted of corn, tomatoes, egg plants, cucumbers, watermelons, squash, zucchini, and peanuts. Even a cotton plant came up in one of the beds. Although planting was a little late, the garden produced an abundance of produce.

Mrs. Ross incorporated various classroom subjects such as math and science to demonstrate practical usage in relation to the garden. They used math to figure the area of each bed and the number of seed to plant and science to learn how plants grow and produce fruit. They also learned an important lesson in community service and felt the joy that comes from helping others. Some of the produce is donated to the Russell Baptist Association and the Lazarus Society, two organizations that help feed the underprivileged.

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