About

Students Role

Through this program, students will learn important life skills, expand their knowledge of life sciences, and reap the benefits of healthy eating. STARs (students transitioning to adult responsibilities) will begin the process by setting up pods to grow seedlings in the classrooms. When it comes time, they will transplant the sprouted plants to the garden beds, take care of the land by watering and weeding on a daily basis, and harvest the vegetables once ripened. Our goal is to not only have students learn how to prepare and cook the food for themselves, but we also want them to donate the surplus of vegetables to food banks and shelters that they volunteer at as well as run an in-school farm stand for faculty and staff. Students will learn how to take care of themselves, will learn the importance of empathy, and will develop skills to become productive citizens in our society.

Farm Stand

Students will continuously have a farm stand set up where staff can purchase vegetables. Students will study prices of vegetables at super markets to mark their own prices competitively; they’ll be in charge of advertising what’s in stock; and they’ll handle all money exchanges. All money will go back into the garden program.

Healthy Eating

We want students to eat what they grow. We will find ways to make meals that students are already familiar with in order to avoid the “yucks,” but we will also introduce them to the meals of cultures around the world.

We want students to:

participate in the preparation and cooking of meals.
learn cooking techniques they can use for independent living.
eat meals that have at least one ingredient from our garden.
be sent home with recipes that they have tried so that they can share with their parents and guardians the healthy meals they have enjoyed.

Donating

The garden program allows for the opportunity for students to learn about the importance of empathy. Students will create baskets to donate vegetables to homeless shelters and food banks in Bergen County.