Schools named gardening assistance recipients

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The South Carolina Department of Education has created the School Garden and Education Instruction Assistance Program, administered by Clemson Extension’s School Gardening for South Carolina Educators. Clemson Extension offers the school gardening program through a partnership with the College of Charleston’s Food Systems Change Initiative with funding provided by Boeing South Carolina, according to a news release.

The program will introduce children to hands-on agriculture and nutrition education as well as encourage public schools to use locally-grown South Carolina produce in their school menus. The effort will support better health outcomes for children and economic opportunities for our local farmers, the release said.

Representatives from the 20 awarded schools were required to participate in both online and hands-on training sessions before receiving an all-inclusive gardening kit, the Garden STEM curriculum and other materials used to grow their own vegetables at their schools.

The 2019 School Garden and Education Instruction recipients are:

• Hilton Head School 1B, Beaufort
• Meadowfield Elementary School, Richland 1
• H.E. Bonner Elementary School, Berkeley
• St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School, Diocese of Charleston
• McCormick High School, McCormick
• Lake Carolina Elementary Upper, Richland 2
• Mt. Zion Elementary School, Charleston
• Saluda Middle School, Saluda
• Elloree Elementary/Middle School, Orangeburg 3
• Blue Ridge Elementary School, Oconee
• Bamberg-Ehrhardt Middle School, Bamberg 1
• Pacolet Elementary School, Spartanburg 3
• Cooley-Springs Fingerville Elementary School, Spartanburg 2
• Satchel Ford Elementary School, Richland 1
• Wallace Elementary School, Marlboro
• Latta High School, Dillon 3
• Manning Early Childhood Center, Clarendon 2
• Forest Heights Elementary School, Richland 1
• Ridge Spring-Monetta High School, Aiken
• Edisto Elementary School, Orangeburg 4