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St. Paul Public Schools expands gardening program

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Published  October 3, 2024 7:33pm CDT
St. Paul
FOX 9

St. Paul students harvest food for their own cafeteria

Humboldt High School students are participating in a gardening program, where the fresh food goes to the school cafeteria and out in the community.

The Brief

    • Students at Humboldt High School participate in a gardening program, and their fresh food ends up in the cafeteria and out in the community.
    • The program gives students access to participate in gardening, farming, and agriculture.
    • The St. Paul Public School program is expected to get an additional $150,000 next school year.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Students at St. Paul Public Schools are getting more opportunities to participate in urban farming and gardening and to share the food they’ve grown.

Gardening program

"I love harvesting. I love seeing everything that has grown and knowing that me and my coworkers have spent so much time growing and putting effort into these plants. I just really like seeing the outcome," said Ashley Tapia, a senior at Humboldt High School.

Humboldt is one of the district's schools that offers students a chance to flex their green thumb in the garden. Over the summer, students act as paid interns, preparing the garden beds and planting and tending to herbs and vegetables.

"We have lots of herbs like Thai basil, sweet basil, chives, parsley, we also have tomatoes. We have three different tomato varieties, peppers," explained Neenah Mork, a senior at Humboldt High School.

Students say they also enjoy the program because they get to share the fruits of their labor. Some of the food the students grow ends up in the salad bar at their school.

"Being a part of that small little factor in the cafeteria makes me so proud of myself and my coworkers because it’s really great to see the outcome you’ve worked so hard on," Tapia said.

Community access

The food that doesn’t go to the cafeteria goes to the school’s food shelf and other community outreach programs to help neighbors access fresh foods.

The program is getting even more funding next school year. It will receive $100,000 in grants from Minnesota-based Cargill and $50,000 from the USDA. The program organizers say they’re looking forward to giving even more students access to gardening, farming, and agriculture in the heart of the capital city.

"Kids love hands-on learning, and so to give them an opportunity to learn about science and teamwork and social skills in an outside environment with their friends and classmates is a very cherished opportunity," said Lynn Broberg, Assistant Director of Nutrition Services for the St. Paul School District.