At Columbia, students will learn by digging in the dirt

ZOE FRALEY

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Class is getting a little dirtier at Columbia Elementary School, and teachers and students couldn't be happier.

Mardi Solomon and the Columbia School Grounds Enhancement Committee have created a garden space for the students, modeled after the garden space at Parkview Elementary, with a bed for each grade. After two weekends of work parties, the garden was finished just in time for school to start.

"I think that the garden is a real improvement to our school," says Solomon's daughter, Eva Myers, who's in fourth grade at the school. "I hope in the future we can plant vegetables and fruits and use them in our school lunches, and kids can learn about getting their hands in the dirt."

| ANDY BRONSON | THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

Her friends and classmates agree that the garden will be a fun addition to the school day, and they're excited to plant flowers and vegetables.

The garden has been a true community project.

The Columbia Parent Association provided funding, Builder's Alliance donated wood for the frames, Hardware Sales gave a discount for hardware and rentals, and Urban Forester donated wood chips.

Families throughout the neighborhood gave their time and talents to the cause. The people across from the school let the volunteers use their bathroom, and a master gardener from up the street stopped by to help.

"She doesn't even have kids at the school," Solomon says. "She just came to help."

Kindergarten teacher Leanne Uttech was one of the people pushing for a garden, and now that she has it, she can't wait to use it.

"We do a theme every year of plants and living things, so I though it would be really great if at our school we had a place to grow things and foster that love of nature," she says. "I was kind of tired of having the little Styrofoam cups in the window."

Solomon sees the garden as a way for teachers to supplement their usual lessons, whether it's science, math, English or art.

"I'm all about helping teachers get the kids out in the world, not just at their desks reading about seed propagation," she says. "The resources are right here where all they have to do is get their kids down the hall and out the door."

The school's principal Missy Ferguson has been supportive of the project and hopes the kids will get their hands dirty in the garden and experience the pride of watching something grow.

"I think kids need to be tied to their environment," she says. "This is a start at a small school. Those small steps lead to large change."

Though the beds are empty now, Solomon's next project is to support the teachers in their use of the garden.

"There's limitless possibilities," she says. "This is a blank slate."

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POSTED: Wednesday, Sep. 17, 2008

At Columbia, students will learn by digging in the dirt

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