Article by Charlie McKee

Photos by Charlie McKee and Elena Mitchel

On a very cold, grey and uncharacteristically foggy January day this week, the garden area at the Sixth Street Elementary School in Silver City looked pretty bleak. This did not dampen the obvious enthusiasm of Elena Mitchel, however, who is the creative spirit behind the children's garden at the school, which the children voted to name "Veggie Rainbow Garden."

The garden and Mitchel's time are being funded by a grant through The Volunteer Center (TVC) of Grant County. Mitchel stated that TVC Executive Director Alicia Edwards's goal is to use the Sixth Street School Garden as a model for other schools and to have similar gardens at each school in the Silver City Consolidated School District.

Mitchel, a FoodCorps Service Member, is clearly dedicated to her mission of teaching the children at Sixth Street a basic understanding of where food comes from and the importance of good nutrition through their participation and interaction in the garden. Her methodology leverages creative and fun children's activities that touch upon all of the disciplines that the children are studying, including math, science and history. Mitchel's goal is to develop the children's understanding of:

    • Where food comes from: from seed to full grown plant to something to eat.
    • How plants function and what their needs are.
    • How to eat healthy, nutritious fruits and vegetables by having the children experience growing their own produce and then consuming it.

Mitchel utilizes songs and movement, as well as math and art, to engage the children, such as having them draw healthy meals on a paper plate; create a snack from each of the "Harvard Healthy Plate" food groups; and estimate and then count all the seeds in a pumpkin.

Each kindergarten through fifth grade class spends 45 minutes per week (weather permitting) in the Veggie Rainbow Garden, with the support of the Sixth Street School's teachers and staff. On bad weather days, the children engage in various nutrition-oriented learning activities indoors. Mitchel and the children have created numerous growing beds in the Veggie Rainbow Garden, each with distinct plants to teach the children a new lesson. For example, a circle of sunflower seedlings will grow into a "sunflower house" in which the children can hide; the "pizza bed" will feature herbs and vegetables used on pizza; and the "herbal spiral bed" will become an entertaining maze of culinary and medicinal herbs. Mitchel says, "I want the kids to have a sensory experience with the plants, combining touch, aroma, and sight."

On Saturday, Jan. 17, and Martin Luther King Day of Service, Jan. 19, Mitchel and a group of volunteers will be holding a Shed Work Party to build a garden shed in the Veggie Rainbow Garden. Lumber for the shed was purchased with a grant from Farm to Table to The Volunteer Center, specifically earmarked for the Sixth Street School Garden Program. Mitchel also emphasizes that the teachers and staff of the Sixth Street Elementary School are very supportive. She reports that they have formed a Garden Committee, comprised of teachers and parents, with a goal of making the garden a sustainable and viable component of the school's ongoing programs.

Mitchel brings a background in permaculture and horticulture from Merritt College in Oakland and experience with two school gardens in Berkley, California, to her Silver City assignment with the FoodCorps. Foodcorps is an independent non-profit organization, partially funded by Americorps. She stated that she is in the process of developing a toolkit that will provide a roadmap for other schools to implement a similar garden program, as well as providing a planting schedule for the Grant County region. Indoor planting of starts for the Veggie Rainbow Garden will begin in February, and outdoor planting will begin in March. Mitchel says, "The kids can't wait to actually eat what is growing. They are so excited!"

Content on the Beat

WARNING: All articles and photos with a byline or photo credit are copyrighted to the author or photographer. You may not use any information found within the articles without asking permission AND giving attribution to the source. Photos can be requested and may incur a nominal fee for use personally or commercially.

Disclaimer: If you find errors in articles not written by the Beat team but sent to us from other content providers, please contact the writer, not the Beat. For example, obituaries are always provided by the funeral home or a family member. We can fix errors, but please give details on where the error is so we can find it. News releases from government and non-profit entities are posted generally without change, except for legal notices, which incur a small charge.

NOTE: If an article does not have a byline, it was written by someone not affiliated with the Beat and then sent to the Beat for posting.

Images: We have received complaints about large images blocking parts of other articles. If you encounter this problem, click on the title of the article you want to read and it will take you to that article's page, which shows only that article without any intruders. 

New Columnists: The Beat continues to bring you new columnists. And check out the old faithfuls who continue to provide content.

Newsletter: If you opt in to the Join GCB Three Times Weekly Updates option above this to the right, you will be subscribed to email notifications with links to recently posted articles.

Submitting to the Beat

Those new to providing news releases to the Beat are asked to please check out submission guidelines at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/about/submissions. They are for your information to make life easier on the readers, as well as for the editor.

Advertising: Don't forget to tell advertisers that you saw their ads on the Beat.

Classifieds: We have changed Classifieds to a simpler option. Check periodically to see if any new ones have popped up. Send your information to editor@grantcountybeat.com and we will post it as soon as we can. Instructions and prices are on the page.

Editor's Notes

It has come to this editor's attention that people are sending information to the Grant County Beat Facebook page. Please be aware that the editor does not regularly monitor the page. If you have items you want to send to the editor, please send them to editor@grantcountybeat.com. Thanks!

Here for YOU: Consider the Beat your DAILY newspaper for up-to-date information about Grant County. It's at your fingertips! One Click to Local News. Thanks for your support for and your readership of Grant County's online news source—www.grantcountybeat.com

Feel free to notify editor@grantcountybeat.com if you notice any technical problems on the site. Your convenience is my desire for the Beat.  The Beat totally appreciates its readers and subscribers!  

Compliance: Because you are an esteemed member of The Grant County Beat readership, be assured that we at the Beat continue to do everything we can to be in full compliance with GDPR and pertinent US law, so that the information you have chosen to give to us cannot be compromised.