Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn. - Sustainability Task Force

March of the Seedlings

Jun 07, 2011

Students at Ellen Hopkins Elementary, Moorhead, ended their school year with the promise of new beginnings, thanks to a partnership with Concordia’s Sustainability Task Force. Clutching carefully attended seedlings in plastic cups, a parade of first-, second- and third-grade students made the short walk to Cornucopia, Concordia’s organic garden, to leave their green offerings.

The students will return in the fall to help with harvest and to taste the fruits of their labors.

“The whole design of the garden is aimed at kids and education,” says organic garden faculty adviser Dr. Gretchen Harvey, a firm believer in experiential learning. “It’s a great way to show kids that their favorite foods can be healthy.”

Spanish immersion teacher Jackie Hildahl ’08 has been at Ellen Hopkins for three years and says her students have benefited from the program, now in its second year, and love the process of watering, rotating and watching their plants grow.

“I’ve taught first grade for 20 years,” teacher Tom Dooher says. “In each class, I’ve found that students have an intrinsic love of watching and helping the process of a plant cycle.”

Because recent storms made the soil too wet, students were unable to plant the seedlings as planned. That didn’t seem to make much difference.

“This is really cool,” Sophie Schulz, 7, says. “I’m really excited to come back in the fall and check on our plants.”