SARATOGA CO., N.Y. — June has arrived! And with it has come the close of another school year; a spectacular, challenging, and ground-breaking year at that! 2020-2021 presented so many unexpected developments and across the world students and educators alike met every test in stride.
Cornell Cooperative of Saratoga County was one of the many organizations impacted by a redevelopment of interacting within the local schools. Specifically, the organization’s innovative Farm to School Grant. Originally launched in 2018, the grant aims to connect schools throughout NYS with farms and food producers within their community to strengthen local agriculture, improve student health, and promote regional food systems awareness. Saratoga Springs CSD was the only school to partake the first year of the grant to wildly successful results. The positive commentary surrounding the program brought 3 more local schools, despite the COVID-19 pandemic and with a little creativity the outcomes continued to be exceptionally positive.
A favorite “game” the students like to play is the “Caught Eating Your Veggies” contest. Students respond well to the fun competition and strive to gain the most stickers to show they’ve eaten their vegetables. Corinth Central School is one of the three new schools and their students were quick to join! Through the collaborative efforts of Pitney Meadows Community Farm, CCE Saratoga, and Corinth CSD’s very own Food Service Director, Lisa Tevendale, Corinth’s Kindergarten – 5th graders competed for 3 days in May. On May 27th the winning classroom was announced. Ms. Haack’s third graders received 66 stickers between the 15 students to win the contest! Each student received a Seed Starter Good Bag that included a “No Farm, No Food” sticker from American Farmland Trust, assorted seeds from Pitney Meadows, Stewart’s single scoop coupons donated by the Corinth PTSA, and Lisa Trevendale contributed the seed starter kits themselves!
Lisa Tevendale explained how the events of the three days unfolded with the students. “The first day some students were reluctant to eat or try their vegetables but when they saw their classmates eating them, it encouraged them to try them as well. One teacher commented that she saw one of her students race to his locker to retrieve the veggies he brought from home.”
Lisa Tevendale continued. “The cafeteria staff loved this event. It would be wonderful if we could get our students more excited about eating their vegetables. We always encourage them to try something new, and we are very pleased when they do.
Our students need to make the connection between local farms and fresh fruit and vegetables. This will help solidify a foundation of nutritional knowledge that could influence a lifelong healthy lifestyle. The farm to school program is putting the information out there for our students through educational field trips to local farms and helping schools connect with local farmers to be able to offer the freshest produce available.”
The Farm to School Grant program has been widely well-received and will continue into the 2021-2022 school year. Contact Nicolina Foti, CCE Saratoga Farm to School Grant Coordinator, for more information. 518-885-8995
–Cornell Cooperative Extension Saratoga County
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