Aldine High Students Shine at BSA Area Fair With Jardín de Vida

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Juan Bautista, Matthew García, Anisa Pierson and Stephany Flores of Aldine High School received the District Award for their presentation of herbal medicine and the promotion of gardening for healthy lifestyles at the Sam Houston Council Area Scout Fair on April 13.

The students are in Boy Scouts of America (BSA) Learning for Life as well as Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA). After gaining inspiration from the Up and Atom Garden created by the Learning for Life Program at North Forest High, the Aldine High students decided to create their own garden. They wanted to develop a garden that focuses on bringing about awareness of the diseases affecting Hispanics and natural ways to prevent these illnesses. During Hispanic Heritage Month in October, the students studied the most prevalent illnesses in their community and wanted to find a way to educate the school and community in the area of nutrition and preventive medicine.

According to Dr. Emily J. Bartley, a health science instructor as well as sponsor of HOSA and BSA Learning for Life at Aldine High, the diseases that are the most prevalent in the Hispanic community are those that are also prevalent in the African American community.

“The students discovered that numerous illnesses such as hypertension (high blood pressure), diabetes, heart disease, obesity, kidney and liver failure are high in the Hispanic community and many are related to multiple medications used for the other diseases mentioned.”

In a joint project between the Learning for Life and HOSA programs, the students began working on their Jardín de Vida (Garden for Life) in March near the health science technology classrooms. The garden will be used for educational purposes as well as for HOSA competitions, but the goal is to have the entire student body participate. Other career and technical education clusters at the campus will be invited to impart their area of expertise. For example, the engineering students will assist with designing garden. Health awareness themes such as diabetes prevention, obesity prevention, alternative medicines, and plant pharmacology will also be implemented. The garden can be utilized to study chemistry, life sciences and ecology as well as provide writing inspiration for students. Garden fresh vegetables will also be encouraged as a healthy lifestyle choice. Upon harvesting the bounty, donations will be made to local charitable organizations and food banks, which are always in need of fresh vegetables.

“The entire campus is excited about this new endeavor,” expressed Bartley. “Parents have offered their services and the staff and students are ready to work together as a team.”

The Boy Scouts of America’s Learning for Life program is a school-based character-building initiative.  It focuses on preparing youth for the real world in terms of career readiness, conflict resolution, social skills and cultural exposure.

Pictured above are 10th grader Anisa Pierson and Dr. Emily J. Bartley.