Houston Academy Celebrates Planting Day

Houston Academy celebrated the campus’ first Planting Day this spring. The event served as a culminating event to a program idea that received an ING Unsung Heroes grant in the fall of 2013.

Pameolin Nelson and her colleagues Dorothy Williams, Courtney Holiday, Sheana Carr and John Herridge [icons icon_name=”icon-external-link” icon_size=”14px”]submitted the program idea, “A Bridge Toward Sustainability”, hoping to receive funding to bring it to fruition.

“A Bridge Toward Sustainability,” will help students study urban food production using a new, innovative vertical garden product. The program will incorporate components in the curriculum from Let’s Move, which is a comprehensive initiative dedicated to solving the challenge of childhood obesity. Children will learn about food nutrition, biochemistry of plant growth, and the economics and environmental benefits of locally grown foods.

Pictured are (l-r) Lauren Cooper, Rachelle Novara, Courtnay Holiday, Leah Cooper, Pameolin Nelson, and Loretta Applin.

The school installed an irrigation system and garden boxes in the fall. In the spring of 2014, the campus planted seedlings donated by Peaceful Valley Farms and Buchanan’s Native Plants.

More than 100 students and 30 parents, grandparents and teachers participated in Planting Day. The event is a whole school celebration where students, parents and teachers help build the garden.

Several campus organizations such as Girl’s Inc., Jewells, Gents, Student Council, National Elementary Honor Society, and the Dance Company also participated in the event. Students rotated through four stations that included hands-on activities such as gardening, landscaping, gardening activities, and garden art.