Houston Academy Educators Receive ING Unsung Heroes Grant

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For nearly 20 years, the ING Unsung Heroes Awards Program provides grants to demonstrate its commitment to the education community. Each year, 100 finalists receive $2,000 while three of them are selected as Top Winners to receive additional grants of $25,000, $10,000, and $5,000. Five educators — Pameolin Nelson, Dorothy Williams, Courtnay Holiday, Sheana Carr and John Herridge — received a $2,000 grant for Houston Academy.

Nelson and her colleagues’ winning program idea, “A Bridge Toward Sustainability,” will help their 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.

The garden the students will create under teachers’ leadership also will provide a natural laboratory for learning in all subjects. The transportation and distribution of foods will be discussed, as well as the art of food preparation, plant nutrition, and how vitamins, minerals and micronutrients are found in fruits and vegetables grown in rich soil.

According to Nelson, the students also will get hands-on mechanical experience as they help teachers, parents and community volunteers build the vertical gardens. The produce harvested will be provided free of charge to needy families of students.

“Ultimately, we hope students will increase their fresh fruit and vegetable intake and value the source of their food and the work required to grow it,” expressed Nelson.

The Houston Academy educators will now compete with other 2013 ING grant recipients to be selected as “Top” winners for a larger grant.

For more information about the grant, visit the website for ING Unsung Heroes.