Last spring, Mrs. Johnson was selected as a recipient of the 2023 Agriculture in the Classroom Grant which is offered by the Suffolk County Soil and Water Conservation District. This program started in 2017 and has continued to grow and assist schools to achieve their projects throughout the years.
The grant she wrote was Farm to Table Nutrition at East Moriches. The goal of the grant was to install two Tower Garden systems. The first tower garden in Family and Consumer Sciences classroom provides student with the opportunity to grow food and cook/prepare with the food they have grown to bring a true farm to table experience in the classroom. The other tower garden is housed in the STEAM lab at the elementary school. These towers integrate multiple STEAM disciplines such as providing tangible way for students to learn about plants in the environment, observe the growth of them, importance of healthy eating, and maintaining the garden.
Even though East Moriches is located near many farms that provide fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables that give us healthy options to choose from, doesn’t mean all students in the community have the opportunity to take advantage of these healthy produce. These towers expose students to various home grown produce and herbs in the classroom. Having a grow tower in the class will reap many benefits not only to the Family and Consumer Sciences and STEAM students but to the entire student body of the East Moriches School District. In addition, the grow towers will improve nutrition knowledge, provide a hands-on learning experience, and give students responsibility and confidence. Implementing this into our curriculum has been a powerful teaching tool and a great addition to the East Moriches School District.