1. Holden Christian Academy
Food for Life

2. Once upon a time there was a very nice
school named Holden Christian Academy.

3. The principal and teachers wanted to help
the students make healthy choices in their
lives and be good stewards of all God’s
gifts, including their own bodies.
Then they would be able to say
“YES”
to anything God has planned
for them to do.

4. They came up with a
wonderful idea.
They said, “Let’s have a
Food for Life Program!
It would have three parts.”

5. 1. Gardening

6. 2. Nutrition

7. 3. Fitness

8. About the same time, a friend named Olga was visiting from
Belarus. She works with orphans and wanted to help them
grow more vegetables for the winter. She asked HCA for help!

9. We took Olga to Heaven’s Harvest Farm
to get some help from Mr. Howard.
We decided to try some of his ideas at HCA.
Someday soon we want to send students to Belarus
to take the best solutions to the orphans.

10. Our Plan
We decided to start a school garden and
learn how to grow our own food.

11. We wanted to research and test ways to
prolong the growing season
and conserve heat without using electricity.
Some possibilities included:
• a hoop house
• a cold frame
• a green house

12. We wanted to learn about harvesting, preparing,
and preserving our own food in
the most nutritious ways possible!

13. Our Action Plan
First HCA had a parent meeting to determine the interest
level of parents and ask for their help.
A local expert who runs school gardens in towns nearby
spoke to all the parents. Everyone was excited to begin!

14. Then we did (and continue to do) research!
We visited local schools
with gardens and spoke to
the educators in charge.
Quabbin Regional High School
Barre, MA.

15. We conducted in-service training with
Karrie Kalick, author of Early Sprouts.

16. We attended Mass. Agriculture in the Classroom’s
conferences and summer graduate course!

17. We read, read, and continue to read!

18. And visited wonderful resources
Ellen Sousa’s farm in
Spencer Ma.
Ellen is the
author of
The Green
Garden .

19. Two of our favorite books are

20. Our Principal visited
the
Edible School
Yard
at the
MLK Middle School
in Berkeley, CA.

21. And the Life Lab in Santa Cruz, CA.

22. Both venues had helpful signs for on-the-spot learning.
They each had outdoor classroom space as well.
This gave us ideas!

23. We started to plan the school garden.
The students presented all
their best ideas to the teachers
and each other. Together we decided on a plan that had
something for everyone!

24. The staff made a giant garden map
on a shower curtain so everyone could plan.

25. We chose a beautiful mosaic design
with four large squares for rambling plants.

26. In May of 2010, we picked the
perfect place on our playground
and volunteers excavated it.

27. During school hours we cut and stained the lumber.
On a Saturday families & friends constructed the raised beds.

28. We placed the boxes.

29. And put on the finishing touches.

30. When the beds were complete
the whole school filled
them with beautiful, rich compost.

31. Each grade planted a variety of edible plants
(fruit, vegetables, herbs) and flowers.

32. Our plants and seeds came
from a variety of sources:
• Donated perennials divisions
• Donated seeds/plants
• Area nurseries- “stragglers”
• Classroom seed germination
• Local farm donations
• Purchased seeds (OSJL) and
later Johnny’s Seeds

33. The garden grew…and grew…and grew!!

34. HCA Garden Expenditures 2010
• Construction
• Lumber 609.50
• Hardware cloth 8.86
• Stain & staining supplies 214.73
• Weed-block fabric 59.70
• Weed-block fabric 20.00
• Loam 300.00
• 285.50
• Loam & Pea stone 518.00
• Labor & materials 310.83
• L brackets 131.24
• 2457.29
• Equipment
• Hose & shovels 38.78
• Hose guard, watering can 8.00
• Shovels 67.45
• Hose & seeds 109.20
• Hoses, sprinklers, seeds 66.00
• 289.43
• Structures
• Gazebo & tools 143.42
• Bridges 84.98
• Stepping stones 77.76
• Benches 212.37
• Birdbath 201.00
• 717.53
• Grand total so far for garden $3466.25
June 2010
We were given
great deals for
supplies from
local merchants.
The major funds for the
project came from a
generous private grant.

35. On Fine Arts Day we made
mosaic stepping stones.

36. We had a summer Garden Club.

37. and a cooking show called
HCA Gourmet.

38. In the Spring of 2012
we added a little green house.

39. During the fall of 2012 we built
an outdoor classroom.
Mr.Chip & other volunteers
Mr. Chip & friends~
all volunteers!

40. It’s right next to the garden!

41. Even our students got into the action…

42. All done!
The art on the front was designed by a student,
and created by our art teacher.

43. The awesome bench/desks were purchased with funds from a
grant provided by Mass. Ag. In the Classroom!
Thank you MAC!

44. Oh….no
Although the teachers were very excited
about the program, sometimes they had a
hard time fitting the Food for Life activities
into their busy schedules.
Bummer
They decided that there must be a way to
fit it naturally into HCA’s four year
curriculum cycle.

45. We are now in the beginning of a four year
school-wide project to learn to integrate Food for Life
into the very heart of HCA.
We will know we’ve succeeded when
1. we send students to Belarus & make a positive difference
in the gardens, diets, and lives of our orphan friends.
2. we have implemented and documented our methods of
natural integration into every subject and can share that
with other schools.
And most of all

46. 3. When the principal, teachers, and students
make healthy choices in their lives and become
good stewards of all God’s gifts, including their
own bodies.
Then they would be able to say
“YES”
to anything God has planned
for them to do.

47. The End
is really just the beginning!

48. Planning Your School Garden
Gardens for Learning ~ California School Network www.csgn.org
1. Seeking Administrative Support
2. Creating a Support Network (teachers, maintenance staff,
food services staff, students, parents, community volunteers)
3. Identifying Goals & Linking the Garden to Your Curriculum
4. Designing the Garden
5. Identifying Supply Needs and Funding Needs
6. Obtaining Supplies and Funds
7. Planting the Garden
8. Maintaining the Garden
9. Sustaining the Garden

49. Year One~ Our Heritage

50. Year Two~ Change
(American History Pt. 2)
They re-enacted the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893

51. Year Three~ Civilizations
Ancient Greece
Ancient Rome
Medieval
Renaissance &
Reformation

52. Year Four~Cultures
Asian, Middle Eastern, African, South American

53. Back to the problem…..
We decided to work on the integration during the
summer when we had a chance to really think.
The staff is working together and….
the principal and the first grade teacher took a
graduate course to help us get started!
Here are our results!

54. Holden Christian Academy
Food for Life Concept Statements
 God made everything according to His perfect, intentional design.
 He made people in His image and wants us to be good stewards of His creation.
 God gives us strengths to serve Him by doing the work He prepared for us to do.
 ( They benefit ourselves and others by sharing them in community.)
 Because of sin in the world we all have troubles and weaknesses. They remind us of
our need for God and community.
 God created the world to work as an integrated whole.
 Nothing can live in isolation.
 Living things need air, food, water, shelter and community in order to survive.
 God designed all these needs to be met through intricate systems and cycles.
 Understanding and appreciating the interrelationships and connectedness of all
aspects of God’s design will help us
– be better stewards of His creation,
– make healthy personal choices and
– do our part to leave the world in good shape for future generations.