DIS kindergartners celebrate Earth Day in the School/Community Garden

A group of kindergartners enjoyed eating lunch outside in the Daniel Island school garden last Friday to celebrate Earth Day. The garden, which was spearheaded last spring by Jacqueline Gowe and her team of volunteers, has sprouted and is in full bloom at Daniel Island School. The idea to combine the community garden with an existing overgrown area at DIS has paid off. With areas for community plots and classroom plots, the community and the school are both benefitting from the collaboration.

“So far it has worked out great,” says Gowe of the school garden. “We filled a void for the community garden and are providing a place for learning for the students at DIS.”

Community garden volunteer coordinator, Yvonne Michel, gathered the groups of kindergartners to teach them about how food scraps can be used as compost to nourish the garden. With a bucket in hand, Michel had the students rummage through their scraps to find items to add. Items such as banana peels, orange rinds, and other fruits and vegetables will become the fertilizer that will keep the garden looking healthy.

Students will be able to continue to utilize the garden with the addition of 3 new picnic tables donated to the garden area. Community garden volunteers are providing tours of the garden to classrooms at the school and are encouraging teachers to let their classes eat lunch outside on the picnic tables.

YOU’RE INVITED

There will be a public ribbon cutting ceremony on May 20 at 5 p.m. to celebrate the success of the garden. All community members are invited to attend.

MORE VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

The community garden is always looking for more volunteers. If you are interested in getting involved, please email Jacqueline Gowe at jacqueline.gowe@gmail.com.