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PrintFarm to Table at Jacksonville Country Day School
Even after some of the worst cold snaps in history, the kids at Jacksonville Country Day School are preparing to harvest their second crop of the school year, and the cafeteria is serving fresh greens and herbs. Using a greenhouse and a few garden beds, Jacksonville Country Day School is providing students the opportunity to be involved in the entire farm-to-table process from planting the seed to eating the fruits of their labor.
Over the past 50 years, educational programs at Jacksonville Country Day School have continued to be timely and innovative. The recent healthy eating initiative has been in the works since 2008 but kicked-off in full force in fall 2010, and follows closely in the footsteps of Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution and Michelle Obama’s fight against obesity. Response to the groundbreaking grassroots project has been overwhelmingly positive.
Usually, kids don’t know or care what they’re eating. If they do, they don’t know where the fresh product truly comes from. Students acquire a sense of pride from growing their own food, which transforms into enjoyment of foods they would never have even tried. Shannon Johnson, the science specialist at JCDS, has seen this transformation in quite a few students who refused veggies like broccoli, lettuce, tomatoes and carrots but now beg for them.
This year, the school also incorporated more choices into the students’ menu. A main course option is offered with a choice of veggies, salads, soups or wraps. Excess water is recycled into grey bins and is used to water the plants around the school.
Please visit the school's website (http://new.jcds.com/) for further details.
