January 12, 2015
As stated in their mission, SEEDS, in Durham, teaches respect for life, for the earth and for each other through gardening and growing food. The 6th grade Middle Schoolers have chosen SEEDS as their organization for which they will do community service in the 2014-15 academic year!
Our volunteer efforts help to promote the SEEDS mission of sustainable agriculture, environmental stewardship, and urban food security. The 6th grade class recently returned from their second trip to the SEEDS community garden. At our first visit earlier this fall, students worked in teams to weed and mulch pathways and planted beds throughout the garden. During our visit last week, half of the group worked indoors, scraping old paint off of garden benches and prepping those benches for new primer and paint. The other half worked outside, moving large cedar logs to outline the new driveway and to make room for a compost delivery. Our students were able to fine-tune their cooperation and communication skills as they worked in teams of three to move the heavy logs. Although physically exhausted at the end of the day, the students felt a real sense of pride and accomplishment for their contributions. There’s much learning to be done outside of the classroom! Our 6th graders will make a few more trips to the SEEDS gardens before the end of the year.
