Story in Brief
Garden experiences improve healthy eating habits in children with lifelong implications for reducing obesity, reducing poverty, and increasing longevity. Likewise, there are countless STEM connections that a school garden can provide. The Bartow County Extension office is a proud STEM partner with the Bartow County School System and has worked closely with local schools to assist with their district and state STEM certification process. Bartow County Extension staff and Master Gardener Extension Volunteers have assisted with more than a dozen school gardens and related STEM clubs on numerous occasions at local schools on everything from planting vegetables, attracting pollinators and beneficial insects, to seed starting, soil science, and vermiculture (worm composting). Extension staff train, certify, and manage school garden Master Gardener Extension Volunteers to mentor and guide local schools. The program donated $4,320 worth of plants, soil, and seeds to Bartow County Schools in 2021 and 2022. Master Gardener Extension Volunteers grow and sell plants to offset the costs of these donations to schools. Master Gardeners reported 1,971 volunteer hours for supporting local schools during the past two academic years with over 2,249 contacts. A total of 25 volunteers travel over 15,389 miles to support local school garden and STEM related programs during the last two academic years. During the past two years, the estimated in-kind value of Master Gardener volunteer time and mileage to local schools is over $55,000.To date, Bartow County has eight elementary schools and four middle schools that are district STEM certified and one middle school that is state STEM certified. Bartow County Extension staff were Invited to speak at the Bartow STEM Innovation Academy for 30 teachers to discuss how Extension staff can support K-12 STEM programs. They shared the local resources and expertise that they have available to help teachers develop STEM clubs such as 4-H AgriScience, Junior Master Gardeners and Environmental Science clubs.
