INSPIRATION
“Can anyone explain to me what the
phrase ‘cool as a cucumber’ means?”
Smith asks the first group of curious
third graders.
Hands shoot into the air and various
definitions are offered. As she places
tiny seeds in the hands of these young
gardeners, Smith uses this question to
engage Brookstone’s students on what
gives a cucumber its flavor, how the
produce will grow on vines over the
next couple months, and the nutritional
value of the produce they are plant-
ing. A simple question provides these
young learners a bevy of information.
While she doesn’t consider herself as
a gardener, Smith has become the
architect of the gardening curriculum,
volunteer organizer and resident
gardener for Brookstone Schools’
gardens for almost 10 years. Joining
as a volunteer with St. Patrick’s
Elementary School in 2010, Smith was
part of group of parents and students
that teamed up with Brookstone
Schools to create a community garden
at Brookstone’s first location off
Westinghouse Boulevard. Friendship
and valuable learning opportunities
inside and outside of the classroom
were the products of the first garden.
The initial, robust partnership between
St. Patrick’s School and Brookstone
Schools has been the product of
thoughtful cultivation. After a success-
ful first year of partnering, from which
friendships blossomed between St.
Patrick’s and Brookstone students,
St. Patrick’s PTO received a “Front
Porch” grant from The Foundation For
The Carolinas to transport students
from one school to the other.
SUMMER 2019
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