From the Garden to the Cafeteria

Students in the Lawrence School District may soon grow their own lunches.

The district will work with its food provider, Islandia-based Whitson’s Culinary Group, to provide students at the middle school and high school with a “farm to table” experience, where students will plant vegetables at new gardens planned at the schools. The greens will then be served in the cafeterias.

“They’re doing it from soup to nuts,” said Lisa DePaola, assistant principal at Lawrence Middle School. “We would like to promote the consumption of vegetables as part of a healthy and balanced diet.”

The exact locations of the gardens has not been finalized yet, but students will have a huge say in how they are designed, as well as their names and logos.

DePaola said the initiative lines up with Common Core standards, as it provides real world experience and builds their problem solving skills. The designing, creating, maintaining, and harvesting at the organic garden will be embedded in the curriculum in subjects such as science, technology, engineering, mathematics and home and careers.

Whitson has partnered with five other school districts, including Uniondale and Greenport, for similar garden projects.

A committee made of employees from Whitson’s Food Services, central administration, and administrators, teachers, and parents from the middle school and high school has been formed. Community businesses are invited to provide supplies.

Planting may begin in April, according to DePaola, who added the district’s elementary schools may take part in the program in the future.