Day 46

Let me introduce you to Bridget Sitarski who is a teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing students at our Cedar Springs Academy (CSA) for students who are sensory multi-disabled.  Bridget is currently in her 21^st year at SCSDB.  She uses gardening and the growing process to teach her students lessons they need to learn.

The students at CSA have been involved in gardening for the last 8+ years.  The students begin by deciding what they want to grow in the raised beds and in the larger garden.  After deciding on what they want to grow, the students begin by planning them in starter material and under grow lights.  Once the plants have started growing, the seedlings are then transferred from the classroom to the greenhouse where they continue to grow until it is time to transfer them to either the raised beds or the larger outdoor garden.  The students are responsible for making sure the raised beds and garden are maintained so the plants can grow and produce vegetables that can then be harvested, cooked, and eaten by the students.

Throughout this process, students are learning which vegetables are suited for our climate and what it takes for food to go from a seed to something that you can cook and eat.  They also learn how to start and maintain a healthy garden and how to harvest and cook what they grow.  Working as a team, the students learn valuable life and social skills.  A big shout-out to Bridget for using something as simple as a seed growing into a plant and subsequently producing food to teach so many different lessons to our students.

Two images show people working outdoors. The image on the previous page features two girls spreading soil with tools. The image at the top of this page shows two boys emptying soil from a wheelbarrow into a garden bed.

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