Penns Valley students dig into garden, reading

SPINRG MILLS — Jim Flanagan, of the Penns Valley Conservation Association, assisted by Dan Shimp, known as Farmer Dan, visited Penns Valley Elementary and Intermediate School on March 2 assist sixth-grade students with a courtyard garden and read to first-graders.

Several sixth-graders volunteered to help with leveling ground to place a small shed in the courtyard, located on the school building’s south side. The shed walls and floor were pre-constructed by high school students who are members of the Technical Student Association.

A time capsule had been buried in the courtyard by the 2001 sixth-grade class, but its exact location was unknown. Current students began digging furiously to locate it, concerned that the capsule might be under the shed floor. They had no luck, but a student called her uncle, a member of the 2001 class, and he was able to pinpoint the capsule’s location — not under the shed.

School librarian Kristin Albright said the garden project was funded by a grant from Lowe’s. The garden area contains several wood-framed raised beds, some of which are filled with cabbage, garlic, broccoli, eggplant and flowers.

Albright serves as resource coordinator for the garden project and helped write the grant.

According to Albright, the school now has a functioning hydroponic garden in the science room, thanks to a second grant. She also noted that the lumber for the raised beds and flower bulbs for the garden were supplied by Penns Valley area businesses.

While the sixth-graders were digging, Flanagan read the Dr. Seuss book “The Lorax” to first- graders in Robin Barton’s classroom as part of Read Across America Day. This annual event is held on Dr. Seuss’ (Theodore Geisel) birthday in honor of the late children’s author. A student book swap was also held.

Read Across America Day was started by the National Education Association in 1997 to encourage reading awareness initiatives across the country. Teachers, librarians and parents host and participate in different activities created to inspire a love of reading.

After his reading, Flanagan fielded questions from the students regarding environmental protection and conservation.